Dorcas Kalele

Dr. Dorcas Kalele is an experienced agriculture and climate change adaptation professional with over 15 years of working experience in designing and implementing projects and programs in rural agriculture and development. She holds a PhD in Climate Change and Adaptation from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Her expertise includes integration of inclusive climate-smart innovations and technologies for adaptation and resilience of agri-value chains, transdisciplinary research, capacity building, plant health systems, agriculture policies and investments. She is passionate about sustainable initiatives cutting across science-policy-practice interface, while integrating gender and social inclusion to support rural communities towards sustainable climate-resilient solutions for social and economic empowerment (food and nutrition security, poverty eradication etc). 

Dorcas is currently working as a Research Fellow at the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), where she is involved in developing, coordinating, and implementing projects within the Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security Program. She is supporting in the implementation of two projects funded by the IDRC: the Blue Empowerment project for Women Empowerment through Aquaculture of Seaweed and Fish and the CLARE Capacity Strengthening Hub. She has extensive working experience in implementing projects and research with international organizations such as World Bank, the German Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN), Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Solidaridad Eastern and Central Africa, Global Challenges Research Fund, SNV, Netherlands Development Organization and COLEACP. She has also worked closely with national governments, local non-governmental organizations, and community-based organizations in capacity building and training projects. She is currently a Policy Fellow in the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), Cohort 1 Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship.