Management Team
Dr. Jagger Harvey
Director
Jagger Harvey serves as Director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss, at Kansas State University, since he joined the program in May 2016. His work on addressing fungal toxin (mycotoxin) contamination of crops spans more than 15 years, from basic research in graduate school through to developing and leading a flagship international research for development program in East Africa. His work from 2009-2016 as an early member of the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub in Nairobi, Kenya, included establishment of a mycotoxin capacity building and research platform which has hosted over one hundred African researchers and their international partners. At the Innovation Lab, he is working with the team to ensure that their work is effectively translated into information, interventions and capacity to address post-harvest loss issues in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nepal and beyond. He also serves as Principal Investigator of the PHLIL Nepal project, a USAID Buy-In. He is passionate about raising the profile of international agricultural research for development, including benefits at home and abroad.
Mamadou Thiam
Assistant Director
Originally from Guinea and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire in business administration, Mamadou is an international development professional with more than 12 years of experience. Thiam has held leading in-country roles in USAID-funded projects, affording him proficiency in project management and navigating associated complexities to achieve strategic development goals. In his last international assignment, Thiam served as the Guinea Chief of Party for the University of California, Davis' Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture. He played a leading role in establishing and managing the Horticulture Training and Services Center in Guinea. Under his leadership, the center introduced low-cost technologies to support production and postharvest management of fruits and vegetables in collaboration with the Guinea Agricultural Research Institute in Kindia.
Thiam has also served as assistant country director for Winrock International's Farmer-to-Farmer program in Guinea, and program manager of Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture's USAID-funded Apprenticeship in Extension, Entrepreneurism and Rural Innovation program.
Thiam is enthusiastic about his vision to make lasting impacts on smallholder farmers in developing countries while working as part of a small team.
Bolanle Atilola
Program Assistant
PHLIL is happy to introduce Ms. Bolanle Adijat Atilola (Khadijah) of the K-State College of Agriculture, department of Agriculture Economy. Ms. Atilola is a doctoral student at Kansas State University's department of agricultural economics. She is originally from Ibadan, Oyo state, in the southwest region of Nigeria. Ms. Adijat’s dissertation is on the assessment of how conflict affects the nutritional and health outcomes of children in Nigeria. In addition, the study examines how farm households' coping strategies contribute to their resilience to conflicts. With PHLIL, Adijat’s contribution will be instrumental in data management, administrative task support and annual reporting.