Options Magazine, Summer 2023: Felicity Addo joined IIASA in 2021. She is a key contributor to the FACE Africa project, bringing together local actors to co-design strategies to ensure food security in The Gambia.
© IIASA
If science was in an ivory tower, Felicity Addo would be the one demolishing its walls, stepping out into the world to empower communities with knowledge and dedication to solving real-world challenges.
“I believe in rolling up my sleeves and actively engaging with stakeholders. This is when science truly comes to life. The FACE Africa project was an opportunity to work closely with policymakers, researchers, technical experts, farmers, and consumers,” Addo notes.
The cornerstones of the FACE Africa project – Food Systems Adaptations in Changing Environments Africa – align with Addo’s scientific interests, focusing on tools for sustainable agricultural development, food and nutritional security, and sustainable rural development. Addo, who is currently completing her PhD at the University of Natural Resources of Life Sciences in Vienna, is driven by an unwavering passion for the betterment of developing countries.
“By coming from Ghana to Germany, where I studied Agricultural Economics at the University of Hohenheim, and then to Austria, I have made it my mission and passion to learn about agricultural and natural resource management: understanding what works, how it works, and how to apply this knowledge to emergent nations,” she explains.
She continues to explore these topics across several projects at IIASA.
“It is a positive signal when stakeholders holding varying perspectives, gather in a single space and engage in lively discussions. This is an applied grassroots systems approach: working together to drive sustainable change from the ground up,” she concludes.
By Bettina Greenwell