Colorful Revolution Webinar Series. This webinar series built on a recent global study examining fruit and vegetable (F&V) research and development investments across nine countries.
Robust extension systems are critical for translating innovation into impact. In countries such as Tanzania, Nepal, and Honduras, gaps in technical knowledge, service coverage, and integration across stakeholders limit technology uptake. Targeted investments in youth and women-led training programs, digital advisory platforms, and multi-actor collaboration can build a skilled horticulture workforce and improve farmer outcomes.
Robust extension systems are critical for translating innovation into impact. In countries such as Tanzania, Nepal, and Honduras, gaps in technical knowledge, service coverage, and integration across stakeholders limit technology uptake. Targeted investments in youth and women-led training programs, digital advisory platforms, and multi-actor collaboration can build a skilled horticulture workforce and improve farmer outcomes.
Introduction:
Presentation of the report
Presentation of the report
- Katheryn Gregerson Responsible Innovations (hosted by the University of California) - Former Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture.
- Archie Jarman, Responsible Innovations: Extension and digital innovation - barriers to investmentErin McGuire, Responsible Innovations
Panelists
- Julio López Montes - Julio López Montes - Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer | Digital Green. Associate Professor & Plant Protection Specialist | Zamorano University. Julio López is an associate professor and a plant protection specialist and leads classes in integrated pest management and small-scale crop production systems as a professor at the Panamerican Agricultural School, Zamorano, in Honduras. He was previously the Director of the Horticulture Innovation Lab Regional Innovation Center at Zamorano. Professor López has mentored students and participated in several courses on effective rural development, food security and food safety, IPM in vegetables, fruits and grains crops at Zamorano. He is an expert in the extension of information on IPM, farmer field school methodology and alternative technologies for pest control for small producers, handlers and consumers.
- Rikin Gandhi co-founded Digital Green as a project within Microsoft Research India. He inspired by his passion for supporting smallholder farmers developed through time in rural India. With degrees from MIT in Aeronautical Engineering and Carnegie Mellon in Computer Science, he began his career at Oracle, where he developed patented linguistic search algorithms. Today, Digital Green reaches over 8 million farmers across India, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Brazil, and Kenya. Its flagship platform, Farmer.Chat, uses conversational AI to deliver timely, localized advice and connect farmers to markets. Rikin is a TED Fellow and Ashoka Fellow, and has co-authored leading studies on agri-food systems transformation.
- Dr. Ranjana Rawal is a scientist at the National Horticultural Research Center under the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC). She earned her Ph.D. in Horticulture and Crop Science from The Ohio State University and was awarded the prestigious Schlumberger Foundation’s Faculty for the Future Fellowship from 2017 to 2021. Dr. Rawal previously worked as a Cropping Systems Agronomist with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) for the South Asia program. She has also served as a Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on a NARC-led project funded by the Horticulture Innovation Lab (HIL) and UC Davis. Her current research focuses on variety development and postharvest management of horticultural crops in Nepal.
Forthcoming
03/09 Strengthening Seed Systems and Research Infrastructure: stronger links are needed between research and farmers, especially for indigenous crops.
10/09 Elevating Nutrition and Consumer Demand for Fruits and Vegetable
17/09 Enabling Market Access for Women through Policy Instruments
10/09 Elevating Nutrition and Consumer Demand for Fruits and Vegetable
17/09 Enabling Market Access for Women through Policy Instruments
Past
13 August 2025. Presentation of the report: The State of Investments in Fruit & Vegetables + Addressing Postharvest Losses and Building Value Chains
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