Nottingham food system researcher wins Young Development Agriculturalist award for advancing sustainable agriculture

Chawezi Miti with his certificate after being named Young Development Agriculturalist 2025

PhD student Chawezi Miti from the University of Nottingham School of Biosciences has been recognised with a Young Development Agriculturalist Award by the Tropical Agriculture Association International.

The Tropical Agriculture Association International (TAAI) annually recognises outstanding contributions to sustainable agricultural development through its Honours Programme.

Chawezi joined the University of Nottingham in 2021, with funding from the International Agriculture Doctoral Training Programme between UoN and Rothamsted Research (delivered through the Future Food Beacon and Food Systems Institute).

Chawezi was presented the award during the ceremony held on Tuesday 2 December in London, in recognition of his innovative work in agricultural statistics particularly his critical review and methodological advances in boundary line analysis for yield gap studies. The award celebrates early-career professionals who have made significant impact in advancing tropical agriculture through research, innovation, and capacity building.

In reaction to his award, Chawezi said: “I am deeply honoured by this recognition. My hope has always been to use data and research to strengthen the foundations of sustainable agriculture and ensure that farmers, especially those in resource-limited settings, benefit from insights that are both accurate and practical. This award strengthens my commitment to continue developing work that makes a real difference on the ground.”

Chawezi’s research focuses on improving the understanding of crop yield data gaps through the development of new statistical and exploratory data analysis methods for boundary line modelling. He is the developer and maintainer of the open-source BLA R package, now available on The Comprehensive R Archive Network, a tool which enables researchers and practitioners to assess limiting factors to crop productivity more effectively. Chewazi’s work has advanced the use of data-driven approaches for sustainable agricultural intensification across tropical regions.

His contributions to the field have also include supporting and inspiring young professionals through workshops in Kenya and Zimbabwe, and postgraduate teaching at Wageningen University in The Netherlands.

For more information, contact Chawezi Miti at chawezi.Miti@nottingham.ac.uk 

About the University of Nottingham Food Systems Institute:
The Food Systems Institute at the University of Nottingham is dedicated to advancing sustainable food systems, building resilient communities, and promoting healthy, nutritious diets through interdisciplinary research and policy.