Dr. Ralph Hall is the Principal Investigator of Exploring the Use of Blockchain Technology to Improve Food Security Through African Indigenous Vegetables in Western Kenya.

Founder of two successful startups, David Davies has more than 10 years of experience in senior roles in global investment banks (Goldman Sachs, Lehman Bros, Standard Chartered). ‍In 2016, David Davies and his co-founder laid the foundation of what AgUnity would come to be when they entered a hackathon in a tech conference in London.

Keith Nielsen has more than 25 years of experience in investment banking, tech and large-scale projects, and growing innovative ideas.

Mary Nderito has been working in monitoring and evaluation in Kenya for more than 10 years. With the Trans-Africa Agribusiness Solutions team, she now works to support the digitization of smallholder farming in Kenya. 

Dr. Jessica Agnew has almost a decade’s worth of experience working in market-based approaches to nutrition and food security in an international context. Her research and on-the-ground experience has involved improving the competitiveness and commercial viability of small and medium-sized enterprises that sell nutritious foods to low-income populations and strengthening value chains to become more nutrition-sensitive and profitable for smallholder farmers. She is Co-Principal Investigator of Exploring the Use of Blockchain Technology to Improve Food Security Through African Indigenous Vegetables in Western Kenya.

Bill Lay has extensive experience working in the East African private sector. In 2002, he served as the founding director of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance where he continues to serve a trustee. In 2021, he founded the Taita Taveta Investment Forum through which he works with CIP and USAID to introduce new technologies to farmers in the Taita Highlands. As a potato farmer himself, he is intimately aware of the challenges and opportunities within agri-food value chains in Kenya.

Nurvitria Kristofikova has a cross-disciplinary background that spans from Industrial Engineering to Finance to Development Studies. She has 10 years of experience designing, implementing and evaluating development projects, as well as conducting workshops and designing knowledge products. Nurvitria’s work with AgUnity focuses on the area of private sector development, financial inclusion, employability, and social entrepreneurship development.

Jemima is a social worker by profession and is a well-known community activist in Kakamega. She is the vision bearer of the community-based organization New Vision. Jemima works with other volunteers to achieve food security for group members and beyond through local vegetable growing and marketing and local poultry upscaling. She leads collaboration and networking with other relevant stakeholders and government ministries. Jemima actively works to find training for the group’s members and community at large. 

Joseph is a PhD candidate in Agricultural Economics at Humboldt University (Berlin) and holds an MS in Agricultural and Applied Economics, a BS in Agricultural Economics and is a certified public accountant. Mr. Mwangi has extensive experience working in horticultural value chains in Kenya to improve the livelihood and nutritional situation of last-mile communities in Kenya. He is Co-Principal Investigator of Exploring the Use of Blockchain Technology to Improve Food Security Through African Indigenous Vegetables in Western Kenya.