Agnes Kalibata
Tribute
Dr. Agnes Kalibata transforms Africa's agricultural systems from her base in Rwanda as she had cultivated her twins' growth with the same patience required for sustainable farming. Outside of her leadership at AGRA, we honour the seeds of character planted in everyday conversations, the careful tending of developing interests, and the harvests of joy celebrated in family milestones. We love how she has come to know that these seasons of motherhood yield the most meaningful abundance.
Profile
Dr. Agnes Kalibata is an agricultural scientist, policymaker, and thought leader dedicated to transforming Africa’s food systems. As the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit, she led global efforts to improve food security and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since 2014, she has served as President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), working with public and private partners to enhance agricultural productivity and smallholder farmer livelihoods across the continent. Her tenure as Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources (2008–2014) helped the country achieve food security, making it a model for agricultural transformation. Born to smallholder farmers in a Ugandan refugee camp, Dr. Kalibata pursued entomology and biochemistry at Makerere University before earning a PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She began her career as a research scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) before returning to Rwanda. Her contributions to agriculture have earned her numerous accolades, including the Africa Food Prize, honorary doctorates from the University of Liège and McGill University, and the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal. She is also a mother of twins.