Dr. Evans Ouma is a Lecturer of Genetics and plant breeding in the school of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental sciences. He earned his PhD degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics from University of Eldoret; M.Sc. (Plant Breeding& Biotechnology), and B.Sc. Hons. (Horticulture) from Moi University. Dr. Evans Ouma has vast training in Leadership and Mentorship from Emerge Centre for Innovations – Africa (ECI-Africa)-the former PICO – Eastern Africa (PICO-EA). He has 8 years teaching experience at the University level and over 10 years’ experience in research and community outreach. He has published more than 15 scientific papers and several technical reports in international Refereed journals and participated in several national and international conferences and workshops.
Dr. Evans Ouma has done extensive research on plant response and adaptation to low pH acid soils using both conventional and biotechnological approaches and has contributed to maize and sorghum improvement in western Kenya. Most recently he has expanded his area of research to capture the use of legumes to improve soil fertility and human diets, breeding using crop wild relatives and how to mitigate aflatoxin in food and feeds.
Research interests
Dr. Evans Ouma has won some international and national research grants where he has been the principal Investigator or Co-PI. He is currently the PI of a project titled “Sorghum breeding with Wild Relatives: Evaluating pre-breeding material with farmers in Kenya funded by Global Crop Diversity Trust (2018-2020), Co-PI of project “Mitigating the Adverse Health Effects of Aflatoxin by Reducing Human Consumption: A Value Chain approach” funded by National Research Fund (NRF 2019-2022), Kenya, Co-PI of “Enhancing livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Western and Eastern Kenya through Agro-ecological intensification with sorghum-based interventions” funded by McKnight Foundation, USA (2018-2020). He is also Co-PI of an infrastructural support project titled “Soil Analysis Laboratory Facility at Rongo University” Other past project where he has been a Co-PI or technical member include “Improving Food Security and Livelihoods in East and Horn of Africa Using Multiple Stress Tolerant Sorghum Cultivars (McKnight Foundation, 2014-2017)-project Co-PI, “”Joint Research of Breeding for Drought-tolerant and Disease-resistant Maize Hybrids and Demonstration (Ministry of Science and Technology China, 2014-2016)—member, “Development of Maize hybrids Tolerant to Maize Streak Virus and Soil Acidity Problems for Kenya and South Africa (NRF, 2014-2016) Project Co-PI.
Projects
Dr. Evans Ouma has several research and professional collaborators including; University of Eldoret, KALRO –Kiboko and Kitale, ICRIAT Mali and Nairobi, Cornell University USA, University of Putra-Malysia (UPM), Chinese Academy of science, Emerge Centre for Innovations – Africa (ECI-Africa), Ugenya Banana Association (Kenya), Aminyasa youth group (Kenya), Agriss (NGO-Kenya), Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza – International Centre-Spain.
Dr. Evans Ouma was awarded McKnight Foundation Msc. Scholarship (2009-2011), Generation Challenge program scholarship PhD (2012-2015), NACOSTI PhD partial scholarship, Collaborative crop research program (CCRP) mentoring scholarship. He was honoured and awarded the second best mentee in Africa and also the best Mentor-mentee pair in Africa. He is a member of the African plant breeders association, Kenya plant breeders association and the Malaysian society of soil science.