Joseph Opoku Gakpo

Joseph Opoku Gakpo, Ph.D., is an agricultural communications scholar and a food systems policy analyst. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education & Human Sciences (Extension Concentration) from the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where he had earlier earned an M. Joseph Opoku Gakpo, Ph.D., is an agricultural communications scholar and a food systems policy analyst. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education & Human Sciences (Extension Concentration) from the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where he had earlier earned an M.A. in Liberal Studies. He also holds an M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Ghana, and a BSc. in Agricultural Biotechnology from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology. He is a 2016 Global Leadership Fellow of Cornell University’s Alliance for Science Program, and a 2020 AgBioFEWS (Ag. Biotech. in Our Evolving Food, Energy, and Water Systems) Fellow - a U.S. National Science Foundation-funded interdisciplinary graduate research training program. He teaches communication methods in agriculture and his academic research examines how humans interact with technology. Specifically, his interdisciplinary research explores strategies for communicating agricultural biotechnologies such as GMOs and gene-edited organisms, so consumers can make informed decisions. His work also investigates mechanisms for building trust in agricultural food systems. As a food systems policy expert, he analyzes, designs, and advises on policies that shape the production, distribution, consumption, and governance of food in Africa. He is a big believer in the age old saying that “if hunger were only a production problem, we would have solved it by now.” He thus conduct research and facilitate stakeholder engagements that promote integrated approaches to tackling Africa’s complex food system challenges such as climate change, limited access to quality inputs, food waste, poor rural infrastructure, gender inequity, weak governance institutions and ineffective leadership. He previously worked as a journalist for Joy FM, Joy News TV and myjoyonline.com in Ghana, and other international news platforms, covering science, agriculture, environment, rural development, and parliamentary affairs, among others. He was recognized with ten Ghanaian and international journalism awards, including the 2018 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists’ best video journalist. Now, he separately works as a U.S. and Africa-based communications consultant who develops and implements communication strategies for development organizations and private sector firms. more less