I am a 42-year-old lady from East London, Eastern Cape (South Africa) and my life changed after joining the Afrikelp™ team in 2012. My passion and enthusiasm to learn more about the research functions were noticed and I was soon offered an opportunity to be part of the Research and Development team. Working with the vibrant R&D team is fascinating and exciting for me as I am learning new things continuously. As a laboratory assistant, I have gained experience in the preparation of various trials such as maize, mung beans, as well as conducting bioassays of maize, wheat, and mung beans.

Additional skills obtained through this position include timing of planting different kind of crops, preparing trials with the R&D team, and collecting data and capturing it using my Microsoft Excel knowledge. Being a part of the trial designs and protocols allowed me to learn everything I need to know to do my job efficiently. For example – planning a trial is vital. One must understand the soil type and nutrient availability, kind of crop to plant, season to plant that specific crop and understand the location where planting will take place. I have also learnt to understand which parameters are important to understand how a plant grows and responds to different treatments. Preparing bioassays requires meticulous work, for example the preparation of dilutions is important for our trial testing – e.g., measuring of treatments – 10 ml of a 1000 ml treatment equates to a 1% solution. I am also continuously advancing my knowledge base by attending relevant short courses.

My journey at Afrikelp is still at its infancy stage as there is so much more for me to learn and space for me to grow. What motivates and keeps me excited is seeing how well our products work on a variety of crops.