May 31, 2022
Guertal to Serve as Program Director for Haiti Initiative on Agricultural Development Led by SIIL
The Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL) has received a $12 M grant to establish a Center of Excellence on Mitigation, Adaptation, and Resilience to Climate-Change in Haiti (CE MARCH) from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Haiti to support agriculture-led growth and build human and institutional capacity at six universities in Haiti.
Beth Guertal will serve as the program director of the CE MARCH, managing the day-to-day operations of the initiative. She will support the vision and goals of CE MARCH and be a leader in the national education, research and outreach community.
Vara Prasad, university distinguished professor and director of the SIIL said that having Beth Guertal join as the program director of the CE MARCH is a step toward creation of this center of excellence to support institutions in Haiti.
“Beth’s experience and knowledge in international agricultural research and education will be extremely valuable to get the CE MARCH established and effective,” Prasad said. “The SIIL will benefit from having her be part of the team, as will our Haitian university partners from this new initiative. She will collaboratively work with faculty in Haiti to build master’s degree programs and undergraduate training programs.”
Guertal will support the development of the individual university plans, oversee the capacity development of the Haitian faculty, and provide guidance of the scientific aspects of their applied research. She will also be working with the Haitian universities to help master’s students with their research.
Additionally, Guertal will support, develop and implement the broader human and institutional capacity building activities with the Haitian partners. She will foster agricultural education, training, research, extension and link farmers with the private sector through improved collaboration, communication and knowledge sharing to address agricultural problems, and food and nutritional security in Haiti.
“Throughout my entire career in Soil and Crop Science I have always wished to be more involved in international work,” Guertal said. “This project provides me the opportunity to work with talented colleagues in the United States and Haiti.”
Prior to joining the SIIL team, Guertal was the Rowe Endowed Professor in the Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Department at Auburn University in Alabama. In addition, in 2022 she served a one-year assignment with USAID as a Jefferson Science Fellow, one of 15 such Fellows selected by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She obtained her B.S. in Agriculture and M.S. in Soil Science from The Ohio State University, and Ph.D. in Soil Science from Oklahoma State University.
Guertal’s research program focuses on soil fertility issues in turfgrass management. She consults and speaks around the world on issues in soil fertility in highly managed systems. She has served as the Editor-in-Chief for the Agronomy Journal, and as Associate Editor for Crop Science and the Soil Science Society of America Journal. In 2019 she served as the President of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA). She is a former Fulbright Fellow and elected Fellow of the CSSA, the Soil Science Society of America, and the American Society of Agronomy.