Bakang K. Kgasudi
Bakang Kedumetse Kgasudi is a PhD student in Crop Science (Horticulture) at the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN), where her research focuses on using the conventional breeding method to develop an early maturing and high grain yielding cowpea variety. This variety is expected to thrive well under harsh climatic conditions while producing high grain yield and addressing some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (ending hunger, achieving food security and promoting sustainable agriculture). This work has enhanced her expertise in conventional breeding methods and molecular techniques including DNA and RNA extractions, data collection, analysis and reporting. Bakang holds a Masters in Horticulture (Vegetable science) from Dr. YSR Horticultural University (India) and a BSc in Crop Science (Horticulture) from University of Botswana. She has contributed to academia as a Teaching Assistant at BUAN, assisting in laboratory preparations, teaching practicals in plant breeding and crop production courses. She has worked at the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture (Botswana) as an Assistant Agricultural Scientific Officer, where she engaged with local farmers, facilitated community outreach projects and agricultural knowledge transfer. Bakang is a recipient of the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Award, Young Talents (2024). She is passionate about using science to empower young girls and women, communities and uplifting smallholder farmers. Her work reflects a deep commitment to collaborative, community-focused agricultural innovation enabling her to align breeding efforts with real-world farming needs.