Climate Change and Multi-Dimensional Sustainability in African Agriculture Climate Change and Sustainability in Agriculture

Rattan Lal, Ph.D., is a Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and Director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, The Ohio State University, and an Adjunct Professor of University of Iceland. His current research focus is on climate-resilient agriculture, soil carbon sequestration, sustainable intensification, enhancing use efficiency of agroecosystems, and sustainable management of soil resources of the tropics. He received honorary degree of Doctor of Science from Punjab Agricultural University (2001), the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas (2005), and Alecu Russo Balti State University, Moldova (2010). He was president of the World Association of the Soil and Water Conservation (1987-1990), the International Soil Tillage Research Organization (1988-91), the Soil Science Society of America (2005-2007), and is President Elect of International Union of Soil Science. He was a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on U.S. National Assessment of Climate Change-NCADAC (2010-2013), member of the SERDP Scientific Advisory Board of the US-DOE (2011-), Senior Science Advisor to the Global Soil Forum of Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Potsdam, Germany (2010-), member of the Advisory Board of Joint Program Initiative of Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE-JPI) of the European Union (2013-), and Chair of the Advisory Board of Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and Resources of the United Nation University (UNU-FLORES), Dresden, Germany (2014-2017). Prof. Lal was a lead author of IPCC (1998-2000). He has mentored 102 graduate students and 54 postdoctoral researchers, and hosted 140 visiting scholars. He has authored /co-authored 780 refereed journal articles, has written 19 and edited / co-edited 63 books. In 2015, Reuter Thomson listed him among the world’s most influential scientific minds and having citations of publications among top 1% of scientists in agricultural sciences.
Bal Ram Singh is a professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB).  He earned his M.Sc. degree from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, and his Ph.D. degree from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, India. His program focuses on bioavailability and mobility of heavy metals in the soil and plant system, fertility management and agricultural sustainability in soils of the tropics and on carbon sequestration in soils under different land uses. He has served as chair of the program board “Soils and Plants” of the Research Council of Norway and the Research and Higher Education Committee in the department. He was chair of the Cost Action FA0905 on” Mineral Improved Cop Production for Healthy Food and Feed. Dr. Singh is a fellow of ASA and SSSA and a recipient of International SSSA award.
Dr. David Kraybill currently serves as project director for the USAID-funded Innovative Agricultural Research Project in Tanzania.  His primary research interest is economic development. His work focuses on regional and spatial development processes that interact with markets and national government policies to determine the economic and social wellbeing of individuals, households, and communities. Dr. Kraybill's recent research includes studies of household poverty, household savings, governmental decentralization, primary and secondary education, and adaptation to climate change. Fluent in French and a Swahili speaker, he has lived in Africa a total of five years, including a sabbatical year as Fulbright Scholar at Makerere University in Uganda. Kraybill has served as Associate Editor or member of editorial boards of seven academic journals. He has received research and advising awards at Ohio State, and received the International Award of Merit from the Gamma Sigma Delta honor society. He has been consultant advisor to World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Southeast Consortium for International Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and numerous governments and other organizations. He came to Ohio State in 1992.
David Hansen is currently employed by The Ohio State University to oversee the International Agricultural Research Initiative (iAGRI) a major USAID-funded higher education partnership project in Tanzania. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, he was a Senior Fellow with the Association for Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), Washington, D.C. His responsibilities there included the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative a which promoted partnerships among U.S. and African Higher Education Institutions to build capacity in Africa. Many of them focused on agriculture, climate change and related areas, such as water, range management and ecosystems services. He collaborates with USAID, World Bank, USDA, land-grant universities and NGO's to help define the paramete