
Vidah Yosia Mahava
Position: Extensionist and Center Coordinator for Technology Transfer and Partnership
Email: vidahmahava@gmail.com
Vidah Yosia Mahava is a Senior Research Officer under Technology
Transfer and Partnership Unit in Mikocheni Agricultural Research Centre under
the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute in the Ministry of
Agriculture. Vidah is a Certified Knowledge Manager for Sustainable
Development and also The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and
Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) Focal Person, which she set up to
foster foresight technology transfer and partnership among stakeholders of
different gender categories in Tanzania and beyond. Vidah strongly believes
that investing in Africa’s farmers of different gender categories to be future
oriented will empower them to shape their personal futures and that of their
communities on the continent. Vidah has an MSc and BSc in Agricultural
Education and Extension from Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania.
These programmes have made her capable of planning and managing
agricultural projects and extension services to benefit different stakeholders.
Vidah received a solid grounding in all areas related to agriculture,
extension, education, information, natural science, social science, products
and production, horticulture and other areas. She also typically learn to
develop competence in the areas of communications and leadership, design,
operation and philosophy of agricultural and environmental education programs,
and in research and evaluation processes. Her research was key on Social
capital (operationalizing this is groups and networks in communities). She also
have attended different training, workshops, short courses on Extension,
Information Communication Knowledge Management, Gender, Leadership and
management in agriculture. She has undergone different training on qualitative
and quantitative research from different institutions and have good experience
on participatory research methods and tools.
Vidah has been appointed to be a Gender Focal Point where she
lead a Task Force Team to implement gender issues in the division and later in
the institution. The appointment exposed her to work with The Ministry of
Community Development, Gender and Children Task Force Team which its
mission is to promote community development, gender equality, and equity and
children rights through the formulation of policies, strategies and guidelines
in collaboration with stakeholders active in the country. Vidah has also
trained policy makers, decision makers, researchers, farmers and pupils on
gender aspects under different projects like African Women in Agricultural
Research and Development (AWARD), The East African Agricultural Productivity
Programme (EAAPP), The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in
Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), Kilimo Trust and Sustainable
Intensification of the Maize-Legume cropping system for food security in
Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA). She is a member of the Tanzania
Association of Women in Leaders in Agriculture and Environment (TAWLAE), Alumni
for Graduates of the Mid-career Agricultural Extension Programme at Sokoine
University of Agriculture and Kifungilo Alumni.