Dr Emmanuel Junior Zuza | Royal Agricultural University

Biography

Emmanuel is passionate about sustainable rural development and smallholder farmers, my objective is to contribute to the Agriculture and Food Security industry by enhancing smallholder crop productivity, food and nutrition security, and incomes. I am committed to promoting gender justice and addressing the challenges posed by climate change and information technology.

Experience

I am a skilled trainer and researcher in climate and environmental sciences, specializing in various crop life cycle assessment chains in Africa. With expertise in managing international development projects, I have successfully designed, developed, and overseen long-term crop value chain programs, particularly tailored for smallholder farmer setups. My experience includes working on projects funded by DFID, USAID, and GIZ, such as the Global Poverty Action Fund Project, Integrated Nutrition in Value Chains, Feed the Future - Peanut and Mycotoxin Innovation Lab, Malawi Improved Seed Systems and Technologies Project/Aflasafe, and MIERA project in Malawi.

Storytelling

As a storyteller, I focus on highlighting the impacts of climate change on crop production, with a special emphasis on smallholders' experiences and their adoption of natural-based solutions for adaptation. My Ph.D. research centered on climate-smart macadamia agroforestry managed by smallholders.

Professional memberships

British Ecological Society.
European Agroforestry Federation.
Italian Society for Climate Sciences.
NERC Engaging Environments.
British Soil Society.
Soil Society of America

Reviewer

PLOS One
Sage
Journal of Agriculture and Food Security
Agriculture and Forest Meteorology
Ecography

Research

Research interests

Emmanuel’s research focuses on food systems transformations, sustainable agricultural practices, with an emphasis on just transitions and climate suitability modelling. Looking for PhD students to supervise.

Recent research funding

The Open University, eSTEeM 2024-25: Evaluating an LGBTQ+ awarding gap and supporting our queer student community: An intersectional perspective (Phase 1). Total budget £10, 000.
UKRI Agri-food for Net Zero Network+ 2024-2025: Food system transformations through diversity in farming landscapes, species and genes. In collaboration with University of Oxford and the University of the West of England. Total budget £2, 000.
The Open University, Open Societal Challenges, Catalysing transformative food futures for global sustainability (CATAPULT) 2023-24: Pathways for food systems transformations. Co-Investigator. Total budget: £50, 000.
Feed the Future, Innovation Lab for Peanuts: Examining the utility of satellite-based assessments in a maize/peanut agroecosystem for estimated crop response in Malawi 2021-22. Co-Investigator collaborating with the University of Georgia, North Carolina State University, and Stanford University. Total budget £174, 000.
North Carolina State University Agroforestry grants 2021-22: Co-Investigator collaborating with North Carolina State University. Total budget £50, 000.

Teaching

Module leader: Environmental Science in Agriculture
Module leader: Environmental Technology and Innovation
Module leader: Climate Change and Sustainability
Module leader: Computing and Information Technology in Agriculture

Publications

Peer Review publications

Zuza, E.J., Lambert, K., Macmillan, T., Chiyemura, F., Araya, Y., Bowskill, V., Oluseye, A., Ng’endo, K.M., Keding, G., Breman, G., King, O.I., Matumba, L., Heddenhausen, J., Nordin, S., & Shonil, B. (2024). Crop species diversity: A key strategy for sustainable food system transformation and climate resilience. Food and Energy Security, fes3558.
Kemppinen, J., Lembrechts, J. J., Van Meerbeek, K., Carnicer, J., Chardon, N. I., Kardol, P., & Zuza, E.J. (2024). Microclimate, an important part of ecology and biogeography. Global Ecology and Biogeography, e13834.
Zuza, E. J., Muhammed, A. O., Emmott, A., Brandenburg, R. L., & Araya, Y. N. (2024). Macadamia Nuts as a Supplement to Cereal-Based Diets in Malawi. IntechOpen. Pp 1 – 24.
Zuza, E. J., Araya, Y. N., Maseyk, K., Bhagwat, S., Brandenburg, R. L., Emmott, A., ... & Kenamu, E. (2024). Farmer preference for macadamia varieties and constraints to production in Malawi. PLOS ONE, 19 (2), e0293488.
Araya, Y. N., Emmott, A., Rawes, W., & Zuza, E. Jnr. (2023). Promoting climate-smart sustainable agroforestry to tackle social and environmental challenges: The case of macadamia agroforestry in Malawi. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 100846.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Araya, Y. N., Maseyk, K., Bhagwat, S., Brandenburg, R. L., Emmott, A., ... & Kenamu, E. (2023). Farmer preference for macadamia varieties and constraints to production in Malawi. agriRxiv, Early-access.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Maseyk, S., Bhagwat, S., Chemura, A., Brandenburg, R.L., Emmott, A., Hancock, W., Mthambala, F., Araya, Y.N. (2023). Changes in soil physical and chemical properties in long-term smallholder macadamia farms in Malawi. Agriculture and Food Security.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Bhagwat, S., Maseyk, K., SA., Emmott, A., Rawes, W., Araya, Y.N. (2021). Climate suitability predictions for the cultivation of macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) in Malawi using climate change scenarios. PLoS ONE 16(9): e0257007.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Bhagwat, SA., Emmott, A., Rawes, W., Maseyk, K., Araya, Y.N. (2021). Review of macadamia production in Malawi: Focusing on what, where, how much is produced and major constraints. Agriculture, 11(2), 152.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Muitia, A., Amane, M.I.V., Brandenburg, R.L., Emmott, A. and Mondjana, A.M. (2018). Effect of harvesting time and drying methods on aflatoxin contamination in groundnut in Mozambique. Mycotoxins: Impact and Management Strategies. Pp 25-40. Book Chapter.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Muitia, A., Amane, M.I.V., Brandenburg, R.L., Emmott, A. and Mondjana, A.M. (2018). Effect of harvesting time and drying methods on aflatoxin contamination in groundnut in Mozambique. Journal of Postharvest Technology, 6 (2): 90–103.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Muitia, A., Amane, I.V.M., Brandenburg, R.L. and Mondjana, A.M. (2017). Effect of harvesting time on groundnut yield and yield components in Northern Mozambique. Journal of Postharvest Technology, 5 (2): 55–63.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Muitia, A., Amane, I.V.M. and Mondjana, A.M. (2016). "Effect of harvesting date on groundnut aflatoxin contamination in Northern Mozambique." Ruforum working document series, 14 (3) 167–172.

Oral presentations

Grzanka, E., Soper, V., Zuza, E. Jnr. (2022, March). Encouraging students to be green entrepreneurs. Advanced Higher Education Conference, Virtual.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Emmott, A., Rawes, W., Araya, Y.N. (2021, December). Climate suitability predictions for the cultivation of macadamia in Malawi. Africa and its ecologies: People and Nature in the age of climate change, GAPSYM14 – International Conference, Ghent, Belgium.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Emmott, A., Rawes, W., Araya, Y.N. (2021, December). Why climate change will be bitter for macadamia in Malawi. British Ecological Society Annual Conference, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Bhagwat, Maseyk, K., SA., Emmott, A., Rawes, W., Araya, Y.N. (2021, September). Climate change and macadamia agroforestry in Malawi. Italian Society for Climate Sciences Annual Conference, Virtual.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Araya. Y.N. (2020, September). Citizen science for data collection a case of macadamia production in Malawi. CENTA Conference, Virtual.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Emmott, A., Woods, Jeremy. (2019, February). Feasibility study of clean energy generation and supply from groundnut shell in Afri - Oil's value chains in Malawi. Agro-Industries, and Clean Energy in Africa Symposium, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Muitia, A., Amane, M.I.V., Brandenburg, R.L., Emmott, A. and Mondjana, A.M. (2016, October). Does harvesting time impact aflatoxin contamination of groundnuts? Peanut Innovation Lab Conference, Lilongwe, Malawi.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Muitia, A., Amane, M.I.V., Brandenburg, R.L., Emmott, A. and Mondjana, A.M. (2016, September). Effect of harvesting time and drying methods on groundnut aflatoxin contamination in Northern Mozambique. GLOBALG.A.P. Summit, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Poster presentations

Zuza, E. Jnr., Emmott, A., Rawes, W., Araya, Y.N. (2022, September). Climate change and macadamia agroforestry in Malawi. TROPENTAG Annual Conference, Prague, Czech Republic.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Bhagwat, Maseyk, K., SA., Emmott, A., Rawes, W., Araya, Y.N. (August, 2022). Agroforestry a key to climate adaptation and
resilience in Malawi. Micro Ecology and Biogeography Conference, Antwerp, Belgium.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Bhagwat, Maseyk, K., SA., Emmott, A., Rawes, W., Araya, Y.N. (2021, November). What climate scenarios inform us about macadamia cultivation? A case study of Malawi. Association of Applied Biologists Annual Conference, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Araya, Y.N. Emmott, A., Rawes, W., Zuza, E. Jnr. (2019, December). Engaged Research: Mobile device data collection from Malawian macadamia farmers for agricultural research and distance education in the United Kingdom. British Ecological Society Annual Conference, Belfast, United Kingdom.
Zuza, E. Jnr., Bhagwat, Maseyk, K., SA., Emmott, A., Rawes, W., Araya, Y.N. (2019, December). Does growing area and altitude influence macadamia yields in Malawi? British Ecological Society Annual Conference, Belfast, United Kingdom.