Etai Phiri

My RAU experience

I joined the RAU because I was looking for a course that integrated business with agriculture. There have been many highlights studying at the RAU, however one that stands out was when during one of my modules we had guest lectures come and talk about their respective area of expertise. I’ve found that the small size of the university means that you are known personally by your lecturers and they are more willing to have one on one chats and respond to emails, and having those smaller lecture sessions results in more detailed learning. One area that the RAU staff are supporting me is time management, whereby the lecturers are helping me create a guide and timeline to achieve goals such as completing assessments.

What I gained from the RAU 

I've done business for a number of years and specifically this university course in business I think has prepared me a lot better going into more of the nitty-gritty of business aspects, things like imports, exports, tariffs, and especially about agri-business.

I undertook my work placement in Zambia and was overseeing operations on a hybrid poultry farm. I enjoyed that I was not just in one place - I was allowed to move around departments and different farms with field work and office work intertwined. This gave me a good refresh whenever I learned what I could from one department, before moving to the next. I gained knowledge in all areas of running a business, from the operational side to the more "political/legal" side, as well as practical skills.

My future goal is to go back to Zambia (after some work experience and a master’s degree) and begin my own aquaponic farm. The RAU is helping me by providing me with the knowledge is the subject specific field that I need to start my own farm.