Andy Blunk

M.S. Plant Science and International Development, Penn State University I have worked in local food system development as a farmer, non-profit coordinator, peace corps volunteer and most recently researcher. I am an advocate of "decentralizing" applied agricultural research methods through inexpensive handheld devices, simple data collection tools and farmer education, to improve opportunities for agriculture communities to lead and respond with solutions to the ever-changing agricultural challenges. I began my relationship with contacts in The Gambia as a semester abroad international student at The University of The Gambia in 2011. Since then have spent multiple summers in The Gambia with organizations for various reasons. Most recently, in 2022, with J&B Microfinance (a Gambian micro-finance company focused on lending to farmers and female entrepreneurs), I was part of a team that conducted agricultural soil assessments in upper Niumi district of The Gambia, which spurred the creation of this research project. In grad school, my research focus was on plant nutrition and soil health monitoring methods. My main interest and addition to this research group is the plant and soil sampling methods and interpretation.

January 2023