Professional History: Edward Mabaya is a scholar and a development practitioner with more than two decades of experience working on agricultural development and food security issues in Africa. In July 2022, he was named Director of Cornell's Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship Program, which is part of the US State Department's Fullbright Exchange Program.

Previously, he was the Associate Director at Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development at Cornell University Research Associate Director at Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development at Cornell University Research; an Associate at Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University; the Founder Coordinator at Seeds of Development; a Programme Facilitator at Making Markets Matter; and, an agribusiness education program for Africa.

From 2018-2020 Ed managed the Agribusiness Development Division of the African Development Bank. He led agribusiness development initiatives under the bank’s $24 billion feed Africa strategy, with his work dedicated to transforming African agriculture into a sustainable, inclusive and business-oriented sector that is globally competitive and able to cover the food needs across the continent.

Motivated by childhood experiences growing up in rural Zimbabwe, Edward is involved in several programs that seek to improve the lives of African farmers through agriculture. He is the Principal Investigator of The African Seed Access Index. As a senior research associate in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, he conducts research on food marketing and distribution, seed systems, and the role of efficient agricultural markets in Africa’s economic development. He has published widely on these topics including five books, 21 book chapters, 17 journal articles, and 12 OpEds.

Academic and professional credentials: Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics (1998-2003), Cornell University (Ithaca, NY, USA)
M.S. in Agricultural Economics (1996-1998), Cornell University (Ithaca, NY, USA)
B.Sc. in Agricultural Economics with Honors (1992-1994), University of Zimbabwe (Harare, Zimbabwe)

Programs: