Komlan Kekeli Batchey (Class of 2021), a Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni, grew up in a farming community in Togo. As a child he helped his mother grow and sell green beans and lettuce from her garden. While he was in high school at the African Leadership Academy in South Africa, his college counselor introduced him to EARTH University. He immediately felt inspired by EARTH’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and focus on community impact. Komlan reflects that because of his involvement in agriculture from a young age, he quickly learned how deeply food production shaped livelihoods in his community. “Agriculture was more than an activity; it was the foundation of local resilience and economic life,” he shares. Komlan appreciated how the EARTH education focused on applying the skills learned in class to engaging with rural communities with the goal of alleviating poverty. This idea of using agricultural solutions to promote food security in rural communities remains a guiding pillar in Komlan’s work.
At EARTH, Komlan deepened his appreciation of the intersection between rural community development, scientific skill building, and entrepreneurship. Throughout his four years, he experienced a variety of impactful opportunities that reminded him how he could leverage EARTH’s holistic approach to sustainable agriculture to support the people around him. During his third year at the University, Komlan interned at Instituto PECEGE at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, an organization that connects knowledge, entrepreneurship, and social action to transform communities. He was the first EARTH student to complete his professional Internship at this institution, and he was able to foster an ongoing partnership between EARTH and PECEGE. “Knowing that my experience opened doors for other students after me is one of my proudest achievements,” says Komlan.
During his graduation week, Komlan delivered a speech at the flag-raising ceremony. For someone who arrived at EARTH without knowing Spanish, being asked to speak on behalf of his classmates in that language at the culmination of his studies was another meaningful milestone that reflected how his EARTH education and relationships within the community had shaped and impacted him.
Most of all, Komlan was impacted by the relationships he formed at EARTH. He reflects that the EARTH experience is special because friends are colleagues at the same time, fostering a uniquely collaborative environment. Many of his closest friends today are people he met at EARTH, and he maintains a close relationship with his host family from the Spanish and Cultural Immersion program, with whom he still talks nearly every month.
Komlan has always been curious about how plants inherit traits, but his Applied Genetics course at EARTH, taught by Professor Ana Cristina Tamayo, sparked his interest in the field. Inspired by this coursework, Komlan is currently a second-year PhD student at the University of Florida, where he studies tomato and pepper breeding for disease resistance. At EARTH, Komlan gained a solid foundation in agricultural science and learned how to grow food. As he works towards his PhD, he is learning how to create better crops that enable a more food secure world.
“EARTH gave me the foundation and graduate school is helping me build the future,” says Komlan. “I am inspired by how much improved crops can help fight food insecurity. Growing up, I saw firsthand how communities depend on resilient, productive plants, and that shaped the way I see agriculture. It motivated me to eventually study how improving crops through breeding and genetics can help farmers overcome many of their challenges and ultimately help create conditions where farmers can truly enjoy being farmers.” Through his work in plant genetics, Komlan seeks to grow the best food with the aim to feed people.
Komlan credits his adaptability, time management, and communication skills to his time at EARTH—skills that have allowed him to thrive as he travels to new places and meets new people in both his career and personal life. After finishing his PhD, Komlan envisions a career where he can serve as the “bridge between science, global food systems, and policy makers.” Thanks to his cross-continental experiences, multilingual abilities, and research skills gained at EARTH, Komlan pictures himself in an interdisciplinary position that allows him to be a part of the decision-making processes that lead to a more food secure world.
Komlan is grateful to the Mastercard Foundation for giving him the opportunity to study at EARTH, an experience made possible through their support. In reflecting on his experience as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar, Komlan notes, “I hope they continue giving a chance to people like me…they’re not just helping one person, that one person leads to hundreds of people.”