After nine productive years as Head of the Agricultural Economics department at Purdue University, Dr. Ken Foster chose to step down from this position to return to teaching and conducting research on the improvement and development of agricultural value chains. He is particularly interested in Colombia and decided to take a four-month sabbatical followed by a three-month research leave in beautiful Risaralda, Colombia at the Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira (UTP).

"I have met so many incredible people from Colombia, Purdue students, visiting professors, they all have been very warm, curious, and hardworking. With the recent peace efforts in Colombia, the opportunities to make positive impacts in the lives of farmers and rural communities is tremendous, and I have always wanted to learn to speak Spanish. Because of the demands of my job as Head of the department there has never been time. I think embedding myself in Colombia is the only way I might learn. It's difficult, but I think I'm getting better every day," says Dr. Foster about why he had chosen Colombia for his sabbatical leave.

Among several ongoing projects, Dr. Foster is dedicating much of his knowledge and expertise in the economics of product quality. His current research examines the use of Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags to increase market opportunities for smallholder farmers who grow coffee and cacao. Ken is working closely with professors from UTP, professors from Universidad de Caldas, and farmers from the Asocacao grower association in Belén de Umbría, to holistically assess the best crop packaging system - PICS; Ecotact, another locally available hermetic sack; and traditional bags. To achieve this, cacao quality characteristics (moisture, water activity, sensory, and aflatoxin levels), oxygen transmission rate of bags, and economic features (cost/benefit and bags manufacture and distribution costs) of the three systems are being evaluated.

"I want to tie these issues of product quality to the broader value chain and understand how value change evolves to reward different players within the supply chain," Dr. Foster explains. "You could ask the question, for example, if hermetic storage bags work for higher valued crops like coffee and cacao, how will producers be rewarded for using them and how will it affect the income of smallholder farmers and survival of their communities in the long run?"

Dr. Foster and his collaborators enjoy a break during cacao harvest near Belén de Umbría.

 

In addition to these projects, Dr. Foster is working collectively with professors from Universidad de Caldas and UTP to develop and implement a joint Maymester courses on food security and sustainable agriculture.

"Purdue students will spend a week at UTP and a week at Universidad de Caldas learning from their professors and with their students. Then, the Colombian students and professors will travel to Purdue for a week. We want to use examples and field trips in all three locations to demonstrate how people are addressing sustainability and dealing with things like climate change," Dr. Foster says.

Foster will be back to Purdue in April 2018 and he is looking forward to returning to the classroom and doing research.

"I hope I can continue to explore issues related to agricultural value chains, as well as continue collaborations with colleagues here in Colombia," he says.

We are glad Foster is having an immersive experience in Colombian culture, and we are confident all the projects he is currently working on will bring benefits and prosperity to local coffee and cacao farmers. His sabbatical in Colombia is a landmark in the Colombia-Purdue partnership.