Studying at the University of Alberta will be an important step toward my dream of becoming an agricultural economist. My undergraduate degree in economics from Daystar University has prepared me well for the Agricultural and Resource Economics master’s program. In my undergraduate program, I took the following core courses: Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Environmental and Resource Economics, Money and Banking, and Financial Economics. Furthermore, while completing my honour’s project, I gained experience in tackling research questions, writing research papers and conducting data analysis using statistical packages like Stata and E-views. Additionally, my passion for economics drove me to be an executive official of the Daystar Economics Students …show more content…
Upon completing my economics degree, I interned at the World Fair Trade Organization, where I learned how fair-trade contributes to the fight against poverty, climate change, and global economic crises. I currently work in the research and strategy department of Kenya Commercial Bank, where I have augmented my research skills. I have acquired experience in baseline data collection methods, using a randomized impact evaluation method and using a variety of hypotheses and survey techniques. Specifically, I conduct desk research, field surveys, write research reports and disseminate my findings to policymakers.
Recently, my focus has shifted to agricultural and resource economics, with a particular interest in Africa. Some economists, such as Jeffrey Sachs, have argued that Africa suffers from a so-called “resource curse,” which is exacerbated by climate change resulting from unsustainable use and regulation of resources. More specifically, my home country, Malawi, suffers from food insecurity, a challenge to attaining the first, millennium development goal. This problem is mainly linked to the lack of effective economic policies, which enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities to climate