Radegunda Francis Kessy

Radegunda Francis Kessy is a Senior Research Associate with over a decade of experience in agricultural research and development, specializing in markets, partnerships, and seed systems. Her work focuses on strengthening seed systems, enhancing market access, building strategic partnerships, and promoting the adoption of agricultural innovations to improve smallholder farmers’ productivity, resilience, and livelihoods.

Her research interests include seed systems development, agricultural value chain development, gender and youth integration, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, agricultural mechanization, and impact assessment studies. She has extensive experience in conducting market assessments, value chain analyses, adoption studies, and impact evaluations to generate evidence that informs agricultural policies, investments, and development programs.
Radegunda has collaborated with research institutions, government agencies, private sector actors, farmer organizations, and development partners to design and implement initiatives that strengthen seed and food systems. She has contributed to projects funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

She holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Agricultural Economics, a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in General Agriculture from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Tanzania and Master of Arts in Monitoring and Evaluation from Open University of Tanzania. Her work is driven by a commitment to advancing inclusive, market-oriented, and sustainable agricultural development that benefits farming communities across Africa.