Sierra Jensen

Country: Zambia

Placement: International Development Enterprises (IDE)

Focus: Agricultural Value Chains

My name is Sierra Jensen and I’m in my fourth year in the Environmental Engineering Co-op Program. My most recent co-op placement was a bit less traditional than most engineering jobs. I was working as a short term overseas volunteer with EWB in Kabwe, Zambia, Southern Africa. My placement was with International Development Enterprises (IDE) an agriculture organization that works in several countries throughout Africa and Asia. The goal of IDE is to support small scale farmers through improved access to inputs, irrigation technologies, credit and output markets as well as knowledge on crop production and gender issues.

I spent the summer working alongside the staff in one of the field offices located in central Zambia. While working there, I assisted in planning and prioritizing future activities and conducted some local market research. Through working with the field staff and sharing experiences and observations with the five other EWB volunteers who were working with IDE in other parts of the country, I learned a lot about the challenges in working within the agriculture sector in Zambia and what organizations like IDE and farmers themselves are doing to try to combat these challenges.

While in Kabwe, I was also fortunate enough to live with one of the farmers that IDE supports a short distance outside of the city. The family there warmly welcomed me into their household and it was through living there that I came to appreciate the importance of farming in Zambia. The livelihoods of my host family as well as hundreds of thousands of other Zambians depend on the availability of farming inputs, output markets and suitable weather conditions for growing and selling their crops.

I am really grateful for the opportunity to work overseas with EWB. The experience that I had and things I learned have made a very lasting impression on my life. I’m really excited about bringing my experience back to Canada to share with the U of A chapter and my friends and family.

Check out Sierra's blog