Interview with Latino in Agriculture Leader
Axel O. Ramírez-Madera, Student
“I grew up surrounded by coffee, orange, and banana plantations.”
AH:Please share with us how and when you developed an interest in Agronomy while growing up in Puerto Rico.
AM:I am from Lares, a town in the central mountainous region of Puerto Rico. I grew up surrounded by coffee, orange, and banana plantations. As a kid, I spent time enjoying the outdoors and playing with my chickens. While in middle school and high school, I remember working a small piece of land with “Papi” George and grew banana and plantain trees, grapefruits, sweet potatoes, among other food crops for my family at home. On the weekends, I would wake up and be ready by 6:30 am to help “Tío” Amancio harvest fruits and root crops from several farms. Furthermore, my grandparents “Abuela” Ana and “Abuelo” Amilcar taught me to care about nature and the importance of maintaining equilibrium with agriculture for a more sustainable life form. All these experiences helped me develop an interest in Agronomy and pursue a career in agriculture.
AH: What aspect of your pursuit of a PhD in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics has been most rewarding?
AM:I am pursuing a PhD in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. While pursuing a PhD I have encountered many challenges. I have struggled multiple times thinking that I am not good enough for a PhD and tend to forget that I am a human being with strengths and limitations. A PhD is part, a big part of who I am, but it is not what defines me as a person. Nevertheless, I have had many more rewards throughout this 4-year journey. In addition to the education and research training, another rewarding aspect has been the people I have met. The list of important people includes mentors, colleagues, family, and friends. My advisor, Dr. Michael J. Havey, has been the source of encouragement to think deeply and critically and challenged me to build robust hypothesis testing for the advancement of my research. He also has helped me shaped my professional career goals and has served as an example of work-life balance. He is truly one my role models. I am very fortunate to have come across influential people, like Dr. Havey, that have helped me one way or another to fulfill my aspirations and goals.
AH:In your research focused on improving the quality of the cucumber what are the most notable challenges?
AM:My research focuses on improving the quality of the cucumber by understanding the genetic and environmental effects on the occurrence of spontaneous tetraploidy (4x). Tetraploid plants (4x) have a slower growing habit, pronounced leaf serration, and produce unmarketable fruits of lower yield and quality. This research project has several challenges. The most notable challenge is the visual identification of 4x plants at an early stage. This fact complicates even more understanding which factor(s) (genetic, environmental or both) give rise to plants with this undesirable trait. The ultimate goal of my research is to provide a detailed field guide on how to effectively and efficiently detect 4x plants so that cucumber breeders and growers can select against this trait before it reaches the farming and production systems.
AH:What advice do you have for students aiming to go into the study of Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics?
AM:Before providing an advice to a student who is aiming to go into the study of Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics I feel the responsibility of asking: Why are you interested in this field of study? And, what are you passionate about?
I like to ask these questions because Plant Breeding is a discipline, like many others in Agriculture, which has direct implications to human society. My advice to fellow students is to consider a professional career in this exciting field of study that integrates agricultural sciences, genetics, biostatistics and many others with the ultimate goal of improving crops for food, feed, fuel, and fiber. Also, more Latino and Latina plant breeders are needed in the public and private sectors. I believe that together we can make this a better world.
AH:As a student attendee, what did the 2014 Latinos in Agriculture mean for you personally?
AM:Personally, the 2014 Latinos in Agriculture meant a lot to me! The amount of career development tools and workshops, plus the networking spaces to help build or continue building a career path in agriculture was beyond any conference that I have ever attended. Also, I connected with other Latino/a undergraduate and graduate students with similar interests in agriculture and related sciences. Given that I am a PhD student, I was able to share my experiences with undergraduate students that are considering graduate school and research as a career path. Furthermore, I benefited from meeting successful professionals in the academia, government and private sectors. They were and still are true examples of determination and perseverance. I was so inspired that came back home determined to complete my PhD with the hopes of someday becoming a role model for the new generation of Latinos and Latinas considering a career in agriculture.
AH:You have said your ultimate goal is to “address the challenge of feeding a growing world population with scarcer resources and a changing climate.” First, thank you. Second, will you please expand on how you intend to achieve this goal?
AM:I have traveled to countries in Central America and the Caribbean where I have experienced real poverty and the challenges of producing food in agricultural systems with very limited resources. I want to utilize my education and training in the Agricultural Sciences and Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics to create projects that can help improve the agricultural conditions as well as the livelihoods of the people and their communities in the developing world. With the objective of addressing current and emerging agricultural issues and social problems I envision myself working as a Plant Breeder and leading a breeding program with the goals of improving crops and seeds with higher yield, enhanced nutrition, resistance to diseases, and suitable to grow and be productive under drought, heat and other adverse conditions for agricultural systems in these areas and rest of the world.
To learn more about Latinos in Agriculture visit: latinosinagriculture.com
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