Sydney Mwamba was born on 5 June 1983 in the Kasama District in the Northern Province of Zambia. He attended primary school at Lukashya and Thornpark Primary schools in Kasama and Lusaka, respectively, and then junior secondary school at Ituna High School. He then did his senior secondary school at Kasama Boys High School in Kasama and proceeded to the Natural Resources Development College (NRDC) where he obtained a Diploma in Agriculture (Crop Sciences), in 2006. He later obtained a Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences Degree from the University of Zambia in 2012 and then a Master’s of Science Degree in Research Methods from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) where he graduated in 2016. In 2017, he enrolled for a Sandwich Doctor of Philosophy in Agronomy (Crops) between University of Zambia and Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany.
Physiological and Yield Responses of Cassava (Manihot Esculent Crantz) to Fertiliser and Leaf Harvesting Treatments under Different Cropping Systems in Luapula Province of Zambia
Mwamba’s thesis was on the physiological and yield responses of cassava to fertiliser and leaf harvesting treatments under different cropping systems among smallholder farmers in Luapula Province in Zambia. The study identified cropping practices and leveraged them to increase cassava productivity with a focus on sustainable crop production systems. Under smallholder cropping systems, productivity is hampered by the low use of improved cassava varieties, of fertiliser and leaf harvesting. The study findings are useful in maximising cassava yields in smallholder production systems thereby contributing to improved food and nutrition security.