AgImpact

© 2016 Agricultural Impact International Pty Ltd. Agriculture, applied research and communicating are my passions. Having been a farmer in Australia for 16 years, Ive developed a close affinity with nature, agriculture and the people and communities who build their lives around it. A Masters of Agricultural Science and producing radio and short fil... ms taught me that when communicated well, applied research can empower people to change. Fifteen years of international agricultural consulting and project management, including living in Indonesia for three years, broadened my understanding of the critical role culture plays in decision making. And more recently, managing a series of research activities on mobile acquired data technologies for the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and the formation of a strong relationship with Dimagi, has taught me that technology that works - in the hands of trained enthusiastic people - has the power to change lives. Away from AgImpact, my life is my wife and three rambunctious children and practicing the gentle art of Jiu Jitsu. The most important thing I've learned in my two decades of experience as an applications developer is not to make assumptions about users or operating environments. Rigorous requirements gathering, testing and observation under real world conditions are the only assurance of creating tools people love to use. That's my goal every time I start a project. At AgImpact I'm using the same skills I used in institutional banking, digital security, software development studios and NGOs, but I'm using them in better ways. I deliver training to diverse groups and I get to see those people empowered with greater ownership over their own systems. My background is all IT and luckily the basic principles of great systems design apply everywhere, but it's still important for me to understand where clients are coming from. I'm learning more every day about what it takes to be a researcher, farmer or health care worker. I'm lucky that I ...Read More