When I made plans to attend Ruth Magreta’s presentation in the Rose Cafe talks, I had thought it was going to be a lecture style presentation of her research, data,  and work in the field of agriculture in Africa. But what I experienced in listening to her give her life story was much more profound than what I had expected to feel upon signing up for the event. Ruth Magreta touched on so many aspects of her life from the simple farm life of her childhood, to the importance of education, to the need to protect the environment. She took us through the journey of her life in Malawi and through the many milestones of her life that formed her passion of sustainable practices in agriculture. It was an extremely emotionally engaging presentation that, forgive the cliché, showed that education and perseverance truly do allow you do follow your dreams.

I was particularly struck by Ruth Magreta’s form of stewardship for her environment. She mentioned that this stewardship she felt was one she developed early on as a child through her family farm where she learned that if trees were to stay green and grow for us, we would have to take care of them. This concept of stewardship is essential because it places the responsibility of caring for the environment on us, as animals that benefit from the abundance of the earth. Dr. Kutela interestingly pointed out that the farmers of Malawi do know that something has changed in the environment and have noticed, without any empirical data, that the global climate has changed such that farming is not as easy as in previous decades. I feel that with respect to many other climate change issues sustainable agriculture is at the forefront of the debate. Without proper agricultural practices, people will starve in seasons of drought in Malawi, for example. Addressing this issue head on, therefore, is a first step towards combatting the adverse effects of climate change and ensuring our well-being on a global scale.