The LAND Project is a partnership between the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Kidlinks World, a non-profit organization focused on empowering youth through agriculture and health projects; and the Fort Cox Agriculture and Forestry Training Institute in the Eastern Cape. The LAND Project is open to partnering with new organizations located throughout southern Africa.
Our core leadership team includes:
Mpumelelo NcwadiIndependent Consultant
The son of Eastern Cape farm labourers, Mpumelelo grew up facing challenges similar to those currently confronting most rural people in the Eastern Cape. Mpumelelo’s journey from there to graduate degrees from Cambridge University and the University of Cape Town is equally a testament to him and to the real, if still rare, possibilities of South Africa. After years of working on sustainable development projects all across Africa, Mpumelelo committed to focusing his experience and expertise on his home region. Hear Mpumelelo speak about his vision for the Eastern Cape here at TEDx Table Mountain, and here, at TEDx Prince Albert.
Dr. Michael M. BellChair, Department of Community and Environmental Sociology
Mike is Chair and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a member of the faculty of the Agroecology Masters Program and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Chance encounters long ago with South Africa’s Eastern Cape, and an email not overlooked, led him to develop a deep passion for this work.
Liza LightfootCo-Founder, Kidlinks WorldFounding Director, Kidlinks Small Farm Incubator
Liza grew up in Apartheid South Africa. She saw and lived the devastating effects of oppression on a divided population. Through years of witnessing the injustices of oppression at a young age, Liza realized the difference a little compassion can make in the life of a disadvantaged child. With a group of expatriate South Africans, Liza co-founded Kidlinks World, the culmination of her desire to make a difference in the lives of underserved children and their communities, who have the will to help themselves.
Founding Director, Kidlinks Small Farm Incubator & Farmer-Field School Facilitator
As a native of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, Asanda has spent her adult life working to improve the lives and livelihoods of rural farmers. She completed a master’s degree in agricultural economics at the University of Fort Hare in 2017. Since that time she has served as the Farmer-Field School Facilitator for the LAND Project. In 2020, she came on as a founding director with the Kidlinks Small Farm Incubator, and she is currently pursuing a PhD.
Dr. Valerie StullUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, Global Health Institute
Valerie is a postdoctoral researcher at UW-Madison. She investigates the overlaps between agriculture and human health and has worked on numerous community development projects in the U.S. and abroad, with both NGOs and USAID. Valerie previously co-lead a field course to South Africa with the LAND Project, and she currently sits on the board for Kidlinks World while also directing MIGHTi: the Mission to Improve Global Health Through insects.
The LAND project 