Our Team
Banana hill consists of a team of equal partners with varied backgrounds and skills. Short portraits of the team are displayed in alphabetical order in this section of the site.
Flemming Nielsen
Flemming has conducted research at the PhD and PostDoc level in collaboration with leading European universities and international research centres focused on participatory research, farmer innovations, indigenous knowledge, farmer communications and agroforestry. He has considerable experience in related development activities, including project design, fundraising, appraisals, evaluations, and communication of research and experience-based knowledge through printed media as well as the Internet. Originally from Denmark, Flemming has twelve years' work experience in developing countries, mostly in East and Southern Africa. Since December 2003, he has been working for the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as advisor to the reform process of a regional agricultural research institute in the central provinces of Mozambique.
Mundie Salm
Originally from Canada, Mundie's activities have focused on communicating the complex issues involved in agriculture and development. This communication includes research and writing, editing and translation assignments (published as magazines, reports, manuals, policy papers and websites). Topics of special interest include development education, sustainable agriculture, monitoring & evaluation, HIV/Aids-mitigation strategies and food security. Her academic background includes a MSc in Ecological Agriculture and a BSc in International Development Studies. Her countries of work experience are Canada, The Netherlands, Mozambique, Lesotho and Australia. Currently, Mundie is living in central Mozambique and working on several activities including technical assistance to the FAO's Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools (JFFLS) programme, and management of the Chimoio International School.
Julia Wright
From the UK, Julia is a development researcher and practitioner in sustainable and organic agriculture in both humanitarian and development sectors. Specialising in food security, direct poverty alleviation, regeneration of the natural resource base and building local capacity and resilience to prepare for and mitigate against disasters including drought, HIV/AIDS, conflict, tsunami and hurricane, national food shortages and malnutrition. With twenty years' experience, she has worked at the local, national and international level for government, research, corporate and NGO sectors, from policy and project formulation to implementation and M&E. Developing country experience includes Cuba, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China and India. In her present position as Manager and Senior Research Officer of the International Development Programme of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA), Julia continues to strengthen her links with the international organic development sector.