Since 2018
PhD in Land, Poverty and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape: Ongoing

Since 2012
Researcher at Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of the Western Cape

2012
Masters in Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal

2011-2012
Research Assistant at the University of KwaZulu-Natal: School of Development Studies

2009-2010
Coordinator of Mentorship Programme for the Faculty of Humanities, Development, and Social Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal: Student Services Division
 

Certificates

• Certificate of Attendance Awarded by the STEPS Centre, Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University, Brighton BN1 9RE, UK: STEPS Summer School on Pathways to Sustainability, 12-23 May 2014.

• Certificate of Attendance Awarded by the Centre for Development Innovation (CDI), Wageningen UR, The Netherlands: International Course on “Market Access for Sustainable Development; Towards Pro-Poor and Smallholder Inclusive Market Development”, 5-23 November 2013.

• Certificate of Attendance Awarded by the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU), University of Cape Town, in Collaboration with the School of Management, Yale University, USA: The University of Cape Town Summer Workshop on “Social Science Research Using Household Survey Data”, 9-20 January 2012.

• Certificate of Competence Awarded by the University of KwaZulu-Natal: Postgraduate Semester-Long Course in the Theoretical Aspects of Participatory Community Development, November 2007.

The role of agriculture in rural development and economic transformation

I am currently leading the Southern Africa Regional Hub of the Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA) programme which aims to produce new information and insights into different pathways to agricultural commercialisation in order to assess their impacts and outcomes on rural poverty, women’s and girl’s empowerment and food and nutrition security in Sub-Saharan Africa. The programme works in six countries across East, West and Southern Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe) representing a diverse range of commercialisation contexts and activities. In addition, I lead the Young African Researchers in Agriculture Network (YARA) which was launched in 2014 at the African Union Head Quarters in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and intends to bring together young and early career African researchers in agriculture in Africa in order to cultivate the culture of supporting one another, sharing information, networking and collaborating for research projects; all of which contribute towards enhancing research capacity in agrarian transformation on the African continent. I am also finalising my doctoral research project and the topic of my PhD is: “Generational Implications of Commercial Farming in the Highlands Region of Kenya”.

• Cyriaque Hakizimana (2021) Challenges and opportunities to empower young agri-entrepreneurs to invest in agriculture and food systems in South Africa. FAO, Rome (upcoming)
• C. Hakizimana & J. May (2018) Can smallholder avocado production reduce poverty and improve food security through internal markets? The case of Giheta, Burundi, Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, 27:4, 203-216, DOI: 10.1080/14728028.2018.1515041
• Cyriaque Hakizimana, Paul Goldsmith, Abdi Aralle Nunow, Adano Wario Roba & Jane Kathure Biashara (2017) Land and agricultural commercialisation in Meru County, Kenya: evidence from three models, The Journal of Peasant Studies, 44(3): 555-573, DOI: 10.1080/03066150.2016.1260555
• David Neves and Cyriaque Hakizimana (2015) Space, Markets and Employment in Agricultural Development: South Africa Country Report. Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies Research Report no. 47. Available at: http://www.plaas.org.za/plaas- publication/rr47-smeadSA-dn_ch
• Hakizimana, C. and May, J. (2011) Agriculture and Poverty Reduction: A Critical Assessment of the Economic Impact of the Avocado Industry on Smallholder Farmers in Giheta – Burundi. Available at: http://sds.ukzn.ac.za