Brigid Letty is a Chief Scientist working for the Institute of Natural Resources NPC (INR). She has a BSc.Agric majoring in Animal Science, an MSc.Agric through the Department of Range and Forage Resources at University of Natal and a PhD through the Discipline of Crop Science, that focused on management of agroforestry systems. Brigid has more than 25 years’ experience in smallholder agriculture and food security, having worked firstly as a livestock specialist with the Farming Systems Research Section at the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs before joining the INR in 2003.

Brigid has a good understanding of smallholder agricultural systems in South Africa and experience with similar systems in other African countries through her involvement with the international Prolinnova network (Promoting local innovation in ecologically oriented agriculture and natural resource management) and through a number of other consultancy assignments. Brigid is currently an active member of the Prolinnova International Support Team (IST) and also represents the IST on the Prolinnova Oversight Group, which is the governance structure for the network.

Brigid engages in a range of agricultural development work including research with smallholder farmers, support to local innovation processes, restoration of degraded landscapes, technical support to livestock farmers, transdisciplinary research, consultancies that draw on her agricultural expertise, facilitating workshops and capacity building events and convening of multi-stakeholder partnerships.