Dr. Fridah Mubichi-Kut is a Professor of Practice in Applied Economics and Policy at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management and the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University. She is also the Executive Director of the Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Teams (SMART) Program and serves on other multiple committees within the College of Business and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Perplexed by the paradox of the hungry farmer, her work and research are focused on understanding the role development policies play in the promotion of new agricultural innovations, economic development, and gender equity among rural populations. Trained first as an international business administrator and later as a social scientist, she has taught, worked, and supported various organizations and projects internationally. Before joining Cornell University, she served as Director of Measurement and Evaluation within a USDA agricultural commodity research program and as a Social Scientist within two USAID- Feed the Future innovation projects at the University of Missouri. Dr.Mubichi-Kut is keen on promoting scholarship, mentorship, and representation of African Social Scientists on the global stage and therefore serves on various capacities including executive committee member of the African Rural Sociology Network (within the World Congress of Rural Sociology); advisor to the South African Sociological Association (SASA)- Rural Sociology Working Group; organizer and mentor for the Research Committee of Sociology of Agriculture and Food (RC40)-Early Career Sub-Saharan Africa Agri-food researchers development. Fridah holds a Ph.D. degree in Rural Sociology from the University of Missouri.