Jim’s interest in agricultural development stems from a passion for food insecurity issues and a desire to help those most in need.  He has been on five short-term mission trips and spent three years working in a public health clinic.  Those experiences along with a recent trip to a Zambian village convinced him that closing the knowledge gap with Zambian farmers can lead to lasting change.

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Maria grew up on a farm in Iowa, walking beans and bottle feeding the occasional calf or lamb left orphaned.  She and her family spent summers working in the garden and freezing enough sweet corn to last the winter.  Though she left the farm for a career in nursing, Maria spent ten years working with an agricultural nonprofit. She was also involved in a community garden whose produce went to community meals.  Empowering farmers to achieve self-sufficiency while partnering with like-minded Zambians is the inspiration behind her work.

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Tracy Blackmer is a research agronomist with over 30 years of research experience.  He has worked for the USDA-ARS, Monsanto, Asgrow, Iowa Soybean Association and other ag businesses.  Tracy currently runs a non-profit called Iowa Gardening for Good which focuses on organizing volunteers to assist in growing vegetables to donate to food pantries.  Tracy has a passion for working with growers on implementing practical improvements on their farms utilizing data driven adaptive management strategies.  For the last year, Tracy has been working on ag outreach to benefit Zambian farmers near Petauke.​​

Doug Wibholm grew up on a corn and soybean farm in north central Iowa, where he remains actively involved with that operation. Professionally, he is an engineer at John Deere, where he currently supports universal displays and related functionalities on agricultural vehicles. His family resides in Ankeny, where they attend Prairie Ridge Church. Doug is the secretary of the Zambia-Iowa Agricultural Partners organization.

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Brian Meese grew up on a dairy farm in southern Minnesota.  After obtaining a B.S. in soil science and an M.S. in agronomy from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and working as a Conservation Tillage Research Specialist at UW-Madison, Brian obtained his Ph.D. in Soil Fertility from Iowa State University.  He has held positions with Asgrow Seed Company, Monsanto, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, BASF Plant Science, and Koch Agronomic Services.  He started an independent agronomy research consulting company in 2017 focused on international agriculture.  His faith has been an important part of his adult life which makes working with ZIAP an excellent fit.