Graduate Student Spotlight: Thomas Wilbur Davis

Originally posted on the Doctor of Plant Health program site: 

My name is Thomas Wilbur Davis, from River Gee, Southeastern Liberia. For many years, I worked for the Liberian Ministry of Justice, providing correctional services, and rehabilitating offenders through my initiated adult literacy and agricultural production programs that are operated at Harper Central Prison.

In 2019, I received my BSc. in General Agriculture from the William V. S. Tubman University, and completed my MSc. in Horticultural Science in 2022 from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Alnarp.

The world's growing population increasingly depends on agriculture for nutrition and livelihood. My plan is to be an active contributor to the global effort to guarantee these by providing extension services and ensuring efficient production systems that will enhance sustainable food production by working either in the public or private sectors. However, I am deeply concerned about current and future food production considering many escalating unfavorable factors such as plant pest and disease problems, soil degradation, other challenges, and climate change factors that are affecting global food production.

With its incredible core that incorporates many specializations in agriculture, I believe that the DPH program will be a valuable tool and hope to acquire the required knowledge and experience to evaluate soils and make improvements that enable maximum plant growth, solve complex pest problems, diagnose plant diseases and face other challenges. I chose this program because I believe that a DPH degree will be a master key that will unlock many doors to achieving adequate and sustainable food production to meet the world’s current and future food demand.