SUMMARY
An accomplished Agriculture Director that has designed, implemented and managed open-field and greenhouse crop production systems across arid and humid environments
EXPERIENCE
Almendra (Thailand) Ltd., Bangkok and Rayong, Thailand Since 02/2017
Agriculture Director
- Pioneered cultivation practices for production of Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) in the hot-wet environment of Thailand
- Implemented a stationary plant-physiology management system for maintaining continuous year-round biomass production in tropical greenhouses
- Designed and implemented a patented novel mobile fertigation/physiological management system for continuous year-round production in the open field
- Successfully designed a phytosanitary program to permanently overcome damage by multiple pathogens (particularly thrips, armyworm, mites and white flies) under humid tropical conditions
- Designed a budget for large-scale (1,000 ha) cultivation and evaluated potential production areas in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Egypt, Oman and Peru
SunEdison Energy Holding (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Singapore 09/2014 – 09/2015
Agronomist
- Identified agronomic solutions for irrigation/fertigation with solar water pumps for pineapple (Lampung/Indonesia), pineapple and banana (Trujillo/Honduras), rice (Mukdahan/Thailand and Kampong Chhnang/Cambodia), and corn and vegetables (Sumba/Indonesia)
- Developed a strategic partnership with Hivos and Winrock International to cooperate within a Millennium Challenge project in Sumba, Indonesia for promoting solar-energy technologies
John Deere Asia (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Singapore 03/2014 – 09/2014
Agronomist
- As Region Strategic Marketing Agronomist mapped maize production systems and processes covering land preparation, planting, crop care and harvesting in Lopburi/Thailand, Kediri/Indonesia and in Mindanao/Philippines
TH Herbals Joint Stock Company, Hanoi, Vietnam 03/2013 – 03/2014
Agriculture Manager
- Pioneered cultivation of Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis) and passionfruit (Passiflora edulis, P. foetida) in Nghe An Province as food ingredients for a startup functional drinks company (TH Group)
- Designed and implemented NETAFIM microdrip fertigation systems with NMC Pro irrigation control and NetaSense soil moisture sensors in combination with YARA water-soluble fertilizers
- Selected and acquired specialized equipment incl. Antonio Carraro compact 4WD tractors and Martignani electrostatic mist blowers from overseas
Yousef Abdul Latif Jameel Group, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 07/2012 – 02/2013
Technical Director Agriculture Division
- Streamlined agricultural operations on six organic date palm farms totaling 2,511 ha
- Introduced remotely controlled irrigation (iMetos ica) and subsurface irrigation systems
- Developed fertigation systems with organic water-soluble/liquid fertilizers and sulfur burners
- Established phytosanitary programs for organic pest and disease control
- Established local production of mycorrhizal/PGPR inoculum through licensing technology from a leading European producer (INOQ GmbH, Germany)
- Introduced GLOBALG.A.P., Tesco Nurture farm certification standards and EU regulation on organic production (EC No 834/2007, EC No 889/2008)
German International Cooperation (GIZ), Phnom Penh, Cambodia 11/2010 – 06/2012
Senior Advisor
- Developed and implemented a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the Provincial Department of Agriculture (PDA) Kampong Chhnang, East-West Seeds International Ltd. and GIZ
- Advised on agricultural operations for off-season rice cultivation on 7,000 ha and year-round vegetable production on 2,700 ha in Kampong Chhnang Province
- Managed a regional component of the “Tonle Sap Lowlands Rural Development Project” financed (US$ 20m) by the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Jenaan Investment L.L.C., Cairo, Egypt 06/2009 – 10/2010
Manager Agriculture Division
- Expanded cultivation area from 1,460 ha to 5,685 ha within one year
- Managed agriculture operations incl. pivot irrigation/fertigation and fertilization for large-scale field crops including Alfalfa, barley and millet at Sharq El Owainat in Upper Egypt’s Sahara
- Forecasting requirements and scheduling demand for agricultural equipment, inputs including irrigation water (US$ 8.1m p.a. for fuel), fertilizer (US$ 2.7m p.a.), seed, and labor
- Implementing soil-moisture control for optimizing irrigation (Sentek TriScan)
Herbert van der Hamm Fruit Trading Company, Mannheim, Germany 01/2007 – 05/2009
Director Quality Management
- Substantially reduced plant-protection-product residues, e.g., by 90% in tablegrapes, and thereby ensuring legal maximum residue levels (MRLs) and customer specifications for a range of imported and domestically produced, conventional and organic fruits and vegetables
- Assured legal and B2B pre- and post-farmgate standards incl. GLOBALGAP, QS, BRC, and IFS for all suppliers
- Maintained customer relationship with key retailer ALDI and addressed all breaches of product specifications
FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon, India 01/2005 – 12/2006
Chief Agronomist and Head – R&D
- Developed and implemented cropping plans by issuing crop and region-specific agronomic “Packages of Practices” for contract farms and company-owned R&D farm in the states of Punjab and Rajasthan (2,688 ha)
- Developed baby corn as the main export crop (2016: 1,000 ha cultivated and 700 t exported), with other export crops including bittergourd, carrot, okra, snapbean and snowpea
- Layout and implementation of open-field drip irrigation/fertigation (90 ha), nethouses (10 ha), and climatized greenhouses (soilless cultivation with highwire, 5 ha, US$ 500.000)
Asian Institute of Technology, Khlong Luang, Thailand 11/2001 – 10/2004
Project Consultant
- Established a pilot greenhouse vegetable farm in the humid tropics of Thailand as part of an interdisciplinary € 2m international research project
- Developing and improving crop and pest management practices incl. fertigation, layering, leaf pruning and harvesting for tomatoes under protected cultivation
- Supervised and trained 20 local staff and overseas M.Sc. and Ph.D. students
Asian Vegetable Research & Development Center, Shanhua, Taiwan 12/2000 – 02/2001
Associate Scientist for Crop and Soil Management
- Developed, documented, and promoted the hot, wet season cropping technologies of grafting, applying fruit-setting hormones and starter solutions, and using rain shelters and net houses in Taiwan and other countries in the tropics and subtropics
Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Australia 09/1997 – 11/2000
Research Officer
- Developed a 6-year (2001-2007) agricultural project ("Improving and maintaining productivity of bamboo for quality timber and shoots in Australia and the Philippines") in the Philippines and Australia funded (380,000 €) by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
- Developed crop and soil management, and postharvest handling, sterilization, packaging and storage technologies for two new primary industries (bamboo and Chinese waterchestnut)
- Published a book chapter on “Aspects of Bamboo Agronomy” in Advances in Agronomy, the world’s leading publication in agriculture
- Developed three farmers’ associations: Australian Commercial Bamboo Corporation Ltd, Bamboo Society of Australia, and Australian Aquatic Vegetable Corporation
Bavarian State Research Centre for Agriculture, Freising, Germany 06/1996 – 05/1997
Programmer
- Developed software for the State Seed Testing Unit and the State Seed Legalization Unit with the SAS-System
Asian Vegetable Research & Development Center, Shanhua, Taiwan 09/1992 – 12/1995
Research Scholar
- Developed crop and soil management technologies for sustainable vegetable and rice production systems in the tropics and subtropics in Southeast Asia
- Studied traditional (inter-) cropping systems in the tropics and subtropics