Volume 29 · Number 1 · Fall 2011
Alumni Profiles
Royce Gloria Androa Ayikoru, M.S. '09
Royce Gloria Androa Ayikoru at the construction site of a CoolBot cool room for storing vegetables in Uganda's Arua district.
(Courtesy photo)
Occupation: Agricultural specialist and founder of a microcredit program in Uganda.
Water for crops: After a 30-year career in community development, Royce Gloria Androa Ayikoru came to UC Davis in 2007 to get "exposed to doing things differently" for her country of Uganda. She returned home in 2009 with a master's degree in international agricultural development to add to her handful of other advanced degrees—and a new plan to help subsistence-farm families. This involved launching a microcredit program to buy human-powered pumps for irrigating crops. Financial backing from about a dozen Davis Rotarians, many of them Aggie alumni, bought the first 10 treadle pumps for 10 farmer groups in her home district of Arua. As families repay the loans, more pumps are being purchased for the next group.
Tackling climate, economics and nutrition: Despite little irrigation for their quarter-acre plots, families in Arua grow cassava tuber, sorghum and sweet potatoes—major sources of carbohydrates but of limited nutritional value. Last spring, families used the treadle pumps to draw water from nearby streams, and grew cabbage, indigenous leafy vegetables, tomatoes and—the crop that goes for the highest price—onions. Those families are eating more nutritiously as well as selling their produce in local markets and exporting a bit to southern Sudan and the Congo where they are making a good profit, Androa reports. Some families have already paid off their pumps. "With the treadle irrigation pump, they can grow indigenous green leafy vegetables for three seasons," she said. "The income from the dry season is purely an extra income, especially when other farmers do not grow any crop."
Cold storage: To help farmers make more money from their crops, Androa introduced a CoolBot cool room—using a smart thermostat and a standard wall-mounted air conditioning unit to turn a brick-and-mortar building into an innovative refrigerator. Polyethylene sheets and wood shavings insulate the building. Solar panels on the roof provide power to cool the room to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The technology was tested in 2010 at the UC Davis Student Farm. The Uganda project is funded by the Gates Foundation through USAID and the UC Davis Horticulture Collaborative Research Support Program. The cool room extends the shelf life of vegetables up to a week until they can be taken to market.
"I will never have enough money and other resources to change the whole world. But doing something small for the people around me makes me feel satisfied."
Vintage Aggies: Adam Comartin, owner, Comartin Cellars
Adam and Jennifer (Nylen) Comartin
For Adam Comartin '04, getting a UC Davis education was the perfect way to launch a career in wine. "UC Davis is regarded as having one of the best programs for wine in the world," he explains. "Down the road, your degree from UC Davis commands respect in the working world."
Comartin said he originally picked UC Davis for its agricultural and health sciences, but soon became fascinated with wine studies. "I ended up choosing to major in viticulture and enology because it has a core science focus, but also integrates history, art and culture," he said.
After earning his bachelor's degree in viticulture and enology, Comartin began his winemaking career at Testarossa Winery in Los Gatos, starting as an intern and working up to his current position as assistant winemaker.
He also launched his own label with his wife, Jennifer (Nylen) '04, who earned her UC Davis degree in managerial economics. Since its first commercial release in 2007, Comartin Cellars in San José has already earned high marks from Wine & Spirits magazine, The Wine Spies and other critics for its hand-crafted Grenache.
Comartin said operating the winery has been exciting and rewarding. "We are very passionate about making great wine," he said. "The goal is to keep making wines that people enjoy and can share with family and friends. That is what it's all about."
His involvement with the Cal Aggie Alumni Association's Vintage Aggies Wine Program helps him stay connected with his alma mater. "We participate in alumni events and pour wine, both on campus and in the Bay Area," he said. He and his family also like to visit campus for events like Picnic Day. "We usually make it back at least once a year," he explains. "Those wiener dog races are pretty hilarious."
To learn more about the Vintage Aggies Wine Program, visit alumni.ucdavis.edu/vintageaggies. For other CAAA events and activities, see alumni.ucdavis.edu.
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