Email: kayofori@yahoo.com/opatrick@csir.org.gh
Profile
Dr. Patrick Ofori is a Research Scientist and Head of Soil Microbiology Division at CSIR- Soil Research Institute. His research interest includes environmental/soil resources management with special interest in Soil Biology and Fertility. His work focuses on using climate-smart biological technologies to improve soil fertility for increased crop production while improving on soil health. These include exploiting the symbiotic relationship between soil microbes (bacteria and fungi) and plants to enhance nutrient supply in agro ecosystems, Biochar production and application as a soil amendment, Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) and composting of organic residues for soil fertility improvement. Dr. Ofori is a goal-oriented person and places value on team work, professional ethics and integrity in achieving targeted objectives.
Dr. Ofori obtained his PhD degree in Soil Science from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, and a Master’s degree in Environmental and Resource Management from the Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus-Senftengburg (Germany). He also has Bachelor’s degree in Biological Science (Zoology/Botany) from the University of Cape Coast.
Dr. Ofori was employed as a Research Scientist at the Soil Microbiology Division of the CSIR-Soil Research Institute in August 2005. In 2010, he obtained a scholarship from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to pursue a PhD course in Soil Science at KNUST, Kumasi. He has worked on a number of projects and attended many career development training workshops. In 2007, he spent one month as a visiting scholar at the Agro Ecological Laboratory of the Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis (USA), to learn about ecological and agronomic methodologies used for studying soil fertility and organic matter dynamics. These included soil aggregate fractionation and stable isotope techniques that can greatly facilitate one’s understanding of nutrient cycling in agricultural systems.
He has worked on a number of projects such as:
- Facilitator in training of Agricultural Extension Agents on technologies to address soil fertility decline in Ghana under Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) Project. (Funded by the Canadian Government).
- Member of the Research Team implementing the Savannah Zone Agricultural Productivity Improvement Project (SAPIP) in selected districts in the Northern region of Ghana. (Funded by the African Development Bank Group).
- Development and validation of site and crop specific mineral fertilizer blends for maize, rice, soybean and cassava in the bread basket zone of Ghana. (Funded by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
- Integration of trees into farming systems to increase yield, resilience and soil carbon stocks in Western and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana. A Forest Investment Project funded by the African Development Bank Group through Forestry Commission of Ghana.
- Carbon storage potential of Land use/Cropping Systems across selected communities in Ghana to identify strategic management options for farmer adoption. Sustainable Land Management (SLaM) Project.
- Assessing the need to inoculate soybean in selected communities in Northern Ghana under the N2 Africa Project. (Funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through IITA, Nigeria).