Sara Kaweesa was invited to the 27th Conference of the Working Group Sustainability / Soil Protection of the Working Community of the Danube Regions, 8-9 September 2020 at University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Tulln. Sara spoke on conservation agriculture (CA) as a best practice and one of the efficient climate smart strategies for improving soil health. She highlighted the potential of soil organic carbon (SOC) fixed annually by CA cropland systems, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa where the high potential for CA to sink carbon dioxide would be a major contribution to control air pollution and notably global warming. In addition, Sara also provided feedback and opinion to the EU-Mission-Paper on Soil Health and Food. The conference programme comprised other presentations by scientists and innovative practitioners, workshops at BOKU´s University and Research Centre Tulln (UFT) and field excursions to the Grand Farm in Absdorf and the Experimental Station in Zinsenhof, all located in Lower Austria. The Organizers included: Working Group Sustainability / Soil Protection of the Working Community of the Danube Regions, Soil and Sustainable Operations Network (SONDAR) - EUSDR PA6 Biodiversity, Landscape, Quality of Air and Soil Taskforce, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Bio Research Austria, Federal Agency of Water Management, Healthacross, Soil, Bioenergy and Sustainability Network Lower Austria / Europe (BIENE) on behalf of the Agricultural District Authority, Lower Austria.
Sara Helen Kaweesa is pursuing her doctorate at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) under the supervision of Prof. Willibald Loiskandl. Her thesis on conservation agriculture uses Mid-Northern Uganda as a case study on which she has published some scientific articles. Prior to that, Sara convened a non-governmental organisation that implements innovative programmes on water, energy, forestry, advocacy, regenerative agriculture and education for sustainable development. Sara was a secondary school teacher before furthering her career. With over thirteen years of work experience, Sara has had influence in several environmental alliances at local, national and global levels. She serves on a few boards and is an alumna of the Tropical Biology Association and the Earth Watch Institute. Sara is a self-motivated and dynamic leader, an inspirational speaker and has widely travelled.