Garden Africa Advisors

Our team of advisors provides essential technical back-up to ensure that all our work reflects current debates and issues, so that we can continue to respond to the needs of our host communities.
 
Professor Monique Simmonds - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - Scientific Advisor
Monique is head of Kew's Sustainable Uses of Plants Group, which undertakes world-wide research into the different aspects of ethnobotany, especially medicinal and pesticidal plants, plant-animal interactions, conservation of plant diversity, and sustainable use of plant resources. Monique has over 20 years’ experience in different aspects of economic botany, especially the chemistry of plants, and has worked in many parts of the world to ensure that local communities conserve their local knowledge about the uses of plants as well as the plants themselves. GardenAfrica continues to benefit from Monique's advice and support which contributes information and technical know-how to GardenAfrica's work.


 
Alastair Duncan BSc MSc PGDipD SRD - Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - HIV Specialist Dietitian and Department Manager
Alastair is one of the UK's leading HIV Dietitians. As well as working at Guy's and St. Thomas', he has been Chair of The Food Chain, and a freelance nutrition writer. He is a Winston Churchill Fellow of 2007, recently spending time in Southern Africa conducting an HIV Nutrition Information Exchange. Alastair believes that growing fruits and vegetables in home gardens or allotments not only provides foods rich in vitamins and minerals but also activity vital to building muscle tissue and maintaining a strong immune system. His website can be found at www.hivnutrition.org.uk
 



Venetia Bellers - DFID - Operational Systems Advisor
Venetia has been working in the humanitarian field since 1998. Having worked for GOAL, Oxfam, and Save the Children she is currently a humanitarian specialist at DFID. With her detailed and systematic approach to a variety of situations, from conflict, displacement, floods and earthquakes, Venetia's advice on the design of operational monitoring and reporting systems continues to be invaluable. And through GardenAfrica, Venetia is able to explore her development tendencies, particularly those related to long-term community enablement and self-sufficiency - so often lacking in the humanitarian sector.
 


Jeremy Smith - Ecology and Ethics


Jeremy is an award-winning writer and the former editor of The Ecologist, the world's longest-running and widest read environmental magazine. For several years he has studied and written about localised alternatives to globalisation across the world, and much of his work with GardenAfrica involves increasing public awareness and connecting it with similar grassroots initiatives worldwide. He has created a network of likeminded professionals to stimulate ideas, and link debates across issues such as responsible tourism, food, transport and community building.  You can visit the site at www.ivili.org

Jonathan Campbell - IT Support
For many years Jon, a database designer for Islington Council's asylum team, wondered how he could contribute to charitable 'causes', yet felt a disconnect between the large charities and their approaches on the ground. Like most of us, he is regularly accosted in the street by 'chuggers', but has never been moved to sign up to that monthly payment. Instead Jon decided to contribute his time and expertise to GardenAfrica, keeping our systems linked and ticking over, ensuring data is protected and backed-up, and introducing us to new software to streamline our activities. Jon continues to make a central contribution to our work as we grow.