Nicholas Engen has dedicated his educational career to gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to help vulnerable communities achieve food security.
Along with attending the UW, Engen works multiple jobs — in supply chain management, humanitarian assistance, and agronomic development — that are designed to build upon his skill set. It’s through these efforts that he has gained an unusual ability to work in both academic and community settings: a necessary talent for someone interested in the field of agricultural development and food systems.
Shortly after arriving at UW–Madison, Engen was searching for public-service opportunities and was referred to the Ethiopia Twinning Project, a UW-sponsored public-health partnership with multiple organizations in Ethiopia. One of those partners, the International Potato Center, was starting a project to reduce micronutrient deficiencies by creating a value chain for sweet potatoes, and Engen decided to dedicate himself to this project.
Through his data analysis and fieldwork, he’s been rewarded by meeting farmers who have benefited from the project. At the same time, his experiences have forced him to confront the many harsh realities of the global agricultural system. But those realities haven’t dampened his spirits. On the contrary, Engen is more determined than ever to continue building a career in global food policy after he graduates.
In the meantime, Engen is the production-management intern for DLG, an enterprise that produces marula oil in a way that empowers rural communities in Botswana. He has also demonstrated leadership and community service on the UW campus through his involvement with student cooperative housing and the recently formed campus food pantry.
Considered by one of his professors to be the single most extraordinary college student he has ever met, Engen is committed to improving rural livelihoods and poverty alleviation through agricultural programs and policies.