Katrien Descheemaeker

Katrien Descheemaeker is a Full Professor in Plant Production Systems at Wageningen University & Research. Her research focuses on farming systems analysis, climate change adaptation, and sustainable agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. She leads projects addressing crop-livestock integration, resilience to climatic risks, and participatory approaches in agricultural modeling.

Key research interests include:

• Climatic risk mitigation in farming systems
• Participatory crop modeling frameworks
• Agroecological intensification strategies
• Food security dynamics in Africa

Recent work explores serious games for decision-making in mixed farming systems and evaluates adaptation pathways for smallholders facing climate change. She co-authored a chapter in Pathways to African Food Security (2025), highlighting climate impacts on farming systems.

Her projects involve multidisciplinary collaborations with institutions like IITA and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Active in knowledge dissemination through conferences and media commentary, such as a 2023 article on microbes and climate change solutions.