Blessing Apamaku Asianzu (she/her)

About Blessing's Community Action Project (CAP)

Many rural households near protected areas in Uganda rely on traditional, open-field farming systems that are increasingly unreliable due to crop raiding by wildlife and unpredictable weather. Women, as the primary managers of household food, face immediate pressure to provide daily meals despite these challenges. Although women already have valuable practical knowledge, they often lack structured learning spaces and opportunities to exchange strategies with peers. Small, managed household gardens offer an opportunity to reduce risks from crop raiding and weather variability while strengthening household food systems.

My Community Action Project (CAP) establishes model household gardens as shared learning spaces where women and children can practice agroecological techniques, such as soil health maintenance, water conservation, and value addition. Experienced women agroecology practitioners will mentor participants, and storytelling will capture and share local innovations. This project empowers women to improve household nutrition, foster peer learning, and promote sustainable, resilient food systems in communities sharing landscapes with wildlife.

About Blessing

Blessing Apamaku Asianzu is a PhD student in Biological Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in primatology, disease ecology, and community-based conservation. Her research examines how social, spatial, and physiological factors influence wild chimpanzees’ health and behavior, with broader implications for public health, sustainable livelihoods, and conservation. 

Beyond academia, Blessing works with communities in Uganda to strengthen household food security and promote agroecological practices, focusing on women and children through hands-on learning and mentorship. She combines research, local knowledge, and community engagement to design practical solutions that benefit both people and the environment.

More About Me

What influential environmental book or author would you recommend other people read?

I would recommend Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It beautifully blends Indigenous knowledge, ecological science, and storytelling, showing how humans can live in harmony with the natural world.

What is one fun fact people should know about you?

I once measured the heart rate of a lion—and lived to tell the tale!

If you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be? 

Trust your instincts—small, consistent actions often ripple farther than you imagine.