Aissatou Sita - Fulbright Student from Niger
Field: Agricultural Meteorology
Host Institution: Oklahoma State University
Grant Dates: 2010 - 2011
Aissatou Sita at an OSU weather station
The need to enlarge my socio-professional network and to discover new technologies developed in my field of work were what motivated my application to the Fulbright Program. My admission to this prestigious grant and the chance to be in Stillwater at Oklahoma State University (OSU) gave me the opportunity to improve my professional skills, learn new experiences in everyday life and exchange cultural knowledge with fellow students and all the other wonderful people I met since being here in the U.S.
At OSU, I am pursuing a Master’s in Biosystems Engineering with a focus on Agricultural Meteorology. My research project aims to determine the irrigation water requirements for dry season vegetables grown in Niger based on climate and crop information.
Leaving behind a very little daughter (14 and a half months old at the time I left home) and all my beloved family has been very challenging to me when I first came here. As I arrived in Stillwater in early January of 2010 directly from Niger, where temperature was around 32°C (90°F), my body had to adjust to the large and sudden temperature drop. In the cold climate, combined with the language barriers, I had to start my academic program the day after my arrival. My first reaction when trying to deal with this new environment was “Oh my God! I just can’t make it!” The inestimable support and advice I got from my family, my professors, and the new friends I met, however, has helped me overcome all the obstacles I have faced since my arrival. More recently, those people were there for me after my mother passed away two months ago. Among the persons that encouraged me along my stay here was the late Aminatou Boubakary (a fellow Fulbright scholar from Cameroon who welcomed me and adopted me as her sister during the short time we got to spend together before her untimely passing). RIP Amy!
Being at OSU Stillwater gave me the opportunity to be among a very amazing learning community, and I am very proud to be part of it. All the conditions needed for successful study are fulfilled. I especially appreciate the up-to-date learning and recreation facilities, the huge amount of learning resources available online, at the library, at my academic department and the highly-qualified and very friendly faculty and staff members I meet.
After I complete my degree, I plan return to the Niger National Meteorological Service (where I used to work as an agrometeorologist) and use my research results to help Nigerien farmers to manage irrigation water better for sustainable vegetable growth. Indeed, the local food production from rain-fed agriculture is becoming insufficient to guarantee food security in Sahelian countries because of a worsening climate, degrading environment and rapid population growth. Therefore, adequate water resource management and promotion of irrigated agriculture are important to reach food self-sufficiency. I’m eager also to be with my family and try to catch up on all things that we miss doing together.
With six months left in my program, I’m delighted to say that most of my goals are already achieved and my Fulbright experience has helped me be a stronger and better-skilled person. Thanks a lot to my sponsor and all people that helped me reach those objectives.