DR. FRANCIS AZUMAH CHIMSAHSENIOR LECTURERDEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTUREFACULTY OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND CONSUMER SCIENCESNYANKPALA Campus
Background
Dr. Francis Azumah Chimsah is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Horticulture at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala Campus, Ghana. He holds a Ph.D. in Agroecology from Gansu Agricultural University, China, an M.Phil. in Development Studies (Natural Resource Studies), and a B.Sc. in Agricultural Technology (Horticulture) from UDS Ghana. With over fifteen years of experience in teaching, research, consultancy, and community engagement, he has established himself as a scholar with interest in agroecology, horticulture, biodiversity conservation, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable natural resource management.
Dr. Chimsah teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Plant Materials, Fruit Crops Production, Plant Propagation, Floriculture, Biodiversity and Systematics, Seed Science among others. His research focuses on sustainable agriculture, shea agroforestry, indigenous tree domestication, environmental governance, climate change adaptation, ecological restoration, seed science, and community-based natural resource management. His work integrates scientific innovation with indigenous knowledge to develop practical solutions that enhance agricultural productivity, biodiversity conservation, and rural livelihoods.
He has published in peer-reviewed journals, authored technical manuals and book chapters, and presented research at numerous national and international conferences. He is particularly recognised for his pioneering work on shea tree propagation, improved grafting techniques, native tree nursery development, and climate-smart farming technologies for smallholder farmers.
Dr. Chimsah has served as a former Principal Curator of the UDS Savanna Satellite Herbarium and currently heads the management team of the facility. He has also provided consultancy services for several national and international organisations, including the UN, UNDP, Green Climate Fund (GCF), Gower St., LUSH UK, JICA, USAID, Global Shea Alliance (GSA), Forestry Commission of Ghana, and has managed several projects for Sahel Agricultural Services (SAS).
He directs for Climate Smart Training Programme (CSTP) a non-profit organization, which promotes community-based climate resilience, agroforestry restoration, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable agricultural development through the development of training manuals and field activities. His overarching goal is to advance research, innovation, and community engagement that contribute to resilient food systems, environmental sustainability, and improved livelihoods across Ghana and beyond.
Chimsah F.A, Sabogu I, Agyemang-Osei R, Abagale F.K, Owusu-Sekyere E, Baatuuwie B.N, Lykke AM, Sorensen P.B, Doke D.A, Ayambila S. (2026) Socioeconomic and medicinal dimensions of indigenous knowledge and livelihood resilience on selected native tree species in northern Ghana. Tropentag 2026 Conference, Germany. Towards multi-functional agro-ecosystems promoting climate resilient futures. https://www.tropentag.de/2026/abstracts/links/Chimsah_ftY8YkTP.pdf
Dormatey R., Antwi-Boasiako A., Chimsah F.A., Yaw-Kan Kojo K., Mensah J., Keteku A.K., Ghanney P. and Dapaah H.K. (2025) Applications of CRISPR in Crop Improvement and Global Food Security. CRISPR Technologies – Advances in Genome Editing, Applications, and Ethical Implications. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1011717
Fudjoe S.K, Shi S.,Li L., Anwar S., Xie J., Chimsah F. and Wang L. (2025). Gene expression through comparative transcriptome analysis unravels the molecular mechanisms of fertilizer induced hormonal regulation and leaf senescence in maize for enhanced yield in semiarid regions. BMC Plant Biology 25:327. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06303-5
Chimsah, FA., Cai, L., Wu, J., & Zhang, R. (2020). Outcomes of Long-Term Conservation Tillage Research in Northern China. Sustainability, 12(3), 1062. https://doi:10.3390/su12031062
Chimsah, FA., Nyarko, G., & Abubakari, A-H. (2020). A review of explored uses and study of nutritional potential of tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) in Northern Ghana. African Journal of Food Science, 14(9), 285-294. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJFS2018.1744
Quainoo, A. K., Jibrim, A., & Chimsah, FA. (2020). Effect of shea fruit sugar content on shea (Vitellaria paradoxa L.) butter quality. UDS International Journal of Development, 7(1), 256–261. https://doi.org/10.47740/436.UDSIJD6i
Bawah BM, Afoko AK, Quainoo AK, Chimsah FA, Duwiejuah AB and Abubakari AH (2019). Assessment of Quality of Shea Butter Sourced from Organic and Inorganic Fields. Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology, 7(12): 2042-2046, 2019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v7i12.2042-2046.2506
Chimsah FA, Dittoh JS, and Dzomeku IK (2017) Diversity and Dispersion Patterns of Tree Species Within Household Farmlands and Open Parklands in the Talensi Area of Northern Ghana. Springer Book Chapter on Strategies for Building Resilience against Climate and Ecosystem Changes in Sub-Saharan Africa, Science for Sustainable Societies. (p137-148) ISSN 2197-7356 ISBN 978-981-10-4796-1 (eBook) http://www.springer.com/series/11884
A-H. Abubakari, H. Bayor, I. Takyi, F. A. Chimsah, G. Nyarko, L. Atuah and B. Banful (2016). Effect of compost-biochar mixes and irrigation on the growth and yield of Amaranthus (Amaranthus hybridus) under two growing temperatures. African Journal of Agricultural research. Vol. 11(25), pp. 2257-2265. Article Number: B70E8E959122. ISSN 1991-637X http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR DOI: 10.5897/AJAR2015.9674
Mensah R, Effah AK, Attua EM, Chimsah FA, Boakye-Danquah J, Sackey I (2016) Biodiversity of woody species and their utilization in a Savannah ecological zone of Northern Ghana. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES) ISSN: 2220-6663 (Print) 2222-3045 (Online) Vol. 8, No. 3, p. 22-45, 2016 http://www.innspub.net
Abedin A, Abubakari A. H., Quainoo A. K., Chimsah FA., Nyarko G., Mahunu G. K., Abagale FK. and Addai G. (2015). Preliminary Studies on the effect of shea kernel size on shea butter quality. African Journal of Food Science Vol. 9 (4) Pp 237-242 April 2015. ISSN 1996-0794 www.academicjournals.org/AJFS
