As director of the Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Teams (SMART) Program, Ndunge Kiiti oversees faculty- and staff-led student teams that spend several weeks working rigorously with small businesses in emerging market countries. SMART brings together teams of graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and staff from across the university and pairs them with small companies, organizations and community groups located in developing countries and emerging economies. The students apply classroom knowledge and skills in real-world international development settings, as they address needs identified by their partner organization.
In collaboration with colleagues, Kiiti is editing and compiling SMART case studies into a book. With the recent publication of an Asia case study book, the objective of this book is to share the stories of successful African agribusinesses, providing decision points and creating learning opportunities for a wide range of readers.