“USask’s motto, ‘Be what the world needs,’ strongly resonates with me,” said Nketia. “The university is globally recognized for agriculture and sustainability research and is built around a diverse and collaborative community.”
Nketia’s research supports digital agronomy and big data analytics, integrating digital agriculture technologies with artificial intelligence to enhance sustainability, resilience, productivity, and profitability of cropping systems.
“The strong connections between researchers, farmers, industry, and government make USask an ideal place for applied, impact-driven research. The scale of Prairie agriculture also provides a unique living laboratory for digital agriculture.”
Nketia joined USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources as an assistant professor in the Department of Plant Sciences in April 2025. Prior to becoming an assistant professor, Nketia was a post-doctoral researcher working with USask researcher Dr. Steve Shirtliffe (PhD).
Nketia is also a management member of the new Nutrien Centre of Sustainable and Digital Agriculture in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources.
For Black History Month, we asked Nketia to discuss his research and what influenced his career path.
What does your research focus on?
My research focuses on using new digital tools in agriculture to better understand how crops, soils, and the atmosphere interact across space and time. I combine field measurements, satellite images, and computer models to study how crops grow, why yields vary within and between fields, how soils behave, and how farming practices affect the environment. My goal is to put useful information directly into the hands of farmers so they can make better decisions, use land more efficiently, farm more sustainably, and remain profitable.
Click here to see more...