Victoria Brown was determined to find a way to travel to East Africa to gather data for her PhD research on coffee agriculture. Brown worked for coffee importers before starting her graduate studies, struck by the many challenges in the industry鈥檚 supply chain. She had also studied abroad in Tanzania, which planted a seed for her future goals.
Studying Swahili was a top priority when thinking about conducting her research abroad, as speaking with local farmers is vital to her work. To accomplish both goals, she applied and was selected for a Boren Fellowship to travel to Tanzania. There, she will study Swahili at Ewaso Maasai College and conduct research with the Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI).
offer both undergraduate and graduate students funding to spend at least one semester abroad studying a critical language. Graduate students, like Brown, can also participate in research projects during their fellowship. Brown will spend the 2025-26 academic year immersing herself in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania where there is a high concentration of coffee farming.
Coffee as Security
A central pillar of the Boren Awards is the commitment to national security. Applicants must detail how their proposed country, language, and interests are relevant to U.S. national security, which is broadly defined to include themes like food security, economic development, and trade. Recipients also commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation.
For Brown, the success of coffee farmers abroad contributes to stability in their own communities, potentially leading to less pressure to emigrate. Agriculture is a common livelihood in Tanzania, and financial security leads to decreased poverty, crime, and forced migration. She chose to work in Tanzania because coffee production in East Africa differs significantly from much of the rest of global coffee production.
Coffee farms in East Africa are small 鈥� usually only a few hundred trees 鈥� and five million smallholders in East Africa depend on coffee as a primary or sole source of income. These farmers face challenges with climate change, aging trees, pests, disease, and low investment. TaCRI researches how farmers are responding to these challenges, including testing new, more resilient coffee varieties.
Continuing the Work
Brown plans to expand on and share the research being done across communities around Moshi, Tanzania while learning Swahili. She will spend 15 hours a week in language classes, with the rest of her time dedicated to homestays, working with language partners, and conducting research. Proficiency in Swahili will support Brown鈥檚 future work with farmers in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
"I am thrilled to have this opportunity to research the coffee supply chain in Tanzania,鈥� said Brown. 鈥淢y goal is to establish a career with research on coffee production in East Africa, and the Boren Award is an amazing opportunity to build research expertise and connections in Tanzania. I am grateful to my USF researcher mentor, Estel铆 Jim茅nez Soto and to the Office of National Scholars for all their help with my application and planning for my research."
After her Boren year, Brown will continue toward finishing her PhD program with the intention to complete her federal service requirement by working with U.S. government on agricultural and economic efforts abroad.
Students can visit the USF Office of National Scholars website for more information about the Boren Awards.