Isaya Kisekka

Isaya Kisekka is a Ugandan American agricultural engineer who is a professor at University of California, Davis. His research looks to make farmers more productive, efficient, sustainable and profitable. He has pioneered the development of precision irrigation systems. His work has been recognized by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Early life and education Kisekka was born in Kampala, Uganda. He studied agricultural engineering at Makerere University. He moved to the United States for graduate studies, joining the University of Florida. His masters explored evapotranspiration irrigation for tropical fruit in Florida. The evapotranspiration approach looks to apply the correct amount of water at the perfect time, then maintain soil water content in an idea range. His doctorate explored the modeling of groundwater and surface water interactions in South Florida. These technologies were deployed on pistachio orchids near Fresno and Davis, striking a balance between latent heat, evapotranspiration and carbon sequestration. Groundwater is increasingly important during heat stress and multi-year droughts. Kisekka looks to build links between policymakers, researchers, farmers and the general public about water demand management.

In 2020, Kisekka was honored by the Irrigation Association with the Excellence in Education Award. He was awarded the 2022 Netafim Award for Advancements in Micro-irrigation from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

Selected publications