Lelethu Mdoda | Climate change | Best Researcher Award

Dr Lelethu Mdoda | Climate change | Best Researcher Award

Senior Lecturer at  University of KwaZulu-Natal,  South Africa

Dr. Lelethu Mdoda is a Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, specializing in Agricultural Economics. He earned his PhD at 25 from the University of Fort Hare, focusing on market participation and value chain integration among smallholder farmers in South Africa.

Profile:

🎓 Academic Background:

  • PhD in Agriculture – Agricultural Economics (2017) – University of Fort Hare
    • Thesis: Market participation and value chain integration among smallholder farmers in Eastern Cape
  • MSc in Agriculture – Agricultural Economics (2015) – University of Fort Hare
    • Dissertation: Farmers’ awareness of climate change and its effects on productivity
  • BSc in Agriculture – Agricultural Economics/Economics (2013) – University of Fort Hare

🔬 Research Focus & Expertise:

Dr. Mdoda specializes in agricultural policy, climate change adaptation, smallholder economies, food security, and rural development. His expertise extends to agribusiness, value chains, sustainability, and resource economics. He has extensive experience in applied econometric modeling, data analysis, and market research.

📚 Professional Career & Contributions:

  • Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • Published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles
  • NRF Rating: Y2
  • Active in mentoring, research, and project management

🌍 Professional Memberships & Leadership:

  • President of the African Farm Management Association (AFMA)
  • Member of AEASA, IAAE, and IFAMA

🏆 Awards & Recognitions:

  • DAAD German Scholarship (2016)
  • NRF Bursary for MSc (2015)
  • Best Agricultural Student Award (2007)
  • Travel Grants from IFAMA (2016, 2017)

🤝 Community Engagement & Projects:

  • Founder & Executive Director of #HaySureLesner Foundation – Youth mentorship, drug abuse awareness, and career guidance
  • Nguni Project – Market coordination for livestock farming
  • Keiskamahoek Market Day – Supporting smallholder farmers with market access
  • WRC Project – Enhancing smallholder irrigation farming in Eastern Cape

Publication Top Notes:

  • Factors affecting the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by livestock farmers in the Eastern Cape province
    L Mdoda, L Mdiya
    Cogent Social Science 8 (1), 2026017 (43 citations, 2022)

  • Factors affecting subsistence farming in rural areas of Nyandeni Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province
    S Qange, L Mdoda
    South African Journal of Agricultural Extension 48 (2), 92-105 (43 citations, 2020)

  • The direct and indirect economic contribution of small-scale black agriculture in South Africa
    M Aliber, L Mdoda
    Agrekon 54 (2), 18-37 (36 citations, 2015)

  • RETRACTED: Factors impacting sugarcane production by small-scale farmers in KwaZulu-Natal Province-South Africa
    Z Thibane, S Soni, L Phali, L Mdoda
    Heliyon 9 (1) (30 citations, 2023)

  • Analysis of profitability of smallholder irrigated food plots in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
    L Mdoda, A Obi
    Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development 3 (53), 225–232 (23 citations, 2019)

  • Socio-economic factors affecting home gardens as a livelihood strategy in rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
    L Mdiya, L Mdoda
    South African Journal of Agricultural Extension 49 (3), 1-15 (21 citations, 2021)

  • Adoption drivers of improved open-pollinated (OPVs) maize varieties by smallholder farmers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
    M Sigigaba, L Mdoda, A Mditshwa
    Sustainability (20 citations, 2021)

  • Profit efficiency in family-owned crop farms in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: A translog profit function approach
    N Mujuru, A Obi, S Mishi, L Mdoda
    Agriculture & Food Security 11 (20), 2-9 (18 citations, 2022)

  • Determinants of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies adoption by smallholder food crop farmers in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Free State
    A Makamane, J Van Niekerk, O Loki, L Mdoda
    South African Journal of Agricultural Extension 51 (4), 52-74 (14 citations, 2023)

  • Use of information systems (Mobile phone app) for enhancing smallholder farmers’ productivity in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: Implications on food security
    L Mdoda, M Christian, I Agbugba
    Journal of the Knowledge Economy 15 (1), 1993-2009 (13 citations, 2024)

 

Zeeshan Zafar | Climate Change | Best Researcher Award

Dr Zeeshan Zafar |  Climate Change | Best Researcher Award

Postdoctoral Researcher at  Wuhan University,  China

 

Dr. Zeeshan Zafar is a physical geographer and researcher with expertise in remote sensing, GIS, and environmental modeling. His work focuses on machine learning applications in hydrology and climate change impact studies, particularly in urban and natural ecosystems. Dr. Zafar has contributed to research publications on carbon storage modeling, LULC, urban heat islands, and soil erosion, and he actively collaborates on projects assessing ecological health risks and sustainable urban planning.

 

Publication Profile

Education:

Dr. Zeeshan Zafar completed his Ph.D. in Physical Geography from Northwest University, Xi’an, China. He holds an M.S. in Remote Sensing & GIS from PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Professional Experience:

Dr. Zafar is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at Wuhan University, China, where he focuses on advanced GIS and ecological modeling methodologies. Previously, he served as a GIS Manager at GreenAge Services in Pakistan (2016-2018) and as an Instructor at Virtual University, Pakistan (2013-2016), where he developed remote sensing and GIS curricula and trained students in these fields.

Research Interest:

Dr. Zafar’s research integrates machine learning, hydrological modeling, ecosystem services, and climate change impacts. His expertise extends to ecological modeling, land-use/land-cover (LULC) change, urbanization, and land surface temperature modeling. He is proficient in advanced spatial analysis using satellite data, machine learning, deep learning, and statistical modeling.

Author Metrics:

Dr. Zafar has published extensively in reputable journals, including Ecological Informatics, Theoretical and Applied Climatology, and Water Supply. His research, recognized for its impact on understanding climate and urban dynamics, is supported by over 20 peer-reviewed articles and ongoing submissions to high-impact journals. His work is regularly cited by peers in environmental science and remote sensing domains.

Publication Top Notes
  • Selection of medical clinic for disease diagnosis by using TOPSIS method
    RM Zulqarnain, S Abdal, B Ali, L Ali, F Dayan, MI Ahamad, Z Zafar
    International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research, 61(1), 2020.
  • Application of TOPSIS method in decision making via soft set
    RM Zulqarnain, S Abdal, A Maalik, B Ali, Z Zafar, MI Ahamad, S Younas
    Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 24(3), 18208-18215, 2020.
  • Trend analysis of the decadal variations of water bodies and land use/land cover through MODIS imagery: An in-depth study from Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
    Z Zafar, MS Mehmood, MI Ahamad, A Chudhary, N Abbas, AR Khan
    Water Supply, 21(2), 927-940, 2021.
  • Fostering deep learning approaches to evaluate the impact of urbanization on vegetation and future prospects
    Z Zafar, MS Mehmood, Z Shiyan, M Zubair, M Sajjad, Q Yaochen
    Ecological Indicators, 146, 109788, 2023.
  • Time Series Analyses and Forecasting of Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity Using ARIMA Model in Punjab, Pakistan
    MS Mehmood, Z Zafar, M Sajjad, S Hussain, S Zhai, Y Qin
    Land, 12(1), 142, 2022.
  • Performance assessment of machine learning algorithms for mapping of land use/land cover using remote sensing data
    Z Zafar, M Zubair, Y Zha, S Fahd, AA Nadeem
    The Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, 27(2), 216-226, 2024.
  • Spatial Downscaling and Gap-Filling of SMAP Soil Moisture to High Resolution Using MODIS Surface Variables and Machine Learning Approaches over ShanDian River Basin, China
    AA Nadeem, Y Zha, L Shi, S Ali, X Wang, Z Zafar, Z Afzal, MAUR Tariq
    Remote Sensing, 15(3), 812, 2023.
  • Generalized fuzzy TOPSIS to solve multi-criteria decision-making problems
    RM Zulqarnaın, M Saeed, B Ali, S Abdal, M Saqlaın, MI Ahamad, Z Zafar
    Journal of New Theory, 40-50, 2020.
  • Comprehensive assessment on groundwater quality, pollution characteristics, and ecological health risks under seasonal thaws: Spatial insights with Monte Carlo simulations
    C Jia, AR Altaf, F Li, I Ashraf, Z Zafar, AA Nadeem
    Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 22, 100952, 2023.
  • Mapping flood extend and its impact on land use/land cover and settlements variations: A case study of Layyah District, Punjab, Pakistan
    S Soomro, C Hu, MW Boota, MHAA Soomro, S Jian, Z Zafar, X Li
    Acta Geophysica, 69, 2291-2304, 2021.
  • Application of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Soft Matrices for Disease Diagnosis
    RM Zulqarnain, M Saeed, MI Ahamad, S Abdal, Z Zafar, M Aslam
    International Journal of Discrete Mathematics, 5(1), 4-9, 2020.
  • The spatial coupling effect between urban street network’s centrality and collection & delivery points: A spatial design network analysis-based study
    MS Mehmood, G Li, A Jin, A Rehman, V Wijeratne, Z Zafar, AR Khan
    PLOS One, 16(5), e0251093, 2021.
  • Predictive modeling of regional carbon storage dynamics in response to land use/land cover changes: An InVEST-based analysis
    Z Zafar, M Zubair, Y Zha, MS Mehmood, A Rehman, S Fahd, AA Nadeem
    Ecological Informatics, 102701, 2024.
  • Disease identification using trapezoidal fuzzy numbers by Sanchez’s approach
    RM Zulqarnain, XL Xin, B Ali, S Abdal, A Maalik, L Ali, MI Ahamad, Z Zafar
    International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research, 61(1), 13-18, 2020.
  • Effects of Temperature and Pressure on Reservoir Fluids and Seismic Properties of Reservoir Rocks
    MI Ahamad, Z Zafar, M Arsalan, A Rehman, M Sajid, RM Zulqarnain
    International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research, 63, 36-43, 2020.
  • Spatiotemporal dynamics analysis of surface water body and snow cover area to climate change in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan
    Z Zafar, MS Mehmood, A Akbar, MA Khan
    Physical Geography, 44(5), 600-619, 2023.
  • Evaluating land use/cover change associations with urban surface temperature via machine learning and spatial modeling: Past trends and future simulations in Dera Ghazi Khan
    MS Mehmood, A Rehman, M Sajjad, J Song, Z Zafar, Z Shiyan
    Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 1115074, 2023.
  • SAFER-ET based assessment of irrigation patterns and impacts on groundwater use in the central Punjab, Pakistan
    AA Nadeem, Y Zha, L Shi, Z Zafar, S Ali, Y Zhang, AR Altaf, M Afzal
    Agricultural Water Management, 289, 108545, 2023.
  • Modelling the Climate Change on Crop Estimation in the Semi-Arid Region of Pakistan Using Multispectral Remote Sensing
    Z Zafar, S Farooq, MI Ahamad, MS Mehmood
    Optics, 9(1), 1-7, 2020.
  • Assessment of urbanization impacts on vegetation cover in major cities of Pakistan: Evidence from remotely sensed data
    Z Zafar
    GeoJournal, 89(4), 167, 2024.