Global Extension Expert
Working through global extension programs, Dr. Colby Silvert helps connect international farmers to resources that ensure livelihoods and profits. (Image by Quentin Misiag) Dr. Colby J. Silvert, ’14 ACES, works globally with small-scale family farmers to improve their livelihoods and help them use resources sustainably. In recognition of his efforts, he’s received the university’s 2025 Charles C. Stewart International Young Humanitarian Award.
An assistant professor of agricultural and extension education at the University of Maryland, Silvert first encountered small-scale farming while growing up in Yellow Springs, Ohio, a town of about 3,000, where he worked at a local, family-owned apple orchard. Studying horticulture at Illinois, he took courses abroad that introduced him to global food systems. That experience led him to become a Fulbright research scholar in Brazil. There, he investigated family coffee farmers’ access to fair trade-certified markets. Later, he served in Sierra Leone for two years as extension coordinator on multimillion-dollar U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded aquaculture projects.
Silvert helped West African fishers develop a market chain for their local catch. The process included determining the most abundant fish stocks—in this case tilapia—and evaluating export options. He stresses the importance of co-creating solutions. “If we offer technology that doesn’t align with farmers’ cultures or values, they often won’t accept it.”
Silvert’s efforts focus on ensuring that the people he works with have a livelihood and make a profit, he says, “but also that they are using resources sustainably and protecting our planet.”
With USAID now dismantled, Silvert’s work has found a new funding partner in the Brazilian government. “There are a lot of other nations that see the value of internationalizing products and building bridges,” he says.
