Dr John E Orchard
2015 – present: Director of Postgraduate Research Studies
2010 – 2015: Director of Research and Enterprise
2001 – 2010: Group Leader of Enterprise, Trade and Food Management Group, Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich, United Kingdom.
1996 – 2001: Deputy Head of Food Systems Department and Head of Horticulture Group, NRI.
1996: Acting Head of Crop Utilisation Department, NRI.
1994 to April 1996: Head of Post-harvest Horticulture Group, NRI.
1991 to 1993: Head of Food and Processing Section, NRI.
1988-91: Overseas Development Administration, UK Government. Technical Co-operation Officer (Biochemist/Plant Physiologist), Kenya Tea Research Foundation. Investigating more efficient methods of tea manufacture in Estate and Smallholder factories, and yield and physiology of the tea bush under different environment.
1986-88: Senior Research Officer, Liverpool University. Contract research on physiological plant pathological problems of cacao for chocolate industry.
1980-85: Overseas Development Administration, UK Government.
Technical Co-operation Officer (Plant Physiologist) at the Agricultural Research Institute of Ecuador undertaking research in the yield reductions of cocoa due to drought and influence of irrigation.
1978-80: National Cacao Research Centre, Brazil, Experimental Officer, studying fruit growth and development.
I have an interest in the post-harvest management of beverage, cereal and horticulture crops, with a focus on research, advisory and training projects covering the supply chain with support to farmers, traders and support services. Considerable experience in research project formulation, administration, management and appraisal. NRI Currently supervising PhD students in the following research areas:
- Structuring Client Voice in Microfinance Institutions in Kenya.
- Evaluating the Impact of Climate Change on Post-Harvest Quality of Perishables.
- Optimising the production of biofuels from algae.
- Reasons for multiple loans in microfinance and their effect on the repayment performance.
- Consumers' perception of food safety in the supply chain.
- John Orchard, Tim Chancellor, Roy Denton, Amadou Abdoulaye Fall, and Peter Jaeger (2013). Growing Africa - Unlocking the potential of agribusiness. Annex 1: The Rice Value Chain (World Bank report). http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2013/03/13/000350881_20130313160910/Rendered/PDF/756630v20Box374353B00PUBLIC0.pdf
- Kleih, Ulrich, Linton, John, Marr, Ana, Mactaggart, Murdoch, Naziri, Diego and Orchard, John E. (2013) Financial services for small and medium-scale aquaculture and fisheries producers. Marine Policy, 37. pp. 106-114. ISSN 0308-597X (doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2012.04.006)
- Tortoe, Charles, John Orchard and Anthony Beezer. (2011) Multilinear Regression Approach in Predicting Osmo-Dehydration Processes of Apple, Banana and Potato. J Food Processing Technology 2:122. doi:10.4172/2157-7110.1000122
- Tortoe, C., Orchard, J., Beezer, A. and Tetteh, J. (2011) Application of radial basis function network with a Gaussian function of artificial neural networks in osmo-dehydration of plant materials. Journal of Artificial Intelligence, 4 (4). pp. 233-244. ISSN 1994-5450 (Print), 2077-2173 (Online) (doi:10.3923/jai.2011.233.244)
- Antonidaki-Giatromanolaki, Anna, Orchard, John, Papadimitriou, Michel, Dragassaki, Magdalena and Vlahos, Ioannis (2010) Propagation of Ptilostemon chamaepeuce (L.) less through tissue culture. Journal of Biological Research-Thessaloniki, 13. pp. 105-111. ISSN 1790-045 X (print)
- Tortoe, C., Orchard, J. and Beezer, A. (2009) Effect of agitation and antagonism between sucrose and sodium chloride on mass transfer during osmo-dehydration in plant materials. International Food Research Journal, 16. pp. 521-530. ISSN 1985-4668 (Print), 2231-7546 (Online)
- Tortoe, Charles, Orchard, John and Beezer, Anthony (2008) Artificial cell studies in simulated apple and potato starch cell complex during osmotic dehydration. Journal of Food Quality, 31 (5). pp. 559-570. ISSN 1745-4557 (online) (doi:10.1111/j.1745-***************.x)
- Member of Tropical Association of Agriculture