A research fellow of the Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Mr. Yaw Amo Sarpong, on Thursday, March 10, 2022 successfully defended his PhD thesis during a viva voce held at the Conference Hall of the School of Graduate Studies. Capacity development of Staff of the Bureau has been one of the strategic interventions, in terms of upgrading the human resource of the Bureau. In view of this, knowledge and skills acquisition of Staff remain key to the progress of the Bureau, as it builds up the expertise statuses or backgrounds of the Bureau. The event was attended by Dr. Ebenezer Owusu-Addo, Director, as well as senior members such as Nana (Prof) Sampson Enyin Edusah, Prof. Ernestina Fredua Antoh, Dr. Albert Arhin, and other staff members of the Bureau, as well as other well-wishers in support of Mr. Amo Sarpong’s thesis defence. The Bureau congratulates Mr. Amo Sarpong on this milestone attained. In brief, the dissertation explored actor-network integration based on the modified taungya system (MTS) project in the Juaso Forest District.