The 2016 Borlaug LEAP Fellows began their one-year fellowships either on April 1, 2016 or on September 1, 2016. Twenty-Five Fellows were selected from eleven different countries. The countries represented are:
- Ethiopia (7 Fellows)
- Ghana (6 Fellows)
- Nigeria (4 Fellows)
- Burkina Faso
- Kenya
- Malawi
- Rwanda
- Sierra Leone
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zimbabwe
The 2016 Borlaug LEAP Fellows are working towards degrees in anthropology, crop pathology, soil science, environmental science, plant breeding and genetics, human and international nutrition, food science, horticulture and crop science, agricultural economics and policy, plant biotechnology, remote sensing, development planning, and animal science and nutrition. Twenty-two of the Fellows are pursuing PhDs and three are working on Master's degrees.