JKUAT don bags national outstanding research award for championing African indigenous vegetables

By Patrick Amunavi (PCO)

Kenyan scholar and foremost researcher on African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs) based at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Prof. Mary Abukutsa-Onyango has bagged the National Outstanding Research Award (NORA) “for her pioneering research in agricultural sciences, particularly in the promotion and sustainability of indigenous vegetables and plants.”

Prof Abukutsa was recognized in the “Biological sciences, technology and innovation category,” during the Inaugural Kenya National Research Festival (2024) on Friday, August 23, 2024, under the theme: “Research Partnerships and Collaborations for Socio Economic Transformation.”

According to Kenya National Research Fund CEO, Prof. Dickson Andala, the festival was organized “to underscore the importance of research in addressing Kenya’s development challenges and shaping its future and vision for sustainable socioeconomic growth and development.”

Prof. Abukutsa expressed gratitude to God for winning the award. “God has indeed been faithful in sustaining me in my journey as a researcher. To be recognized as a national outstanding researcher is fulfilling. I hope this award will inspire and motivate colleagues in the research enterprise to do more to drive science forward by seeking sustainable solutions to challenges of our time.”

A member of the Kenya National Academy of Science, Prof. Abukutsa has consistently drummed up support for AIVs through advocacy and promotion aimed at increasing the demand (production and consumption) of AIVs, notes that “commercialization remains a major obstacle to the farmers’ quest to maximize on value from their input.”

However, Prof. Abukutsa states that “when farmers access the right information, they learn various ways they can add value to their products through processes like solar drying, hence realizing significant steps towards poverty reduction and wealth creation as championed in the country’s development plans such as Kenya Vision 2030, and the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).”

The researcher lauds the trajectory initiated by National Research Fund last year “to provide previously funded NRF researchers and innovators in Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) with tools needed to commercialize their research results and connect with potential customers and investors thus realizing their intended impact.”

Besides championing availability of quality certified seeds to Kenyan farmers and linking them to the markets, “Kenyan farmers should get involved through groups which provide produce in bulk, thus increasing their bargaining power which is invaluable in guaranteeing better prices for their products,” Prof. Abukutsa advises.

Currently, Prof. Abukutsa is spearheading a JKUAT-led consortium funded by the Government through National Research Fund, to upscale production and commercialization of two vegetable varieties – Jute mallow (Mrenda) and African nightshade (Managu) in Kiambu and Kakamega counties using climate smart technologies for food and nutrition security.

The other consortium partners are: Inter Region Economic Network, Local Development Research Institute, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.  

With a billion people malnourished globally, Prof. Abukutsa calls for “a change in people’s mindset towards AIVs, improvement of policies and prudent control measures to cut down on high post-harvest losses, as essential avenues in increasing the available vegetable alternatives that could ensure accessibility of adequate high nutritional supplements crucial in addressing double malnutrition.”

Prof. Abukutsa holds a PhD in Horticultural Sciences from University of London, UK, MSc in Agronomy, and BSc in Agriculture from University of Nairobi and has published over 100 publications including books, book chapters and scholarly articles in refereed journals.

Caption

Prof. Mary Abukutsa-Onyango (second right) receives her award from the Kenya National Research Fund CEO, Prof. Dickson Andala as Prof Ratemo Michieka (left) looks on.

ENDS/Mutiso