Ibadan, Nigeria
5 September 2013

Research scientist Dr Charity Mutegi of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is the recipient of the 2013 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation. Mamadou Biteye, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Managing Director for Africa, made the announcement today at the request of the World Food Prize Foundation during the African Green Revolution Forum in Maputo, Mozambique.

The World Food Prize is the foremost international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world. The Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application recognizes an individual under the age of 40 who emulates the scientific innovation and dedication to food security demonstrated by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug.

Dr Mutegi was recognized for her work as a member of the IITA research team that has achieved major breakthroughs by applying locally adapted and easy to use biological tools in combating contamination with deadly aflatoxin mold that occurs in staple crops such as maize grain or groundnut.

The new technology, first developed by the US Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), uses safe, non-toxic strains of the Aspergillus flavus fungus. These are introduced to the field, where they compete with their toxic cousins, pushing them away and thus protecting the crop. In Africa, the method was adapted to local conditions by IITA, USDA-ARS, the Nairobi-based African Agriculture Technology Foundation, and their partners.

"IITA congratulates Charity for her excellent work which has led to her winning the prestigious Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application," says Dr Nteranya Sanginga, IITA's Director General. "She is a great role model for all young African scientists and we are proud to have her on our team."

Dr Mutegi, a Kenyan citizen, received her PhD in Food Science in the Food Security Program from the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. Her research focused on the extent of aflatoxin contamination on groundnut from households in western Kenya and the causative factors of contamination. After completing her PhD in 2010, Dr Mutegi returned to Kenya and worked for the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) as well as the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) as a visiting scientist. In June 2011, she took a leave of absence from KARI to fill the position as the Kenya Country Coordinator for the IITA Aflatoxin Biocontrol Project.

Dr Mutegi credits her success to her supportive work environment, guidance from senior scientists, mentorship, and personal work ethics, and says she has dedicated her life’s work to food security because she has seen the effects of contamination first-hand.

“The devastating effects on many Kenyan households of maize grain contaminated with aflatoxins cannot be understated. Lives have been lost, tons of staple food destroyed, losses from the livestock sector run to millions of shillings, and by extension, livelihoods have been destroyed through economic disempowerment,” she said.
The World Food Prize Borlaug Field Award is presented annually to a young extension worker, research scientist, development professional, or other individual who best emulates the dedication, perseverance, and level of innovation demonstrated by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr Norman Borlaug while working in the field with farmers in Mexico in the 1940s and 1950s. The award will be formally presented to Dr Mutegi on 16 October 2013 in Des Moines, Iowa, during the World Food Day.

 

Website: http://www.cgiar.org

Published: September 5, 2013