A First Look at the MLEx Fellows
In February, we formally launched the 2021/22 Mawazo Learning Exchange (MLEx) Fellowship Programme with a cohort of 42 inspiring MLEx Fellows who represent 8 different countries and are some of the best and brightest young African women at the forefront of exciting and innovative research projects in East Africa.
We spoke with two of the MLEx Fellows who are part of the inaugural cohort to find out more about their work and how it will impact development in Africa on a larger scale.
First, we hear from Rogia Gomez, a Beninese scientist whose research with the Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania is focused on biosecurity in poultry farms, specifically in Dodoma and Kibaha.
What first made you fall in love with your profession?
I have been a pure nature lover since my childhood, especially because I spent all my childhood in the countryside. In high school, I was already making vegetable planks for the house and when I entered university I naturally turned to Agronomic Sciences. In 2nd year, I preferred to work more with animals because they fascinated me, to see them be born, to grow, it's just wonderful.
What larger issue are you trying to address in your work?
“I have been a pure nature lover since my childhood, especially because I spent all my childhood in the countryside.”
The biggest problem in animal production is the exorbitant expenses incurred by local or professional producers in the fight against diseases on their farms, when simple routines would suffice to ensure the cleanliness and sanitation of their farms.
What is the focus and goal of your research?
The object of my study is to identify the different biosecurity routines/measures implemented in Tanzanian poultry farms, the reasons that push each farmer to choose certain measures to the detriment of others, and the impact of these measures on the final quality of the products from these poultry farms. The aim of my study is to identify, depending on the farming context and the geographical area (Tanzania), the most suitable and least costly biosecurity measures for farmers. And perhaps, this can serve as a basis for many African countries, to find, depending on their farming context and their geography, the biosecurity measures most suited to their farming activities. These are some of my expectations from this study.
What drives you?
What motivates me is the idea that one day local livestock farming is sufficiently developed to cover animal protein needs in developing countries, and that importation is only a distant memory. That each African country can be autonomous in terms of food security and the food needs of its population.
Next we spoke to Njeri Njau, a Kenyan scientist completing a PhD in Horticulture at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). Her research is focused on understanding better how a plant pathogen Ralstonia Solanacearum is affecting the production of African Nightshade.
What first made you fall in love with your profession?
I first fell in love with my profession during my undergraduate studies when I did a project on a plant disease affecting tomatoes. The research process ignited a spark of desire to solve problems facing agricultural production. From there I went ahead to do my masters, and interacting with farmers and bringing an impact to the community was the best part of my research.
“I first fell in love with my profession during my undergraduate studies when I did a project on a plant disease affecting tomatoes.”
What larger issue are you trying to address in your work?
I am trying to address the issue of food insecurity. One of the leading causes of losses in crops is diseases. They increase the cost of production as well as cause poor quality produce and hence create heavy losses to producers as well as reduced exports. Understanding how a pathogen affects a certain crop is the first step to enable better disease management.
What is the focus and goal of your research?
The goal of my research is to understand which strains of Ralsonia Solanacearum pathogen affect the production of African Nightshade which is a highly nutritious vegetable with numerous health benefits. The pathogen causes wilting in crops resulting in heavy losses and is versatile, with an excellent capacity for survival. The research involves getting diseased plant samples from areas where African Nightshades are produced for commercial purpose. The samples are processed to identify the pathogen strains. The knowledge will assist the scientific community to better manage the pathogen.
What drives you?
Making a positive impact on farming communities.
The Mawazo Learning Exchange (MLEx) platform hosts a variety of online courses and free resources created and curated by the Mawazo Team, with early-career African researchers in mind. Learn more about our 2021/22 MLEx Fellows here.