The Food Processing Hub at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nairobi hosted a high-level delegation from The Rockefeller Foundation on Thursday, June 29, 2023. The visiting team was led by the Foundation's Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Natalye Paquin, and Mr. William Asiko, the Vice President, Africa Region.
The visit was part of the Foundation's "Home Week," where staff get to build relationships, learn about the Foundation's priorities, and reflect on the opportunities to scale the Foundation's impact. During their visit, the team was taken on a tour of the Food Processing Hub and given a hands-on demonstration of how to process mangoes into high-quality products such as juice, dried chips, and yogurt.
The Food Processing Hub was established under the YieldWise Initiative through a project titled "Strengthening Kenyan Small-Scale Processors to Access Market and Reduce Losses (SAP)," a partnership between the University of Nairobi and Purdue University with support from The Rockefeller Foundation (2018-2022). The main goal of the Hub is to help reduce food losses, expand markets for local farmers, and improve nutrition for consumers in Kenya through increased availability and adoption of modern food processing technologies.
Examples of technologies promoted by the Hub include a simple juice processing line, a tunnel dryer and dehytray™. These technologies have enabled the groups to process mango (and other fruits) into shelf stable products and reduce losses especially during the peak season. The Postharvest Research team supports these groups and other processors through regular training to continually improve their products and co-create new products demanded by the market.
During the visit, Prof. Jane Ambuko, Director of the Food Processing Hub, expounded on the achievements of the Hub since it was established in 2018 and the vision to reach out to more farmers and processors. In addition, Dr. Duke Gekonge, an incubatee of the Hub narrated how he has benefited from the facilities at the Hub to develop innovative commercial products from underutilized fruits such as guava, baobab, cactus and others.
The team appreciated the long-standing partnership between the University of Nairobi and the Rockefeller Foundation. They emphasized the desire to strengthen and grow this partnership because of the common goal of positively impacting livelihoods.
On their part, the Rockefeller Foundation team appreciated the warm welcome and the practical experience in food processing. Mr. Asiko and Ms. Paquin acknowledged the enormous capacity for research and innovation at University of Nairobi. They emphasized the need for the policy connection in order to realize lasting and sustainable impact. They promised to continue supporting the University of Nairobi in their efforts to impact communities through research and innovation.
