Category Archives: Capacity Building

Biosciences fund brings Tanzanian researcher one step closer to unravelling the genetic diversity of the Small East African goat

Goat production is among the foremost agricultural activities that sustain the livelihoods of millions smallholder farmers and pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Tanzania. Majority of Tanzania goats (about 98%) are assumed to belong to the Small East African (SEA) breed, with very few belonging to other exotic dairy and meat goat breeds.

The Small East African goat breed is predominantly found throughout eastern Africa and parts of southern Africa. These goats have different tribal or local names and are mostly kept by pastoralists in the rural areas, agro-pastoralists and mixed (crops-livestock) farmers for meat. Their coat produces good quality leather. Some of the valuable characteristics of these goats are a tolerance to heartwater (an endemic tick-borne disease of ruminants), worms and other diseases commonly found in East Africa, such as mange. They are small (they range in weight between 20 and 45 kgs), agile and active goats whose colour ranges from pure white, pure brown to pure black with various intermixes of the three colors.

But different agroecological zones result in differentiations in the goats’ adaptive nature. SEA goats in Tanzania have not been fully characterized, and as a result, there is no breed- or strain-specific information on their genetic variability or uniqueness. Today, it is still unclear whether the indigenous goats of Tanzania are one breed (SEA) or if they fall under different strains or ecotypes. Additionally, the performance and adaptive attributes of the SEA goats kept in the country are still unknown.

Tanzanian farmers have made numerous efforts to crossbreed SEA goats in an attempt to improve their productivity, an activity that could prove more harmful than helpful if not checked. Crossbreeding by farmers without understanding the goat genetic resources could lead to loss of some of the unique features of these goats. On the other hand, understanding goat genetics has the potential to increase SEA goats’ milk and meat productivity and create sustainable development of goat farming in the country.

A woman milks an SEA goat belonging to the Pare Doe strain

Athumani Nguluma, a senior research officer at the Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI), and a former Biosciences eastern and central Africa – International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund (ABCF) fellow, is studying the genetic diversity of SEA goats in Tanzania. His goal is to better understand this important goat breed so that he can contribute to a clearer understanding of its population genetic structure and unique genetic features. This knowledge will be vital in designing SEA breed improvement and conservation programs, which could solve the low meat and milk productivity problem of the local goats that plagues Tanzanian farmers thereby considerably improving household income and bringing other socio-cultural benefits.

At TALIRI, Nguluma is working with the organization responsible for coordinating research in Tanzania including small ruminant research, which is where Nguluma was exposed to previous research on SEA goats and his interest was piqued. While studying for his PhD, he worked on the characterization of SEA goats, but due to insufficient funding, his assessed only a few subpopulations of the breed and identified only a few microsatellite markers of the breed’s genome.

Receiving the ABCF fellowship broadened Nguluma’s research from what he had initially hoped to do. His study, which has been ongoing for a year, is focused on assessing the diversity of goats in the major agro-ecological zones of Tanzania. His research methods include on-farm collection of goat blood samples and a cross-sectional research design through farmer interviews to gather information about the goats breeds in the country and their production environment. So far, he has obtained phenotypic and maternal genetic variation data of goats from 11 out of 26 regions in the country.

Nguluma appreciates the role of the BecA-ILRI Hub in equipping him with the skills to do this work. ‘Before coming to BecA-ILRI Hub my knowledge and skills on molecular genetics and genomics was low. I have since been exposed to state-of-the-art molecular labs and the technical knowhow in molecular research. I have also gained modern bioinformatics skills and access to important software for my research.’

The Tanzanian Ujiji Doe strain from the SEA breed

The next steps in his research include data analysis, report writing and publishing his findings. He will also conduct a comparative genomic study of the country’s goat populations to better understand the uniqueness of particular breeds. Later he will carry out whole sequencing of their genetic code so he can develop markers for improvement to boost their productivity.

While at BecA-ILRI Hub, he was supervised by Roger Pelle. At TALIRI, he’s supervised by S. W. Chenyambuga and Zabron Nziku from TALIRI.

Researcher using skills gained at BecA-ILRI Hub to hasten adoption of improved Brachiaria grass varieties in Tanzania

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With an area of 885,800 km2 and a population of 58,458,191 people, Tanzania is one of the largest and most populous countries in Africa. Crop and livestock farming is the main source of livelihood for most Tanzanians. The country’s large livestock population includes 25 million cattle, 16.7 million goats, and eight million sheep.

The main source of feeds for livestock in Tanzania is natural pastures, which are found in the country’s vast rangelands. But these feed sources are often of poor quality and insufficient, especially in the dry seasons. Additionally, conversion of natural pasture into crop production and non-agricultural use areas, and the degradation of pasture due to overgrazing and poor management have reduced the feed available to the country’s livestock.

One step towards addressing the shortage of quality animal feeds in Tanzania is by establishing the available alternative feed resources. Walter Mangesho, a senior livestock research officer at the Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI) and a former Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund (ABCF) fellow at the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub, is assessing the Brachiaria grass ecotypes in Tanzania and their morphological and genetic characterizations.

Mangesho collects morphological data (measuring culm thickness) of one *Brachiaria* ecotype. Standing is TALIRI Tanga field research assistant Salvatory Kavishe recording data

In addition to establishing the types of Brachiaria grasses in the country; Mangesho’s research aims to improve selected Brachiaria grass cultivars, which have high biomass production potential, are nutritive to livestock and resilient to climate change. His goal is to avail the improved Brachiaria varieties to smallholder farmers in Tanzania who will use them as feed to improve the productivity of their animals. ‘I am determined to work towards solving the major livestock challenges in Tanzania, which include a shortage of quality feeds,’ he said

His research, which started in Dodoma, has so far identified and collected 142 Brachiaria ecotypes from 10 regions of Tanzania. These ecotypes are now maintained in a field at TALIRI in Tanga, Tanzania. All the ecotypes were characterized for morphological characteristics and genetic diversity. A subset of the ecotypes with superior phenotypes have been selected and are currently being multiplied for further evaluation.

‘While at the BecA-ILRI Hub, I worked with a team of highly-qualified researchers, mentors and trainers who helped me in molecular biology and genomics research that I had no prior experience with. They strengthened my morphological data collection skills,’ Mangesho remembers of his time as an ABCF fellow at BecA-ILRI Hub.

Mangesho trains on DNA extraction at BecA-ILRI Hub

He was supervised by BecA-ILRI Hub’s Sita Ghimire, Cathrine Ziyomo and Nasser Yao. Jonas Kizima from TALIRI and Angelo Mwilawa from Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Tanzania also supervised his genomic and morphological data collection while at the hub.

‘I hope to start multi-location trials in December 2020, once the Brachiaria cultivars are ready,’ remarks Mangesho about his next plans for the near future.

Ko Awono promises to improve Brachiaria grass production and marketing to secure farmers’ livelihoods in Cameroon

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Cameroon, like other African countries, relies on agriculture as a main economic activity with livestock employing at least 30% of the country’s rural population. The livestock sector in Cameroon is crucial to its economic growth, food and nutrition security, and job creation. Forages of African origin, such as Brachiaria have been instrumental in the transformation of the livestock sector in many parts of the world including tropical America, Australia and East Asia. But the potential of native forages to alleviate livestock feed shortage in Africa has been little explored.

In 2012, the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub started the ‘Climate-smart Brachiaria Program’ in partnership with the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and development partners in sub-Saharan Africa. This program aims to increase livestock productivity in the region by providing high-quality and climate-resilient Brachiaria grass.

Paul Ko Awono, an Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund (ABCF) fellow at BecA-ILRI Hub from the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) in Cameroon, is researching how to improve Brachiaria seed production technology in Africa. His study, which is supervised by Sita Ghimire and Kingsley Etchu from BecA-ILRI Hub and IRAD, involves collecting information about Brachiaria seed production systems in the North and Adamawa regions of Cameroon, evaluating agronomic performances of Brachiaria landraces and improved cultivars, and examining the quality of Brachiaria seeds produced by farmers in the country. In Cameroon, Brachiaria seed is often traded as a cash crop and is a source of income for many farmers.

So far, Ko Awono’s research has revealed that the size of the farmlands dedicated to Brachiaria production are smaller (0.25 to 0.5 ha) in the North region compared to those in the Adamawa region (1 to 15 ha). His research also shows that Brachiaria seed yield is low in both regions (≤ 300 kg/ha). Major constraints on Brachiaria production in both regions include weed infestation, wandering animals and lack of market for Brachiaria seeds. Additionally, he has found that Brachiaria landraces mature earlier and are better adapted to harsh environmental conditions than improved cultivars. His research has also uncovered that Brachiaria seeds samples produced by farmers in the two regions are of variable qualities (poor to excellent) and some seeds samples are superior for germination than the improved cultivars.

Paul (middle) with his supervisors at Brachiaria experimental plots at Garoua, North Cameroon

Paul’s research revealed that the size of the farmlands dedicated to Brachiaria production by a farmer were smaller (0.25 to 0.5 ha) in the North region as compared to Adamawa region (1 to 15 ha). His research also indicated that Brachiaria seed yield was low in both regions (≤ 300 kg/ha) and the major constraints of Brachiaria production in both regions were weed infestation, wandering animals, and lack of market for Brachiaria seeds. Additionally, Brachiaria landraces were earlier in maturity and were better adapted to harsh environmental conditions than improved cultivars. His research also uncovered that Brachiaria seeds samples produced by farmers in North and Adamawa region were of variable qualities (poor to excellent) and some seeds samples were superior for germination than improved seeds.

Ko Awono recognizes the role of the ABCF fellowship, which he received in 2019, has played in his work as a forage researcher. ‘It gave me several opportunities: I learnt how to write research proposals, set up agronomic trials, and collect, analyse, and interpret data.’ He also learned several techniques related to seed quality determination in the laboratory and greenhouse settings. ‘The training and mentorship I received at BecA-ILRI Hub has played a key role in my work. It helped me to improve my scientific skills, which has made me a better researcher. ‘I am using the skills and knowledge I gained to help Cameroonian farmers increase the quality and quantity of Brachiaria seeds, which will improve their livestock production, incomes and livelihoods,’ he concludes.

Demystifying Passion Fruit Woodiness Disease

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Florence’s study aims to save smallholder farmers’ from losing passion fruit production

Florence Munguti was an ABCF fellow
at BecA-ILRI Hub in 2014 when she began her study to identify viruses
associated with passion fruit woodiness disease.

In Kenya, the passion fruit is one of the top three export fruits, coming close behind the mango and avocado in terms of foreign exchange earnings. It is grown mainly by smallholder farmers for subsistence and commercialization and has great potential to alleviate poverty due to its high market value and the crop’s short maturity period. However, many farmers are making great losses due to the devastating effects of the woodiness viral disease that stifles passion fruit production. This makes it one of the most dangerous diseases of the purple passion fruit.

In November 2014, she
began her study with the collection of passion fruit leaf samples already
showing symptoms of the disease in Njoro, Nakuru county, Kenya. At our
laboratories, she used next generation sequencing to identify viruses
associated with passion fruit woodiness disease in Kenya. The sequence analysis
revealed the presence of complete genome sequences for Cow
pea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV) previously
associated with woodiness viral disease in Kenya.

Woodiness disease is caused by the
CABMV, transmitted by sap sacking insects such as aphids and mites as well as
using infected tools in the management of the crop for example during pruning.
The disease is characterized by light yellow discoloration on the leaves and a
woody hard fruit, hence the “woodiness” name.

The sequences and information obtained in this study will be useful in development of more sensitive diagnostic assays that can be used to detect the disease. Florence’s paper titled: Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals a Complete Genome Sequence of Cowpea Aphid-Borne Mosaic Virus from Passion Fruit in Kenya is available here

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Mentoring women to become future leaders in science: Joanne Adero’s story

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Growing up in Uganda, Joanne Adero’s dream was to be a doctor. Unfortunately, her dream to study medicine was not actualized, so instead she opted to embark on a course in biomedical laboratory technology at Makerere University. She discovered her love for science when she took a module on microbiology, this which led to her passion for research that put her on a path to study sweet potatoes.

Adero is a research assistant at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) in Uganda where she is part of the Genomic Tools for Sweet Potato Improvement Project team. Besides developing genomics and modern breeding tools, the project places emphasis on capacity building and empowering research staff of national partners to carry out molecular work within their programs.

Due to its outstanding effort in capacity building, the BecA-ILRI Hub offers a perfect base to train in the use of modern, high-end bioscience technologies including genomics, genetics and bioinformatics tools to facilitate crop improvement and improve genetic gains in sweet potato.

Adero secured an opportunity to conduct her research at BecA-ILRI Hub through the ABCF program. “Conducting my research at BecA-ILRI Hub was one of my best career decisions because it gave her the opportunity to develop my capacity in molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics,” she says.

While at BecA-ILRI Hub, Adero worked on molecular variability of sweet potato viruses to understand the nature of viral disease-causing organisms that are heavily affecting production of sweet potato in Uganda.

The project enabled the determination of sweet potato viruses that exist in Uganda and their genetic diversity and distribution. Ten different viruses were detected including sweet potato badnavirus and sweet potato symptomless virus which have not been previously reported in the country.

In addition, her work helped generate the full genome sequence of the sweet potato feathery mottle virus, sweet potato virus c and sweet potato chlorotic fleck virus in Uganda.

The Genomic Tools for Sweet Potato Improvement Project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and led by the North Carolina State University (NCSU) in partnership with the International Potato Center (CIP), the Boyce Thomson Institute at Cornell University, Michigan State University, the University of Queensland, the Uganda National Agricultural Research Organization, National Crops Resources Research Institute, the Ghana Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Crops Research Institute (CRI) and BecA-ILRI Hub.

Research at BecA-ILRI Hub supports vaccine development policy in Kenya

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By Jane Githinji, assistant director of veterinary services, Kenya and ABCF alumnus

As head of the virology laboratory at the Central Veterinary Laboratories in the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) in Kenya, my responsibilities include laboratory surveillance, and confi rmation and reporting of animal viral diseases. My reports form the basis upon which disease control strategies are developed. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that these reports refl ect the true picture of the disease situation in the country, from which appropriate disease control policies and strategies can be derived.

Like in most developing countries, poultry farming in Kenya is mainly in the hands of the smallholder rural poor, mostly women and young people, and is usually the only livelihood source for smallholder farmers. Outbreaks of infectious viral diseases that cannot be treated pose a major constraint on poultry production. Vaccination is the recommended method of control for these diseases. But vaccines do not always prevent occurrence of a disease.

The apparent failure of vaccines to protect chicken from infectious bursal disease (IBD) got me interested in understanding the cause of the disease despite prompt vaccinations by farmers (IBD causes immune suppression, making chicken more prone to other infectious diseases). I wanted to improve my understanding of the epidemiology of IBD in Kenya, starting with the comparative molecular characterization of the circulating viruses with the currently used vaccine virus strains.

The facilities available at the central veterinary laboratory are suitable for carrying out basic molecular analysis. However, to undertake more advanced molecular research required to gain a better understanding of IBD viruses circulating in Kenya, I needed access to the facilities at the BecAILR Hub. Under the mentorship of the BecA-ILRI Hub scientists, in a very conducive research environment as an ABCF fellow, I learned many skills, including sequence editing and analysis, primer design, scientific paper writing and communicating science to non-scientists. These crosscutting skills will be very useful in improving my diagnostic capacity, and ultimately, scientific data collection for policy development at the DVS.

Based on the feedback and recommendations I gave to the DVS director, I am confident my research findings will form the basis for developing effective IBD control strategies, including diagnosis, vaccination, hatchery surveillance and certification, IBD vaccines registration and vaccine production. Implementation of such strategies will have far reaching impacts on poultry production, poverty alleviation, nutritional security, economic empowerment for women and young people, and self-employment. Reducing antimicrobial residues in poultry products will also contribute to a reduction in antimicrobial drug resistance in humans.

With my newly acquired skills, I will be able to contribute more to livestock research: science, technology and innovation. I am a better mentor to young people, a better leader and manager, a more fulfilled person, and, above all, an asset to my country. My time as an ABCF fellow marked the beginning of what I believe will be a journey full of discoveries, networking, research development and fulfilment.

Read more about the bioscience research and innovations that underpin development outcomes in the BecA-ILRI Hub 2016 Annual Report.

Driving Africa’s agricultural development by enabling biosciences innovations

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In 2016, the Biosciences eastern and central Africa–International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub celebrated 15 years as a centre for excellence for agricultural research. Against a backdrop of renewed impetus for innovation in agricultural research for development (AR4D) in Africa, BecA-ILRI Hub and its partners showcased their joint achievements in responding to the Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa (S3A)— leveraging science in an agriculture-led social and economic transformation. The event also offered us an opportunity to acknowledge our donors, whose support has made these accomplishments possible.

Research facilitated by the BecA-ILRI Hub drives the bioscience innovations that underpin development outcomes. The success of the climate-smart Brachiaria program in developing technologies that are readily adapted by farmers has generated a demand for their scaling-up. Strategic partnerships, for instance with the North Carolina State University (NCSU)—leveraging the human resource of advanced research institutions—have enabled groundbreaking work in tackling the devastating cassava mosaic disease, potentially increasing yields in what is a staple crop for over 250 million people in Africa.

Through the Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund (ABCF) fellowship program, up and coming research fellows from national agricultural research systems (NARS) have contributed to the formulation of evidence-based agricultural policies. For instance, seminal work on maize and food safety has provided a clearer picture of the interventions required throughout the value chain in Rwanda and research into chicken vaccines has supported the elaboration of policies guiding the production of vaccines for infectious bursal disease in Kenya. Moreover, the establishment and support of communities of practice (CoPs) for ABCF alumni has enabled the development of a comprehensive regional approach to the tackling of key livestock and crop research challenges.

In step with technology advances, the BecA-ILRI Hub launched the Integrated Genotyping Service and Support (IGSS) platform to enhance efficiency and precision in plant and livestock breeding, as well as quality seeds assessment. In research led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), application of this new technology has improved understanding of the genetic basis for resistance to maize lethal necrosis (MLN). The ongoing upgrading of the BecA-ILRI Hub’s technology platforms is fast-tracking research within the regional NARS and reducing the need for scientists to leave Africa to do their work.

Working to shape to continent-wide processes, BecA-ILRI Hub staff joined CGIAR research scientists, policymakers, and representatives of higher education networks and the private sector at a workshop to develop the concept of the the African Agricultural Research Programme (AARP). AARP is an initiative led by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) to strengthen the continent’s agricultural research systems for increased productivity, profitability and sustainability. As part of our 2018–2023 strategy, the BecA-ILRI Hub will seek to play a leading role in the application of and support for biosciences in the region. A landscape survey confirmed the comparative advantage of the BecA-ILRI Hub as an important regionally-valued bioscience facility. It identified opportunities to enhance our role in helping set the bioscience agricultural research agenda, as well as an advocate for the government funding of NARS work in bioscience technologies and services.

The coming year will, therefore, be characterized by engagement with key stakeholders to guide the development of our new five-year plan. We remain committed to helping Africa use biosciences as a means of transforming agriculture, bridging the gap between population growth and agricultural productivity on the continent. To the readers of this report, we hope you will accompany us on this grand AR4D journey in Africa. To our many partners and donors, thank you for your support.

Jimmy Smith
Director General, ILRI

Appolinaire Djikeng
Director, BecA-ILRI Hub

You can download the full 2016 Annual report: http://hdl.handle.net/10568/83016

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Forging research partnerships between the BecA-ILRI Hub and Earlham Institute

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By Joyce Nzioki, Research associate-bioinformatics at the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub

Joyce Nzioki (left) and Fracnesca Stomeo at the Earlham Institute in Norwich, UK

From 1-13 July 2017, capacity building scientist Francesca Stomeo and I visited the Earlham Institute in Norwich, UK. Our mission was to explore ways of strengthening the budding partnership between the BecA-ILRI Hub and Earlham Institute as well as to gain knowledge that will improve the Hub’s genomics and bioinformatics platform.

We had an intense one and a half week of meetings and interaction with the institute’s genomics and bioinformatics specialists, with guidance of our hosts Anthony Hall, head of plant genomics and post-doctoral scientist Jose de Vega. There was much to learn about different aspects of genomics and bioinformatics, particularly in terms of lab and bioinformatics protocols and systems.

It was very exciting to share experiences on our research and training opportunities, and make potential connections for joint activities in the near future. The discussion we had with the project leader-bioinformatic algorithms, Bernardo Clavijo was invaluable in planning for the BecA-ILRI Hub annual advanced bioinformatics workshop that will take place in October this year. I am really glad that Clavijo will be among the trainers for that workshop.

Discussions on work by national agricultural research system (NARS) research fellows conducted at the BecA-ILRI Hub highlighted potential areas of collaborative research to enhance food safety and security in Africa including: improved conservation of fish, understanding drug resistance in Salmonella, plant transformation and exploiting various under-utilized African crop species. We were also challenged to consider introducing the portable Oxford Nano Pore sequencing technology to serve our partners who may not be able to purchase the bigger high through put sequencing machines.

From the visit to Earlham Institute, I saw a clear need for improved bioinformatics capacity to fulfil the potential of modern biosciences in Africa. Bioinformatics training—a key component of the BecA-ILRI Hub’s remit—is central to the training conducted at the Norwich Research Park (NRP), of which the Earlham Institute is a partner. We had fruitful discussions on strategies to empower a cohort of bioinformaticians in Africa with hands-on training in 2018.

I look forward to many joint research and training activities with scientists in Earlham Institute starting with the bioinformatics workshop in October!

The bioinformatics lab at the Earlham Institute in Norwich, UK

The sequencing facility at the Earlham Institute in Norwich, UK

About the author:
Joyce Nzioki is a bioinformatics analyst providing bioinformatics support to various on-going genomics projects at the BecA-ILRI Hub. She holds a Masters in Bioinformatics from Rhodes University in South Africa and a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Technology from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Through her MSc studies, she gained skills in working in a Linux environment, Python programming, mathematical and statistical applications to biology and bioinformatics (R and Matlab), structural bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics.

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Labs to limelight – scientists take the stage to share vision for a food secure Africa

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In an unconventional approach to science communications, a diverse group of scientists at the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub take to the stage to illustrate their role in the march towards a food secure Africa.

Performed by the BecA-ILRI Hub staff, research fellows from African national programs and international collaborators, this 25 minute skit sheds light on how technology, partnerships and increased research capabilities of national agricultural researchers and institutions can bring about agricultural development in Africa.

The play dramatizes the role of the BecA-ILRI Hub and its national and international partners in bridging high-end research with practical solutions for smallholder farmers. Established as an African centre for excellence for agricultural biosciences, the BecA-ILRI Hub supports African national agricultural research institutes and universities enhance in harnessing bioscience technologies for sustainable agricultural development in Africa.

Putting East African smallholder farmers on the path to global soybean market

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Written by Tony Obua, African Biosciences Challenge Fund research fellow

Since 2010, I have worked on developing soybean varieties with improved nutritional value and high yield. My passion for soybean research earned me a fellowship––the Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund (ABCF) fellowship––at the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research (BecA-ILRI) Hub.

Through this fellowship, I am conducting in-depth analyses of five soybean varieties released by Makerere University and 95 elite soybean lines for different nutritional properties.

Owing to its increased use as human food and animal feed, soybean has great economic potential, which I want to help smallholder farmers in East Africa exploit. I am looking for a fast way of introducing good nutritional properties to existing soybean varieties and hope to develop high yielding, nutritionally superior lines.

Containing approximately 40 percent protein, 20 percent oil and an ideal supply of essential amino acids and nutrients, soybean grains are the world’s largest source of animal protein feed and the second largest source of vegetable oil globally. Aside from their significance as food and livestock feed, the crop improves soil fertility by fixing nitrogen and enhancing moisture retention.

Between 2006 and 2009, earnings from the crop in Uganda rose by 288 percent, but despite the economic opportunities in production and processing, factories established to process soybean oil and soy-based products across East Africa lack adequate raw material to run at full capacity. Furthermore, increased awareness by oil consumers has increased the demand for soybean oil as they seek more nutritious alternatives.

Through my research at the BecA-ILRI Hub and my home institution, Makerere University, I hope to contribute significantly bridging the supply gap and increasing the global competitive edge of locally produced soybean.

About Tony Obua:
Tony Obua is a researcher at Makerere University in Uganda. He is currently conducting research on genetic improvement of oil quality and yield of soybean in Uganda at the BecA-ILRI Hub as an ABCF research fellow.

Read more about the ABCF fellowship program