Researchers from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore paid a courtesy call to the Vice-Chancellor.

Researchers from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) paid a courtesy call to the Vice-Chancellor on 7^th June 2022 at Main Campus in Njoro.

The researchers, namely, Ms Harriet A. Paul (FAMU), Dr Caleb Nindo (UMES), Dr Lucy Ngatia (FAMU), and Dr Mehbob Basha Sheikh (FAMU) are on a one-week visit to Egerton University. The visit is facilitated by the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture and Agribusiness Management (CESAAM), a four-year partnership with FAMU and UMES.

According to the Director CESAAM, Prof. George Owuor, the visit is a fulfilment 1 of UMES sub awarded Project “Strengthening Learning, Discovery and Engagement in Global Food Security and Defense in East/Southern Africa through a Regional Cluster of 1890 Universities”.

Researchers from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) pose for a group photo with the Egerton University team led by the Vice-Chancellor during a courtesy call on 7th June 2022 at Main Campus in Njoro. From left: Dr Caleb Nindo (UMES), Dr Lucy Ngatia (FAMU), Dr Mehbob Sheikh (FAMU), Prof. Isaac Kibwage (Vice-Chancellor), Prof. Bockline Bebe (acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Extension), and Prof. George Owuor (CESAAM Director).

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Kibwage, welcomed the researchers to the University and added that the collaborative partnerships between Egerton, FAMU, and UMES present opportunities for more research funding between the North and South. 

He added that Egerton University, a leading institution of higher learning in the country, is best placed to handle food and nutrition security research, a key pillar of the Government’s Big 4 Agenda.

The team from the United States was led by Ms Paul, who serves as the Director of International Agriculture & Center for International Agricultural Trade Development Research Training at FAMU. She said that the partnership with Egerton was a realisation of a dream that started in 2019 through networks initiated by Prof. Owuor.

Also present at the courtesy call was the acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Extension), Prof. Bockline Bebe appreciated the visit by the researchers and noted that the research partnership was beneficial to the institutions and that the extension component of the research activities will ensure that the findings are disseminated to the targeted communities. 

Dr Nindo from UMES is a Professor and Director of the Food and Agricultural Sciences at UMES. Dr Ngatia is an Assistant Professor and Soil Biogeochemist at the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, FAMU, and Dr Sheikh is a Biotechnology and Product Development Professor at FAMU.

In addition to the courtesy call, the researchers also made presentations at Seminar at Main Campus on 8^th June 2022. These were their presentation topics; Environment Safety and Climate Change Mitigation by Dr Ngatia; Food Processing Technologies to Enhance Food Security & Promote Value Addition by Dr Nindo; Affordable Farm Level Value Addition Techniques by Dr Satya Dev; Aflatoxins: Health hazards, Contamination and Management by Dr Sheikh; and Building Partnerships to Promote Global Education, Research and International Agricultural Development Engagement in Kenya by Ms Paul.