KIGALI: A young Tanzanian female scientist has scooped the ultimate East African region innovation award, upstaging 200 plus colleagues.
Dr Never Mwambela, a pioneering female scientist and senior lecturer at college of African Wildlife Management Mweka, has been named the overall winner of the inaugural Agroecological Food Futures Prize 2024, raising a Tanzanian flag high.
The award ceremony took place on Tuesday night in Kigali, Rwanda, where Dr Mwambela’s exceptional innovation stood out among the contributions of over 200 competing scientists.
Dr Mwambela is the Founder and CEO of Plant Biodefenders, a Tanzanian startup credited with developing Vuruga Biocide, an eco-friendly pest control solution that promotes sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change.
The trailblasing innovation helps manage destructive pests while preserving pollinators, enhancing crop yields and ensuring food security.
Additionally, her company also produces herbal teas aimed at promoting health and wellness.
The Agroecological Food Futures Prize, an initiative by the Biovision Foundation, aims to highlight and support sustainable agricultural small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across East Africa.
In her acceptance speech, Dr Mwambela expressed her gratitude to the Biovision Foundation and other organisers for recognising her work.
She candidly highlighted the hurdles her startup faces, particularly in terms of funding and reaching farmers.
“Our products and innovations are impactful, but reaching the people remains a daunting task,” she said.
To overcome this, the prize will enable Plant Biodefenders to train over 10,000 smallholder farmers, raising awareness about their sustainable products and innovations.
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Dr Mwambela shared her vision for expanding their solutions to other African nations contending with similar pest challenges, emphasising the need to decrease dependency on synthetic pesticides.
Crucially, she stated, it was more cost-effective than chemical pesticides, heralding a new era for farming economies.
Plant biodefenders had already made a significant impact, Dr Mwambela noted, adding that armed with four patents and six registered products, they had transformed the lives of 11,500 smallholder farmers, created jobs and empowered countless youth and women.
Their training sessions had armed 7,000 farmers with knowledge and tools, creating a ripple of positive change in local communities.
Dr Mwambela shared compelling statistics. Vuruga Biocide had protected 300,000 hectares of crops, facilitated the export of 160,000 tonnes of cotton and safeguarded vital coffee exports.
Tanzania’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, Abdalla Nangwanda, expressed immense pride and enthusiasm as he congratulated the Tanzanian scientist who captured the prestigious highest innovative prize.
Hans Von Zinkernagel, Programme Manager, Policy and Advocacy at Biovision Foundation, discussed the objectives of the Agroecological Food Futures Prize, highlighting the importance of supporting small businesses focused on soil health, biodiversity conservation and smallholder farmer livelihoods.
