By Mary Mwendwa
Nairobi, Kenya: Icipe scientist, Dr. Dennis Beesigamukama, a Postdoctoral Fellow, has been named the 2024 recipient of the Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by The Rockefeller Foundation.
Dr, Beesigamukama has been recognized for his role in the development of novel, low-cost technologies for recycling organic waste into nutrient-rich, disease- and pest-suppressing, insect-frass organic fertilizers, within a fraction of the time it takes to produce other organic fertilizers.
These innovations are helping to address agricultural soil degradation challenges for over 100,000 farmers in East Africa and beyond.
“icipe gratefully acknowledges this award as an endorsement of the Centre’s impact in nurturing young African scientific talent, and the beautiful nexus with our leadership in emerging innovations, such as the use of insect biodiversity to transform soil health and food systems.” Said Dr Abdou Tenkouano, icipe Director General.
“Receiving the prestigious Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application makes me totally thrilled and grateful. It has refueled my energy in harnessing the immense power of insects, the small creatures with big impact, capable of breathing fresh life into degraded soils and sustainably transforming agriculture for improved food security while ensuring climate resilience and One Health.” Said Dr. Beesigamukama.
A former scholar of the DAAD-supported, icipe African Regional Postgraduate Programme in Insect Science (ARPPIS), Dr Beesigamukama earned his PhD in 2020, registered at Kenyatta University, Kenya, with breakthroughs in the development of insect-frass fertilizer for sustainable soil health management and crop productivity.
His passion for soil health came early in life, growing up in a farming family in Southwestern Uganda. His early exposure to the challenges of rural agriculture and soil degradation fueled his passion for soil science, which led him to Makerere University, Uganda, where he earned a BSc in agricultural land use and management and an MSc in soil science.
In his current role at icipe, Dr Beesigamukama continues to assess the diversity of saprophytic insects (those that feed on organic matter), and their potential to convert organic matter and recycle nutrients in diverse land uses. He also supports awareness, advocacy, and capacity building for sustainable soil health, in Africa and beyond.
For more about Dr. Dennis Beesigamukama and the Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, visit: https://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/nominations/norman_borlaug_field_award/2024_recipient/
