WEDNESDAY December 4, 2024
By Adam Ihucha
The Tranquility News Correspondent, Rwanda
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 the 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 for developing Vuruga Biocide, an eco-friendly pest control solution that promotes sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change.
The trailblazing 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 at highlighting and supporting sustainable agricultural small and medium enterprises across East Africa.
During the award ceremony, the event manager announced: ‘The winner is Plant Biodefenders from Tanzania’, celebrating Dr Mwambela’s transformative contributions.
In her acceptance speech, Dr Mwambela expressed her gratitude to the Biovision Foundation and other organisers for acknowledging 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.
Dr Mwambela shared her vision for expanding their solutions to other African nations contending with similar pest challenges, emphasizing the need for decreasing dependency on synthetic pesticides.
She called for partnerships and investments to surmount logistical hurdles and access broader markets.
In a sunlit conference room in Kigali, Rwanda, the air buzzed with anticipation. Renowned experts in agriculture and environmental sustainability sat attentively, their eyes fixed on Dr Mwambela.
With a confident smile, Dr Mwambela began her high-profile pitch with the words: “We save humans and the planet’s biodiversity with the right innovation”.
Agriculture, she explained, faced a formidable challenge, as crop losses range from 20 to 40 per cent, thanks to damage caused by pest.
Quoting the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s data, Dr Mwambela said the global cost of pest control soared to an astonishing $220 billion, with invasive pest species accounting for $70 billion annually.
The fall armyworm wreaked havoc on maize crops, Tuta absoluta decimated tomatoes, and the elusive coffee berry borer ravaged precious coffee cherries, she explained.
“Traditional synthetic pesticides—while widely used—had grown into both a financial burden and an ecological threat,” Dr Mwambela said, adding that farmers grappled with rising costs, decreased effectiveness, as pests developed resistance, and collateral damage to non-target species and ecosystems.
She paused to let the gravity of the situation sink in. “The urgency,” she explained,” is undeniable. The world needs innovative, effective, sustainable, and safe alternatives. And that is where Vuruga Biocide comes in.”
The room seemed to collectively lean forward as she introduced Vuruga Biocide, a revolutionary biopesticide derived from fungi.
Unlike conventional pesticides, this solution is affordable and non-toxic, ensuring pests do not develop resistance.
“Easy to apply and requiring no protective gear, Vuruga Biocide is safe for humans and the environment alike,” noted Dr Mwambela, stressing that remarkably, it even attracted pollinators, boosting crop yields and enhancing food security.
Her enthusiasm grew as she outlined the competitive advantages of Vuruga Biocide.
The world needs innovative, effective, sustainable, and safe alternatives. And that is where Vuruga Biocide comes in,” Dr Never Mwawmbela, the founder and CEO of Plant Biodefenders, and a senior lecturer at the College of African Wildlife Management Mweka, Tanzania.
By enhancing the decomposition of organic matter, it improved soil health, integrated with other biocontrols, and attracted natural pest predators like spiders, she said.
“It boasts a long shelf life of 12 months at room temperature and is already certified by BioInspector for its unmatched safety and efficacy in eliminating 90 to 100 per cent of pests,” Dr Mwambela explained.
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.
Maize yields soared, improving farmers’ livelihoods and invigorating consumer markets. Yet, she asserted, they were just scratching the surface.
She articulated a precise growth plan. An investment of $500,000 was needed to expand operations, develop biofertilizers, fortify their intellectual property, and penetrate new regions and crop markets.
The future was promising—projected annual revenues of $2,000,000, the creation of 10,000 jobs for youth and women, a 10 per cent increase in export markets, and significantly reduced medical expenses for coffee farmers and workers.
As Dr Mwambela concluded, her conviction was palpable. The room erupted in applause. At that moment, she knew the panel saw not just a business opportunity, but also a vision to protect the environment and future generations.
From that pivotal day in Kigali, Vuruga Biocide became more than an innovative solution—it was a beacon of hope, a testament to what could be achieved when science, nature, and humanity aligned.
It boasts a long shelf life of 12 months at room temperature and is already certified by BioInspector for its unmatched safety and efficacy in eliminating 90 to 100 per cent of pests,” Dr Never Mwawmbela, the founder and CEO of Plant Biodefenders, and a senior lecturer at the College of African Wildlife Management Mweka, Tanzania.
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.
He emphasized how such accomplishments not only elevate the individual, but also inspire an entire nation to strive for excellence in various fields of research and innovation.
In partnership with the IKEA Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the prize aims at recognising Agroecological Enterprises—small and medium-sized businesses exemplifying 13 principles of agroecology.
These enterprises play a vital role in creating sustainable jobs, protecting nature, strengthening local value chains, and providing healthier, safer food options.
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.
Biovision aims at addressing the gap in financing for such businesses, emphasizing that these enterprises can be both environmentally and socially impactful as well as profitable in the long term.
Zinkernagel expressed satisfaction with the event’s outcome, noting that it provided entrepreneurs with an opportunity for refining their business plans.
Biovision, with its 26-year experience in East Africa, continues building connections with civil society, policymakers, and the investment community to support agricultural enterprises across the region.
During his speech, Michel Evequos, from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, highlighted the critical need to accelerate food system transformation.
He thanked the Biovision Foundation for providing a platform for discussing urgent global challenges such as climate change, conflicts, and their detrimental effects on food security and poverty, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ruth Nabaggala of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa underscored the transformative potential of agroecological entrepreneurshipΩ
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The Tranquility News Reporter/Sub Editor, Tanzania
Patty Magubira is an experienced environmental and business editor whose career started at the Tanzania's state-owned newspaper - The Daily News. He is a man of perfection. Aided by his extensive training as a community forestry expert before joining Tanzania School of Journalism. Magubira had successfully held various key posts in newsrooms, giving him an unmatched connections in media fraternity. Having worked as a bureau chief in Arusha and Mwanza, he managed to build a team work, boosting sales to the highest level ever. He was then promoted to a sub-editor after completing a training in Nairobi, Kenya. His incredible experience, critical thinking and exposure are critical to the quality of any media outlet.
