By Murimi Gitari
Prof Jane Ambuko–Lukhachi is a distinguished scientist, researcher and a trailblazer in the field of horticulture, whose work in postharvest management seeks to transform agricultural practices in Kenya and beyond. She works in a multi-disciplinary team of horticulturists, agronomists, food scientists, animal scientists, nutritionists, bio-systems engineers and agricultural economists drawn from the Faculty of Agriculture and other Faculties of the University of Nairobi. The diverse expertise of each member contributes to effectively tackling complex agri-food sector challenges through a holistic approach.
Her adaptive research initiatives whose main focus is low-cost cold storage solutions is playing a pivotal role in the efforts to reduce food loss and waste, improve market access for farmers, and ensure the availability of high-quality produce and products for consumers. “Cold chain management, which involves maintaining optimal temperatures during the handling of perishable produce from harvest to the end user, is essential for preserving quality.
Poor cold chain management is a major driver of postharvest losses in fruits and vegetables, with deterioration rates increasing 2 to 3 times for every 10°C rise above optimal temperatures. Effective cold storage and complementary practices can slow down deterioration, extending shelf life and marketing periods,” notes Prof Ambuko, a professor of horticulture and postharvest specialist at the University of Nairobi’s Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection.
Recognizing that smallholder farmers find conventional cold storage solutions economically unviable, Prof Ambuko’s multidisciplinary research team at the University of Nairobi has developed and promoted various low-cost cold storage technologies. One such low-cost cold storage solution is the Coolbot Cold Room. The Coolbot™ is an innovation from the USA which Prof Ambuko and her team have adapted for the Kenyan context thereby offering a suitable alternative to conventional cold rooms.
Although it requires reliable electricity, which can be a challenge in rural areas, it is significantly cheaper than conventional cold rooms. To address the issue of unreliable electricity, her team has also developed or adapted several off-grid evaporative cooling solutions, including the improved evaporative charcoal cooler, the reinforced zero-energy brick cooler, and the resized zero-energy brick cooler.
These technologies have been tested and validated through on-station and on-farm studies, and they are now ready for scale-up. Adoption of these innovative cold storage solutions could have profound impact on reducing food loss and waste and enhancing market access for farmers. By maintaining the quality of produce, farmers can receive fairer prices at the farm gate, as traders and brokers no longer factor in anticipated postharvest losses. This has potential for better profit distribution along the supply chain, benefiting farmers and ensuring a reliable supply of high-quality produce for consumers. As a result, farmers can sustain their livelihoods, and consumers have access to fresh, nutritious products. Apart from the cold storage, the team encourages farmers to transform the perishable produce into shelf-stable products.
This is especially important during the peak season where there is an oversupply that results in extensive postharvest losses. To support this cause, the team works closely with processing technology developers to promote available technologies for adoption by small-scale processors.
“We have also partnered with Dehytech International, the developers of the Dehytray® to promote wide-scale adoption for drying.
We also closely with DK Engineering, a local company that specializes in the fabrication of fruit and vegetable processing equipment,” says Prof Ambuko. The team has also conducted adaptive research on various drying technologies such as the tunnel solar dryer, which they continue to promote for adoption by farmer groups.
Apart from the technologies, the team has developed protocols and optimised wet and dry processing parameters for various fruit and vegetable products.
These include ready-to-drink juice, jam, fruitenriched yoghurt, chutney, wine, chips, flakes, and dried vegetables. The technologies for cold storage and small-scale processing and products are showcased at the cold storage technologies hub and the food processing hub at the University of Nairobi campus. Prof Ambuko and her team work with various development partners to conduct tailored training for various stakeholders at the hubs to strengthen capacity in postharvest management and showcase applicable solutions. At the food processing hub, trainees receive handson training on processing high-quality products from fruits and vegetables.
At the cold storage technologies demonstration hub, trainees are trained on postharvest handling practices and technologies for preservation of quality of fresh produce. The training sessions help to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications, positively impacting end-users. “We have adopted the hub and spoke model to scale up technologies and products from our research group.
In this model, the Hub is tasked with adaptive research to address challenges facing the spokes – practitioners in the agri-food sectors including farmers, processors, traders and others. We have several spokes whose establishment has been supported by our research and development partners. Our first and oldest spoke is Karurumo Self-help Horticultural Farmers in Embu County. With support from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Yieldwise Initiative the group benefitted from cold storage technologies (Coolbot cold room, charcoal cooler and zero energy brick cooler) and small-scale processing technologies.
The latter includes a juice processing line and two tunnel dryers,” Prof Ambuko says. The team is currently working on initiatives to enhance market access which remains a significant challenge for farmers, contributing to food loss and waste and affecting farming profitability. The newly established fresh produce aggregation and distribution hub which was built through an academia-industry partnership between the University of Nairobi and the Mabati Rolling Mills is set to showcase best practices for market access for smallholder farmers and traders. The Hub will link smallholder farmers in rural areas to diverse market outlets in Nairobi and beyond.
Prof. Ambuko holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture and a Master of Science degree in Horticulture from the University of Nairobi and a PhD in Agricultural Sciences, specialising in Pomology and Postharvest Major, from Tsukuba University in Japan. Her quest for knowledge and excellence led to additional training from the Postharvest Education Foundation in the USA and the Horticulture Innovation Lab at the University of California, Davis, USA. These professional courses provided her with practical skills in postharvest science, greatly contributing to her career growth and solidifying her expertise in postharvest management.
She spent her early childhood in Nairobi, where her father worked for Kenya Railways. Later, she moved with her late mother to their village, starting her primary education at Mulwakhi Primary School. Demonstrating academic prowess early on, she topped her class in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam and joined Bunyore Girls High School.
Having aspired to become a doctor or teacher, when she was admitted to study BSc Agriculture she was disappointed and considered a course transfer. However, Prof Daniel Mukunya, the then Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the time, convinced her to stay and work hard to be a professor like him.
“From the onset, I was not attracted to agriculture because of the perception I had – that it entailed menial work and picturisation of the typical smallholder farmer in the village did not make things better.
However, after being convinced to stay, I decided to make the best out of it. As I advanced in my studies and started building a career in the agricultural sciences, I came to the realisation that there is a misconception about the course. There is need for more efforts to debunk the myths and misconceptions about agriculture – it is not all about farming!” says Prof Ambuko. Prof. Ambuko is a beneficiary of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) fellowship where structured mentorship helped her to chart her career path as an agricultural scientist with a goal to contribute to the transformation of agricultural sector in Kenya and beyond. To this end, she has made significant contributions in the quest to transform the agricultural sector.
Apart from adaptive research and championing low-cost cold storage solutions, Prof Ambuko is well-known for spearheading food loss and waste reduction initiatives at the national and continental levels. She led the team that conceptualized the All-Africa Postharvest Congress and Exhibition (AAPHCE), a biennial event that showcases innovative solutions for food loss and waste reduction in the African context. She is also known for spearheading Kenya’s national observance of the United Nations’ International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste which is marked every year on 29th September.
With the global food loss and waste estimated to be 30 percent, Prof. emphasizes the need to secure the harvest through good postharvest management to ensure that food produced using limited resources gets to the end user. “In the Malabo 2014 commitments, the African Union Heads of State acknowledged the importance and contribution of postharvest food loss reduction in food systems transformation towards sustainability and to the realization of the goal of shared prosperity and improved livelihoods,” Prof Ambuko says. Addressing food loss and waste through postharvest management, she says, has far-reaching benefits beyond just combating hunger.
She points out that it positively impacts several key commitments under the Malabo Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals. Effective postharvest management plays a crucial role not only in the commitment to end hunger, reduce poverty, boost intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services, and enhance resilience to climate variability. Prof Ambuko’s path to success has significantly been influenced by role models and mentors who guided and inspired her.
Balancing work and family remains a challenge for her, as it does for many women. Her husband, also an academic and researcher, provides tremendous support, allowing them to collaborate on various projects. She acknowledges that finding the right balance between career growth and family life is crucial, and she continues to strive towards it. She emphasizes the importance of resilience and staying true to oneself and believes in the vast opportunities for women in agriculture, noting their critical role in food and nutrition security.
She also stresses the need to attract young people to the agricultural sector by providing role models, integrating agriculture into school curricula, and creating awareness about agribusiness opportunities. Effective implementation of supportive policies for youth and women is essential for transforming the agriculture sector.