The European Union (EU), through the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), has awarded a research project totalling Kenya Shillings 31 million to a team of five researchers from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
The project, titled “Upgrading the Silver Cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea) value chain through multi-stakeholder partnerships and novel climate-smart postharvest processing technologies and practices for improved rural livelihoods,” is one of 11 chosen from 150 proposals submitted by researchers in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.
It will be implemented by a multidisciplinary team comprising Prof. Nelson Ojijo (Department of Food Science & Technology), Prof. Christopher Kanali, and Dr Eric Ronoh, Eng. Gareth Kituu, and Eng. Samuel Njuguna (all from the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering).
The JKUAT pentad, in collaboration with the other consortium members – Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute (KEMFRI), JKUAT Enterprises Ltd (JKUATES), and Kisumu and Busia Beach Management Units – seeks to boost the economic value of silver cyprinid fish, locally known as Omena, through a two-pronged approach – preventing post-harvest loss and promoting its consumption.