icipe scientist wins the Norman E. Borlaug Award

Dr Dennis Beesigamukama, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), has been named the 2024 recipient of the Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by The Rockefeller Foundation.

He is recognised 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 fertilisers, within a fraction of the time it takes to produce other organic fertilisers. 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.”  – 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.” – 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 fertiliser 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 in converting 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.

To learn 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/

Notes for Editors

The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (www.icipe.org): headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, is the only research institution in Africa working primarily on insects and other arthropods. The Centre conducts world-class science, and then translates this knowledge into innovate environmentally friendly, affordable, accessible and easy to use solutions to tackle crop pests and disease vectors. icipe’s role also extends to the conservation and sustainable exploitation of the beneficial insect biodiversity. Thus, icipe works through the 4Hs Themes – Human Health, Animal Health, Plant Health and Environmental Health – a holistic and integrated framework that has sustainable development as its basis, to improve food security, health and the overall well-being of communities in Africa.

Acknowledgement:
icipe gratefully acknowledges the financial and technical support of our core donors: Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); BMZ/GIZ; and Government of the Republic of Kenya. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the donors.

icipe Insects for Food, Feed and Other Uses (INSEFF) programme donors:
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Bioinnovate Africa Programme; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); Curt Bergfors Foundation Food Planet Prize Award; Danish International Development Agency (Danida); East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO); Environment for Development (EfD); Federal Agency for Food and Agriculture (BLE), Germany; Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany, through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ); French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs; Global Affairs Canada; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Horizon Europe; IKEA Foundation; International Development Research Centre (IDRC); National Postcode Lottery, Netherlands; Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO); National Research Fund; Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); Norwegian Refugee Council; Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF); Postkode Lottery, Sweden; Scientific Cooperation Grant Initiative for Eastern Africa; Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC); The Rockefeller Foundation; UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO); and World Bank.

We recognize the close collaboration with the governments of Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda; as well as the African Union, towards developing national, regional and continental (respectively) standards, and a conducive environment for insects for food, feed and other uses research for development.

For a comprehensive list of the INSEFF partners, please visit: http://www.icipe.org/content/partners-insects-food-feed-and-other-uses-programme