The Yara Prize Laureates 2008

The Yara Prize 2008 laureates are Florence Wambugu of Kenya and Victor Mfinanga of Tanzania. The fourth Yara Prize was awarded Wambugu for her many distinguished achievements in research and networking in East Africa, and to Mfinanga for his determined entrepreneurship in establishing a dairy business in Tanzania.

The Reason

The Yara Foundation recognizes that a major part of the green revolution in Africa involves strengthening food security, securing both larger quantities of food, and better quality food, by improving both agricultural productivity and the nutritional value of crops. Furthermore, it is imperative to develop entire value chains, both in respect of providing inputs – including knowledge – to the farmers, and securing market access for their outputs (products). For the Yara Prize 2008, the Yara Foundation focused on candidates who have proven track records in improving food security and entrepreneurial visions for making future contributions.

The Board of the Yara Foundation considers Florence Wambugu and Victor Mfinanga to be outstanding examples of two successive generations of innovative Africans. They have been prepared to challenge the status quo and to break new ground in African agriculture, showing great dedication and a willingness to share knowledge.

As a researcher and networker, Florence Wambugu has several significant achievements to her merit. She has mainly focused on the use of biotechnology for improving crops, especially the development and introduction of disease-free tissue culture for banana cultivation. This has resulted in greatly increased yields, providing income for small-scale producers (many women) and improved nutrition for consumers.

As an economist and entrepreneur, Victor Mfinanga, has ventured into a business benefiting both rural cattle keepers and urban milk consumers. He has developed a value chain which creates market access and income opportunities for mainly Maasai (women) milk producers and supplies the market with processed milk products. His work serves as an example of determination and visionary leadership.

On announcing the 2008 Yara Prize laureates, Chairman of the Yara Foundation Board Dr. Thorleif Enger said, “Both laureates contribute to the development of the value chain, in their respective areas, both on the input and output side through evolving and sharing knowledge, and in developing and opening markets.” “Ms. Wambugu represents the successful merger of dedicated scientific work and a holistic value chain approach; Mr. Mfinanga represents the younger generation’s visions of entrepreneurship, and the potential for establishing small-scale enterprises that benefit producers and consumers alike.”

The laureates

Florence Wambugu is a trained scientist, holding a Bachelor of Science in Botany from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, a Master of Science in Pathology from the North Dakota State University, Fargo, USA, and a Ph.D. in virology from the Biotechnology University of Bath, England.

For several years Ms. Wambugu worked as a researcher with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and with the Monsanto Company, as well as serving as Director of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). Since 2001 she has headed the Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI).

Wambugu’s research in the area of crop improvements included work on the East African staple crop banana, sweet potato and sorghum. She has also proven her merit as an entrepreneur working to develop holistic value chains, including improving market access for banana producers through interventions such as the development of microfinance loan systems to allow farmers to invest in low-cost irrigation and to help stabilize production. The economic and social impacts of her work are considerable, improving livelihoods for thousands of farmers and families in East Africa.

Victor Mfinanga is a trained economist, holding a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural economics and Agribusiness from Sokoine Agricultural University (SAU) in Morogoro, Tanzania. After graduating, he founded the Shambani Graduates Enterprises Co. Ltd. together with fellow graduates of the SAU sharing his desire to become an entrepreneur.

Established in 2003, Shambani is engaged in the business of collecting, processing and marketing milk and dairy products, and aims to become the most reliable source of quality milk in Tanzania. Fresh milk is collected from producers in rural areas, processed into different products and then sold to consumers in urban areas. The company’s activities provide market access for producers and secure milk availability for consumers.