First Lady Rachel Ruto, HarvestPlus, and AGRA Champion Iron-Enriched Beans for Sustainable Nutrition in Kenya
29 January 2025, Kenya: Her Excellency, the first lady of Kenya mama Rachel Ruto has spearheaded inclusion of iron beans in the Mama Organic Garden at State House Nairobi, the official presidential residence. This gesture demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing sustainable agriculture and healthy and nutritious meals for the nation.
Common beans are a staple crop in Kenya, frequently consumed in large quantities. However, biofortified Nyota beans offer added benefits such as increased iron content, reduced cooking time, and reduced flatulence.
The Mama Organic Garden showcases various climate smart technologies with the potential to contribute to nutrition and food security. Speaking at a dinner for School Meals Coalition partners, the First Lady remarked, “most of the groceries prepared in our kitchen come from the farm that you visited earlier this evening.” The technologies at the State House farm align with the vision of “MaMa Doing Good”, an organization spearheaded by the First Lady to support sustainable development, empower women, and uplift families.
The CEO of HarvestPlus, Arun Baral, was honored to be invited to the State House in Nairobi to witness and support this important initiative. This collaboration builds on global efforts by HarvestPlus to integrate biofortified crops into food systems benefiting millions of people worldwide.
In Kenya, these efforts align with the support from other stakeholders including the Rockefeller Foundation and AGRA. Betty Kibaara, Director of the Food Initiative at the Rockefeller Foundation Africa Region remarked, “Beans are consumed by many schools in Africa. With support from the Rockefeller Foundation, 400,000 learners are consuming biofortified beans for better health outcomes.”
Globally, HarvestPlus has spearheaded the promotion of biofortified crops with significant success in countries like Rwanda, where iron enriched beans account for 20 percent of the total beans produced. Similar strides are being made in Kenya through public-private partnerships.
MaMa Doing Good and HarvestPlus share a vision to scale up the production and consumption of iron beans, contributing to food and nutrition security, income generation, health, and education outcomes.
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