Stakeholders under the Legume Centre of Excellence for Food and Nutrition Security (LCEFONS) converged for a feedback and experience sharing workshop at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology on Thursday September 25, 2025. The meeting aimed to review the progress made in the implementation of the 12-year Institutional University Cooperation project that was launched in 2016.
Funded by the VLIR-UOS (Flemish Interuniversity Council – University Development Cooperation), a Belgian funding body and implemented by JKUAT in Kenya, in collaboration with KU Leuven (Catholic University of Leuven) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) (Free University of Brussels) in Belgium; LCEFONS has emerged as model of EU-Africa scientific cooperation with tangible long-term impacts already realized.
LCEFONS’s overarching objective is to enhance the legume value chain in Kenya—from production to consumption—to improve food and nutrition security, particularly for vulnerable groups like children and women. Pursuit of this broader objective is anchored on four pillars namely legume breeding for improved quality; storage and processing of legumes for convenient products; legumes in nutrition and health; and ICT support (transversal).
Across all the four tracks, progress has been made in the Project’s implementation. On capacity building, a total of eight doctorate and seventeen (17) master’s graduates have been produced; with scientific publications arising from the project hitting nineteen (19). The project has also seen establishment and strengthening of four laboratories covering food science and Technology, nutrition, ICT and biotechnology.
LCEFONS’s impact extends to livelihoods by strengthening the legume value chain, focusing on, for example, breeding resilient varieties to improving post-harvest storage and processing. By developing mobile apps for real-time data sharing and stakeholder guidelines, the project also empowers farmers and processors, fostering economic inclusion and resilience.
At the forum, stakeholders offered constructive feedback on the Project’s progress, while picking up key research and innovation outcomes that could be mainstreamed for the sector’s wellness.
Prof. Daniel Sila who leads the Project at JKUAT said it had significantly contributed to an improved research ecosystem, including production of highly qualified staff and laboratories of excellence. He added that LCEFONS had also injected impetus into JKUAT’s internationalization agenda, with postgraduate students enrolled in the programme expected to undertake half of the study duration in Europe.
“The exchanges allow our student to access research capabilities that aren’t available in Africa while also taking African experiences and wisdom to Europe,” Prof. Sila said, during the forum.
Prof. Sila who is also the Principal of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources said that through steadfast support of the University management for the, LCEFONS had been institutionalised at JKUAT. This has seen the project play an important role across many domains of the University, such as income generation, research capacity improvement, grant management and research proposal writing.
Gerald Masila, the Executive Director of Eastern Africa Grain Council commended LCEFONS project noting that it had reversed past trends in which academic research was mostly divorced from the lived realities.
“The research topics and problems showcased here resonate with industry as they directly address our common challenges,” Gerald said.
He gave the example of people living in urban centres who desire fast cooking bean varieties with little digestion problems such as flatulence. The results disseminated during the forum address these concerns, which according to Masila, is strong statement on the role of academia in providing sustainable solutions to common life challenges.
Mary Cherop of Cherubet Foods also lauded the research on legumes that seeks to breed more nutritious varieties that are also easy to cook. She noted that JKUAT’s collaborative research undertakings also lead to her organization taking up “ready to drink” porridge, produced by the university.
Dr. Penina Muoki, Programme Manager at the International Food Policy Research Institute lauded LCEFONS for focusing on legume crops, which she noted are consumed by majority of Kenyans.
“The studies presented here today speak to the real issues. We can now use the new information to increase awareness among consumers and generate more durable health and nutrition outcomes for our people.” Dr. Muoki said.
Prof. Christophe Matthys from KU Leuven characterized LCEFONS as a ‘huge success.’ He noted that through the project, the partners had built efficient infrastructure and produced quality personnel with strong methodological capabilities.
“It is also a model capacity sharing initiative. Some of the valorization ideas from the project could provide strong pathways for trade between Africa and Europe in the new shift to more green and plant based diets,” Prof. Matthys said.
By prioritizing legumes as low-emission protein sources, LCEFONS contributes to climate-smart agriculture, supporting Africa’s green transition while uplifting livelihoods. This initiative exemplifies how targeted research and collaboration can deliver tangible, inclusive benefits, paving the way for a food-secure, nutritionally empowered, and economically vibrant Africa.
