Scientist Fights Child Malnutrition Across Africa

Mercy Lung'aho went to bed hungry as a child in Kenya, and those painful memories now fuel her mission to end malnutrition for Africa's next generation.

As lead researcher at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, Lung'aho is changing how farmers grow food to ensure it's not just abundant but truly nutritious. Her team has developed solutions that are already reaching farming communities across the continent.

One breakthrough stands out: orange maize that fights both vitamin A deficiency and deadly toxins. The grain naturally resists aflatoxin, a poison that stunts children's growth and causes liver cancer. In Kenya, aflatoxin poisoning has killed people during acute outbreaks.

Lung'aho's team also created Aflasafe, a product farmers now use when planting soybeans, groundnuts, and maize to block toxic fungus growth. "If food is not safe, it is not food," she says simply.

The need is urgent. About 307 million Africans faced hunger in 2024, and one in three children suffer from stunted growth. Africa remains the only region where child malnutrition continues rising.

What makes Lung'aho's approach different is how she measures success. While economists focus on statistical indicators, she looks for fires in kitchens at lunchtime and food in children's school bags. Having experienced hunger herself, she recognizes the real signs of progress in communities.

Her team treats farmers and consumers as partners, not beneficiaries. Through participatory research, farmers test new crop varieties on their own land under real conditions. Their feedback shapes the science, ensuring solutions actually work for the people who need them most.

In northern Nigeria, communities eating the provitamin A maize are showing reduced exposure to dangerous toxins while getting better nutrition. The project demonstrates that solving malnutrition requires addressing both food quantity and quality simultaneously.

The Ripple Effect

Lung'aho's integrated approach is shifting how agricultural research happens across Africa. By placing nutrition at the center rather than treating it as an afterthought, she's helping farmers grow food that truly nourishes rather than simply fills stomachs. Her methods are now being adopted by other research centers, multiplying the impact far beyond her direct projects.

"I want to leave a legacy of a nourished Africa," Lung'aho says, and with every orange maize seed planted and every farmer trained in food safety, that vision moves closer to reality.