The 2nd Professorial Inaugural Lecture of the Faculty of Agriculture
A professorial Inaugural Lecture is an occasion for the University to acknowledge the appointment or promotion of new full professors and introduce them to the academic and non-academic community of the University. It provides the newly appointed professors an opportunity to showcase their research and achievements with a broad audience, including members of the public, in the presence of family, friends and colleagues.
At the University of Nairobi, the first ever inaugural lecture was delivered by Prof. H.W. Alexander in 1966 in the days of the University of East Africa. Since then, there have been 50 professorial inaugural lectures delivered by professors from various disciplines.
The 50th Professorial Inaugural lecture of the University of Nairobi was delivered by Prof. Jane Ambuko. Hers was the second professorial inaugural lecture from Faculty of Agriculture, 20 years since the first one which was delivered by Prof. Ratemo Michieka in 2004.
The timing of her inaugural lecture on 27th September was carefully selected to coincide with the activities to mark the United Nation’s International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW). The IDAFLW is marked on 29th September every year as part of advocacy and awareness creation on food loss and waste. Similarly, the title of the inaugural lecture ‘From the Lab to the Land: Solutions for Food Loss & Waste Reduction for the People and the Planet’ was also curated to align with the global theme of IDAFLW.
Food loss and waste (FLW) poses a significant challenge to global food security and environmental sustainability. Globally, 14% of food produced for human consumption is lost between harvest and retail, and an additional 17% is wasted from retail to consumption. The wasted food represents not just a loss of the edible food but also the squandered resources used in its production, including water, land, energy, labor, and capital. Moreover, food waste contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating environmental issues and threatening food security of future generations. Addressing FLW is crucial for achieving sustainable food systems and meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12), which aims to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce postharvest losses by 2030 (SDG target 12.3).
The inaugural lecture was curated as an advocacy lecture to raise awareness about food loss and waste and why it matters for the people and the planet. This was covered in the first part of the lecture, which culminated in a call to action. In the call to action, Prof. Ambuko emphasized the critical need for collective efforts by agri-food sector stakeholders including practitioners, policymakers, researchers, development partners, and civil society to tackle FLW for the benefit of both people and the planet. In the section, she highlighted several initiatives that she has led in her academic career as part of her contribution to the efforts towards FLW reduction. These include adaptive research innovative solutions for food loss and waste reduction; capacity building of various actors in the food supply chain; and community engagement & outreach activities to promote the adoption of research-based solutions for FLW reduction. These initiatives reflect a commitment to translating scientific research into practical solutions and scaling them – ‘from the Lab to the land’.
Prof. Ambuko gladly shared her personal and academic journey to professorship in the presence of her colleagues from the University community, students, family and friends.
She reckons that it was not an easy process to prepare for this milestone in her academic career but with focus, determination and support from friends, family and colleagues, it was possible.
She encourages the ‘professors in the making’ including tutorial fellows, lecturers, senior lecturers and associate professors, to aspire to deliver inaugural lecturers when they ascend to the coveted position of full professors. She challenges newly appointed professors to let the world know what they have been up to in their journey to professorship. She says that it is her external peers who challenged her not to ‘sneak’ into professorship. The peers encouraged her to showcase her achievements and milestones in her academic journey through the professorial inaugural lecture. She is glad that she took the challenge positively.
Prof. Ambuko greatly appreciates research and funding partners who have supported her research and outreach activities that have led to her career progression that culminated in professorship.
Jane Ambuko's Inaugural Lecture Booklet
