Researcher drives campaign to recruit young scientists

Concerned by low STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) enrolment, a biotechnologist launched an initiative two years ago to expose more Kenyan high school students to these subjects.

He is Kenneth Monjero, founding director of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization’s (KALRO’s) Science Centre, who told University World News he wants more young people to appreciate the role of science in addressing critical challenges facing the country – such as food insecurity, climate change and inadequate agricultural production.

Monjero’s project gets university professors involved to help high school students shape their careers in science: “Universities are the entry points for students to specialise in science, but high schools provide the right platform to engage with these students before they get to university.”

High school students are exposed to various specialisations in STEM courses, including crop science, breeding, agribusiness, molecular biology, and extension and soil science. The project now has 20 students from each of 20 schools enrolled. They share an interest in biology and agriculture and are introduced to research, including field trials and the cultivation of potatoes, sweet potatoes and cassava.

They are also engaged in practical farming in their schools for different varieties of staple crops such as potatoes and cassavas. This includes how to manage the crops, the identification and control of crop pests and diseases, and harvesting and selling.

The process looks at the entire agricultural value chain, starting from the identification of seeds until harvesting and selling the yield. They also visit institutions of research such as KALRO, Egerton University’s potato research facility, and the Climate and Water Smart Agriculture Centre that has a research lab, a greenhouse system, a cold storage facility and farms for seed multiplication.

The students engage with scientists in the research process and are exposed to different disciplines within agriculture courses.

Monjero, popularly known as Dr. Fun among students, told University World News that these interventions are geared towards improving Kenya’s agriculture sector, which is neglected yet critical for economic growth, job creation and food security. Many students lack awareness of the different specialisations in agriculture and biology.

“It is often simply seen as a dirty job of going to the farm, but we want them to know these different specialisations to attract them to pursue their careers in agriculture,” Monjero said.

Sparking interest

Eunice Mutimi, a student from Kambala Girls High School in Nakuru County, speaks highly of the project: “Now, when we see a pest on the farm, we want to know the cause and the immediate and long-term solutions to control its spread. Before we were introduced to this project, we never would have bothered.”

She is keen to pursue a degree in crop science after high school. “I want to become a researcher and help build knowledge for solving challenges that affect our staple foods, especially potatoes, which are an important food and cash crop here,” Mutimi told University World News.

Joshua Otieno from Njabini Secondary School in Nyandarua County shares Mutimi’s enthusiasm for the project and her interest in researching potatoes, specifically the diseases that are affecting Kenyan potato crops. He wants to study molecular biology at university.

Soft skills

The project also introduces students to softer skills, such as science communication, so that they can participate and present their research at science conferences.

With Kenya having adopted its competency-based curriculum, Monjero said it is now even more important to engage students in science research early on in their education. This will help them to, not only shape their career development, but also help build critical lifelong skills, he said.

Dr Susan Otieno, director of the KALRO Potato Research Centre, spoke to University World News while on a tour of six schools as part of the project.

As a plant breeder, she believes seed access is one of the biggest challenges that affect potato farming in Africa. It is, therefore, important to enthuse students to become breeders who can help enhance production and improve access to higher quality seeds. This, in turn, can help farmers overcome the impacts of climate change, pests and diseases, and increase their yield.

On the tour of the six schools, Otieno educated the students on the process of plant breeding and the use of emerging technologies such as tissue culture techniques for mass-producing of disease-free potato seedlings.

Jeremy Mungai, a biology teacher at Kambala Girls High School, confirmed the value of the project’s approach. “As scientists advance technologies through their research, they should carry along the young ones. This is an ideal project as our students are exposed to emerging agri-technologies and are motivated to pursue courses in agriculture and biology,” he said.

Starting young

In a similar vein, the Nairobi-headquartered African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) is now introducing biotechnology science clubs in high schools to sensitise students on new agricultural technologies, especially biotechnology.

Verenardo Meeme, programme officer for the AATF’s Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), said there is a lot of misinformation and disinformation about biotechnology that must be countered.

“We want to get the young ones informed early, so as to enhance awareness on biotechnology and other emerging technologies in agriculture.”

As science is evolving, new technologies are emerging that can help Africa enhance its agricultural productivity and create jobs, but the limited number of experts slows down adoption and advancement of these technologies, Meeme believes.

For Africa to make use of modern agricultural technologies such as biotechnology, he adds, it is vital to have a critical mass of researchers to help make evidence-based decisions. “It is, therefore, important to prepare young scholars, the next generation of scientists and researchers, from early on so that they can make the right career decisions as they transition to university. “They need to know the options that exist in science and technology for them to pursue in higher education,” Meeme said.

The OFAB is extending its sessions to include school science clubs that will bring scientists, farmers, and policymakers to the same table to discuss trends, new innovations, biosafety, emerging issues, agricultural biotechnology, and agricultural production challenges in Africa.

Monjero is currently preparing students for a week-long academic conference for high school students to be held in Des Moines, Iowa, in the United States, in October 2025, and wants to have scientists from different fields join the project.

“We want more professors from universities and research institutions to come to the high schools to engage with both students and teachers, so that now, whatever content you want to engage learners on, their teachers will have that understanding,” said Monjero.

Together with government policies such as the so-called 4K school agricultural clubs and young farmers’ clubs, Monjero believes scientists have a roadmap to improve engagement with students on STEM subjects. However, funding issues with the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, which helped establish the project two years ago, is a cause for concern, Monjero said.

The US administration has been reconsidering the future of USAID since President Donald Trump took office. Projects in several countries have been defunded.