📊 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵: 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆♻ Kenya’s dairy industry produces thousands of tonnes of whey which contains valuable nutrients, including proteins, lactose, and minerals. However, most of it is discarded, contributing to pollution and lost value. If recovered, whey could contribute to food security, industrial applications, and circular economy objectives.  The hashtag#VALORISE project demonstrates that whey can be transformed into animal feed, functional foods, biotech products, and even biodegradable packaging. This study analyzed four circular business models adopted by Kenyan dairy processors: (i) ricotta cheese production, (ii) whey-based yogurt drinks, (iii) fruit-blended whey smoothies, and (iv) whey protein concentrate recovery, and revealed that only 0.45% of the 976,055 L of whey generated weekly is valorized. The study recommends: ➡️ Targeted grants, low interest loans, and tax breaks for small and medium processors investing in valorization equipment ➡️ Public–private partnerships to establish regional whey processing hubs, enabling joint investments in production. ➡️ Embedding circular economy indicators in licensing and compliance standards to encourage sustainable whey management. ➡️ Expand training for processor staff on circular technologies and strengthen university–industry partnerships for research and innovation. ➡️ Actively engage smallholder processors, women, and youth to ensure equitable distribution of benefits across new value chains. 📚Read more 👉 lnkd.in/dwJcUTjA @egertonunikenya, @roskildeuni | @BiovIntCIAT_eng | @DTUtweet | @ArlaIngredients | @SEIresearch | @SEI_Africa | @denmarkinkenya

ACTS is proud to join #AFSF2026 in Kigali, marking 20 years of advancing Africa’s food systems transformation. ACTS will co-host the first #AgriBridge side event: “Financing Africa’s Food Future” 📅 31 Aug | 🕛 12–1 PM CAT 📍 Investment Room Stage How can we move from fragmented finance to more coordinated, effective investment? See you in Kigali! 🇷🇼 @Welthungerhilfe | @AKADEMIYA2063 | @_AfricanUnion | @icipe | @TheAGRF

Happening on Thursday, October 16, at 13:00 GMT! We’re pleased to share that Dr. Catherine. W. Kilelu, our Director of Communication, Outreach & Partnerships and Senior Research Fellow at ACTS, will join the speaker panel during the #KampalaCAADPSeries: Webinar Session III hosted by @AKADEMIYA2063. The session, themed “From Challenges to Opportunities: Building Resilient Food Systems in Africa,” will explore the intersection of three critical areas: 🌾 Building and measuring resilient agrifood systems 🚜 Enhancing preparedness and responsiveness to food crises 🌱 Leveraging bioeconomy as a pathway for resilience 🔗 Register now: lnkd.in/eqsCcsyN 📅 Thursday, October 16, 2025 ⏰ 13:00 – 14:30 GMT @AFNS_ACTS | #FoodSystems #Resilience #SustainableAgriculture #Bioeconomy #AgrifoodSystems #AKADEMIYA2063

🚀 2 DAYS TO GO! We will honor the legacy of Prof. Calestous Juma with our Innovation Showcase! Hear from Prof. @Obimbo24, who is leading the charge against postpartum hemorrhage & advancing women’s health research in Africa. 🗓 23 Sept 2025 | Zoom 🔗 Last chance to register: bit.ly/4lUmVtJ #CalestousJumaSeries #EndPPH #AfricanInnovation #ScienceLeaders | @CalestousLegacy | @SciforAfrica | @gatesfoundation | @uonbi | @Obimbolab | @EldonHealthMY | @UNICEF | @CHAI_health | @KenyaRedCross | @LwalaCommunity | @Kenyamidwives

We are proud to continue championing research for impact, bridging the gap between science, policy, and practice to drive Africa’s sustainable development agenda. #KNRF2025 #ResearchForDevelopment #BlueEconomy #ClimateSmartAgriculture #FoodSystems #InnovationForImpact #SustainableAgriculture #FoodSecurity | @nrfkenya | @egertonunikenya | @IDRC_CRDI | @IDRC_ESARO|

#ACTS at the #KenyaNationalResearchFestival 2025 – Recap 🌍 Last week, we proudly joined fellow innovators and researchers at the Kenya National Research Festival 2025 to showcase ACTS’s commitment to delivering research-led innovations and technologies that uplift grassroots communities, strengthen agricultural value chains, and advance inclusive economic growth. Key Highlights: 🔹 Knowledge Sessions & Keynotes Dr. Benard Mucholwa Simiyu, Deputy Head of our Climate Resilient Economies (CRE) Program at #ACTS, delivered a keynote on building resilience to changing weather conditions through climate-smart agriculture, highlighting ACTS’s ongoing work in climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.🐟 🪸 🌊 Our Director of Communication, Outreach & Partnerships, Dr. Catherine. W. Kilelu joined a panel on strengthening food systems for improved productivity, diversity, quality, and nutrition, drawing on ACTS’s partnerships with The @cleancoolingorg and our work on sustainable cold chain investments for smallholder horticultural producers in Kiambu County. ❄️ 🫑 🚜 Christine Ndiritu, our Research Assistant, shared perspectives on diversifying benefits from waste products through circular economy approaches, spotlighting the Circular Retrofitting for Sustainable Industrialization (#GeckoCIR) Project, which develops scientific insights and algorithms for designing high-circular eco-industrial parks in Kenya. 🏭 ♻️ 🗑️ Our Research Fellow, Dr. Kevin Okoth Ouko, contributed as a panelist on accelerating and upscaling agricultural technologies and digital innovations for sustainable agriculture. 🧺 📲 🚜

#researchfordevelopment #BlueEconomy #ClimateSmartAgriculture #foodsystems #InnovationForImpact #sustainableagriculture #foodsecurity @peter_ongalo

Yesterday, we joined fellow innovators and researchers at the Kenya National Research Festival 2025 to showcase our commitment to advancing research-led innovations and technologies that impact grassroots communities, strengthen agricultural value chains, and drive inclusive economic growth — in line with the SDGs, African Agenda 2063, Vision 2030, and Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). At our exhibition booth, visitors experienced: ➡️ A live demo aquarium with fingerlings from the Blue Empowerment Project – a low-carbon, gender-transformative initiative empowering fisherwomen in coastal Kenya through climate-smart integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA). 🐟 🪸 ➡️ Research posters from the ACES/SPOKE Project on sustainable cold chain investments in horticultural value chains in Kiambu County. ❄️ 🥕 ➡️ A poster from the #VALORISEProject, exploring innovative ways of using cheese whey to produce lysine-enhanced single-cell protein for animal feed.🧀 🥛 ♻️ ➡️ Insights into the ACTS Pathways Academy (the ACTS Sustainability Fellowships Programme). 🧑‍🏫 🎓 📷 Highlight of the day: Our Research Fellow, Victor Omondi, gave a live demo of the "blue empowerment aquarium" with fingerlings, showing how it works to @Profshaukat, Principal Secretary, State Department for Science, Research & Innovation, @EduMinKenya, alongside other distinguished guests. Stay tuned as other ACTS experts will make key contributions to the knowledge sessions today: 🔹9.00 am – 11.00 am: Dr. Benard Mucholwa Simiyu will deliver a keynote during a session on Building resilience to changing weather conditions through climate-smart agriculture. 🔹2.00 pm – 4.00 pm: Dr. Catherine. W. Kilelu, our Director of Communication, Outreach & Partnerships, will share insights as a panelist on a session about strengthening food systems for improved productivity, diversity, quality, and nutrition. We look forward to an exciting week of engagements, innovations, and partnerships at #kNRF2025. Visit our booth to explore the full scope of ACTS’s research and impact. @nrfkenya | @egertonunikenya | @NakuruCountyGov | @cleancoolingorg | @IDRC_CRDI |#researchfordevelopment #BlueEconomy #ClimateSmartAgriculture #foodsystems #InnovationForImpact #sustainableagriculture #foodsecurity