Improving Nutrition in Rural Communities through Food Technology
“Nutrition is at the heart of everything in life; the food we eat is our first medicine. What you eat is what you are and who you are,” Adoko emphasizes, adding that everything you put into your body has an impact on your health. Growing up in a relatively deprived community in Benin, Adoko witnessed malnourished people. As a result, after receiving his Bachelor’s degree, he sought out a path and began with food technology to solve local problems of food production management and nutritional value addition. He was enthusiastic about it because it would benefit the community.
This is the story of Melas Cayrol Adoko, a Food Fortification and Nutrition professional currently working with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, Italy. Adoko witnessed the effects of malnutrition on rural communities while growing up in rural Benin, particularly among vulnerable children and women. This infused in him a desire to find a solution to this problem in his community, prompting him to apply for RUFORUM scholarships through the TAGDev Program.
Adoko earned a Master’s degree in Food Security and Community Nutrition through the TAGDev Program at Gulu University. Adoko’s passion for nutrition is intertwined with his research, work, and projects. From working on research on how the addition of orange-fleshed sweet potato and iron-rice beans improves sensory nutrition to working on a chlorine dispenser challenge, he continues to advocate for nutrition benefits for humanity.
Working with communities in Gulu, Adoko educated refugees on how to add value to the meals they consumed as part of the food value addition project, which won him a Field Attachment Programme Awards (FAPA) grant from RUFORUM. This grant encourages post-graduate students to engage in community work, allowing for cross-learning between students and communities. Adoko was able to return to the community and educate the residents on the importance of eating nutritious foods.
Entrepreneurship is emphasized at Gulu University, and students are encouraged to develop business ideas. Adoko concentrated on a business that he describes as “translating my research findings into a business idea.” He decided to come up with a nutritious food idea or enrich what was already available, so he started selling nutritious pancakes, which are a popular delicacy in Gulu.
Adoko has received several grants over the years to assist him in pursuing his passion. He attributes his success to better idea presentation and extensive research. The FAPA grant, for example, assisted him in realizing his dream of making a difference in the community. He taught the community how to make nutritious pancakes with the help of this grant, which had an immediate impact on increasing their nutritional consumption. This skill enhanced their business acumen, and they were able to make a living from it because food fortification enabled them to raise prices and gain a larger market share.
In 2019, Adoko was one of 200 Africans chosen from over 7000 applicants for the African Union Youth Volunteer Corps, and his Water4Life project won the D-Prize 2021, allowing him to lead the installation of ten chlorine water dispensers in Benin’s most vulnerable communities. He attributes his success to his strong communication skills, honesty, and work ethic, as well as his confidence and teachable demeanor.
Adoko’s advice to young people is to always be on the lookout for better opportunities, to take advantage of any opportunity that comes their way, and to always strive to exceed expectations.
“It is also critical to be teachable and willing to learn, as well as to have exemplary attitudes toward peers and mentors.” He confirms. He emphasizes the importance of improving your communication skills to package your ideas and effectively communicate them to the rest of the world. Adoko hopes to hold more senior technical and strategic roles in the future to broaden my areas of expertise while serving vulnerable communities and contributing to the improvement of global food systems and related issues.
These Stories are a result of the documentation from the RUFORUM and Mastercard Partnership under the TAGDEV Project, Gulu University: https://ruforum.wordpress.com/category/tagdev-project/.
