SOURCE: Wilson Odhiambo, University World News
Mount Kenya University (MKU) students have developed technology to repurpose pineapple waste into carbon-negative fertiliser. The patent is pending.
Esbon Ogetto and Bettinah Maruti, the brains behind the technology, were awarded US$3,800 in the AYuTe Africa Challenge in recognition of their ground-breaking innovation that can deal with challenges related to soil degradation, the impact of agricultural waste on the environment and climate change.
The challenge is a programme by Heifer International, aimed at promoting agricultural technology innovations by youth in Africa.
According to Ogetto, their agritech startup, NanaHeal Enterprises, has developed technology that converts pineapple waste into a fine organic fertiliser. Farmers who have tested the product have reportedly had an increase of 40% in their produce.
“The fertiliser that we produce (named Pine Organic) is unique for its ability to capture CO2 from the atmosphere, directing it into the soil where it is more useful, as carbon is one of the major requirements for plants,” Ogetto told University World News.
Versatile product
“With the help of MKU’s innovation and incubation centre, we were able to conduct our pilot programme in April 2023, where we carried out various experiments on different small-scale farms from various geographical regions across the country,” he explained. “We ensured that our fertiliser is versatile enough by trying it out on the most-consumed crops such as maize, kale, tomatoes and fruits, which also have different types of soil requirements.”
They compared the outcome of Pine Organic to synthetic fertilisers that the farmers were used to such as calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and diammonium phosphate (DAP). “The results showed that our fertiliser produced crops with bigger leaf sizes, good leaf colour and good length, thus making it superior to what was available in the market,” Ogetto added.
Thriving ecosystem
Maruti says that NanaHeal has not only found solutions to farmers’ fertiliser needs, but will also ensure a reduction in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and less waste pollution.
“Given that our technology involves the use of pineapple waste as our raw material, the entire process starts by collecting the waste, which translates to zero waste in landfills. Pineapple waste is known to contribute to significant amounts of greenhouse gases which are harmful to the environment if left unchecked,” Maruti told University World News.
“Collecting the waste products also means leaving a clean environment that helps mitigate the spread of diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid, as well as avoiding infestation by rats and insects. NanaHeal’s mission is to form a thriving ecosystem where waste products are repurposed into organic input that boosts crop production and impacts climate change positively,” she said.
Competitive costs
NanaHeal also came at a time when farmers in Kenya were struggling to get affordable fertiliser of good quality. Despite the government providing them with subsidies, farmers felt the prices were still too high for them to make any meaningful profits and talk of the fertiliser provided by the government being fake made the situation even worse. The current price of the government’s subsidised fertiliser is about KES3,250 (about US$25).
“We intend to make our product affordable to the common farmer by making it 15% cheaper than those on the market,” Ogetto said.
NanaHeal is also expected to lead to a lot of job opportunities for young people, who will be involved in waste collection, as workers at the manufacturing site and distributors of the product. “When farmers increase production on their farms through our fertiliser, it means they will also have the need for more farm labourers, which is an indirect form of job creation by NanaHeal,” Ogetto noted.
Support from MKU
Donatus Njoroge, the head of innovation, intellectual property and community engagement at MKU, expressed his pride in the duo’s success. “Their innovation aligns with global efforts to combat climate change, while enhancing soil health and farmer productivity. We will continue to help them refine their business model on the path to scale,” he said.
“In addition to the competition’s rewards, NanaHeal is part of the SKIES (Strengthening Kenya’s Innovation Ecosystem) business incubation programme, a World Bank-funded programme implemented by MKU’s Innovation and Incubation Centre. The programme further supports their growth and provides them with the resources necessary to refine their business model and scale up their impact,” Njoroge told University World News.