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When Aneth David began her BioInnovate Africa Fellowship for Women Scientists, she shared with us her motivation for applying and expectations (click here to read). After completing the fellowship, we reconnected with her to learn more about the experience and outcomes she had.
She undertook her three-month fellowship at the East Africa Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) in Kigali, Rwanda, under the mentorship of Mr Fortunate Muyambi. Aneth notes that as East Africa works to strengthen sustainable agriculture and soil health, the policy environment governing biofertilizers has become increasingly important. This formed the basis of her fellowship research titled, Review of Biofertilizers Regulatory Frameworks in the East African Community (EAC). “My research aimed to examine existing policy and regulatory frameworks governing biofertilizers in EAC member states, with a view to identifying areas where harmonisation is possible to support sustainable agriculture,” she says.
Aneth was welcomed into the institution, assigned office space, and began contributing not only to her research but also to broader institutional activities, including meetings and advisory support for the East African Journal of Science, Technology and Innovation (EAJSTI). During the first month of her fellowship, she concentrated on reviewing policy, legal, and regulatory documents relevant to biofertilizers. Aneth examined agricultural and fertiliser-sector policies alongside related frameworks on climate change, land use, green growth, sustainability, and economic development. These included strategies, action plans, acts, regulations, and implementation guidelines where available. “I began by downloading and reviewing relevant documents to understand the broader policy goals and how biofertilizers are positioned within them,” she says.
One key challenge she encountered was access to information. “Some policy documents were difficult to find, partly because of language barriers,” she says, citing Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where French is the national language. To address this challenge, she aims to continue working with EASTECO to leverage institutional networks and translation support.
In the second and third months, her work expanded to include a detailed assessment of policy processes and the interoperability of acts, regulations, and guidelines across member states. Her findings highlighted a significant gap. Although biofertilizers offer environmentally friendly solutions that enhance soil fertility, microbial diversity, and plant productivity, their availability to farmers remains limited. “Most efforts to increase fertilizer use in the region still prioritise chemical fertilizers through subsidies, bulk procurement, increased imports, and production,” she says.
She also notes that at continental and regional levels, biofertilizers are often addressed only briefly in policy documents, with no standalone policies to guide their development and use. “While the EAC Fertilizer Policy (2021) recognises their importance, and the EAC Bioeconomy Strategy (2022) identifies agrobiologicals as a core pillar of the circular economy, regulatory frameworks for biofertilizers remain underdeveloped compared to those for biopesticides that already benefit from more comprehensive regulatory systems,” she says.
Aneth’s fellowship culminated in a seminar presentation on her manuscript, titled “Green promises, grey areas: Biofertilizers and the policy disconnect in East Africa.” Her recommendations emphasised the need for clearer definitions, harmonised standards, and stronger national regulatory systems to promote the development and use of biofertilizers as part of integrated soil fertility management.
Through the fellowship, her experience not only underscores the importance of regional policy dialogues but also highlights how policy reform can unlock the full potential of biofertilizers to support sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, and long-term food security in East Africa.
