The Australian Government's specialist agricultural research-for-development agency has been recognised for its enduring commitment to sustainable development by a world-leading insect research centre in Africa.
The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) was recently awarded the Outstanding Partner of the Year award by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), for its ongoing support for the Kenya-headquartered institution.
Awarded annually, the recognition is given to individuals or institutions that 'practice the principles of great partnership, share icipe goals and mission, and work to advance the issues of food security, health, gender equality, environmental health and generally uplift the wellbeing of people and the planet.'
Dr Segenet Kelemu, icipe Director General & CEO, praised ACIAR for its commitment to improving agrifood systems and investing in insect-based technologies.
'This recognition signifies the longstanding, impactful relationship between ACIAR and icipe in advancing insect science and its translation into inclusive innovations for food security, health, environment and livelihoods in Africa and beyond,' said Dr Kelemu.
'icipe greatly values the respectful culture that ACIAR exudes to its partners and the profound commitment to the wellbeing of humanity and the environment. We also applaud ACIAR's outstanding leadership and commitment to strengthening research and innovation excellence.'
ACIAR first invested in icipe in 2014 in a co-funding arrangement with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), as part of a broader effort to develop and scale up sustainable, climate-resilient and gender-responsive innovations for smallholder producers, specifically in insects for food and feed, and fruit production. Since then, ACIAR and icipe have collaborated on many activities, more recently establishing an Emerging Insect Technology Hub (EIT-Hub) and core funding of icipe.
ACIAR CEO Professor Andrew Campbell said the recognition from icipe was a significant accomplishment for the organisation and highlighted the benefit of long-term investment in partnerships.
'It's a tremendous honour for ACIAR, and the Australian Government, to receive this award from icipe and to be acknowledged in this way by such a prestigious research centre,' said Professor Campbell.
'icipe is a world leader in insect science. ACIAR has been partnering with icipe for nearly a decade, and we've seen first-hand how insects like the black soldier fly can help farmers turn food waste into high-protein animal feed and fertiliser through circular economy approaches with minimal environmental impact.
'The ACIAR-funded research that icipe has led highlights the potential for insect-based technologies to be a transformational force in reshaping global agrifood systems to become more sustainable,' added Professor Campbell.
'I'd like to commend icipe for their ongoing work and commitment to sustainable development. ACIAR looks forward to continuing to work with icipe and furthering the important role insects must play in how the world feeds itself into the future.'
Former recipients of the icipe Partner of the Year Award include: Biovision Foundation for Ecology Development, Switzerland; the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development; the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency; Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom; and the Mastercard Foundation.
The Australian Government, through ACIAR, provides ongoing funding to international agricultural research for development institutions to support the production and maintenance of global and regional public goods. This type of consistent investment underpins long-term strategic research initiatives while safeguarding organisational capacity and ongoing operations. Icipe became the sixth research organisation to receive core funding from ACIAR in 2022.
Learn more about the research partnership between ACIAR and icipe.
