Mercy Lung’aho

Food Security | Kenya

2017 New Voices Fellow

Mercy

Mercy is a Research Scientist for the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). She is an experienced nutritionist and research scientist with expertise in nutrition-sensitive agricultural programming. Her research includes a landmark study documenting evidence that eating beans fortified with iron can reduce iron deficiency in women of reproductive age. The study has major implications for women and children in Rwanda where it was conducted and where iron fortified beans are now being tested among a wider public, and other countries where malnutrition is a concern. She continuously advocates for more attention for nutrition in the field of agriculture, which is too often separated from health concerns. She has also worked for the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) as a nutritionist. Mercy received her Ph.D. in Food Science and International Nutrition from Cornell University. She is a member of the American Society for Nutrition, the African Nutrition Society and a registered nutritionist at the Kenya Nutrition and Dietetics Institute among others.