Ethiopian Scientist Wins FAO Achievement Award for Transforming Enset Processing

Addis Ababa, October 20, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopian scientist Addisu Fekadu Andeta has received the 2026 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Achievement Award for innovations that are modernizing the processing of enset, an indigenous Ethiopian staple crop with significant potential to strengthen food security and rural livelihoods.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu presented the award to Addisu at the organization’s headquarters in Rome on October 16, during events marking World Food Day.

An associate professor and senior researcher at Arba Minch University, Addisu has developed technologies that address longstanding challenges in enset processing, including labor-intensive preparation, lengthy fermentation periods and post-harvest losses.

His innovations include microbial starter cultures that substantially shorten fermentation time and mechanized processing equipment that makes preparation faster and more efficient. The technologies help improve food safety, reduce labor burdens and expand opportunities to develop diverse, value-added enset products.

Enset, sometimes called the false banana, is a traditional staple for millions of Ethiopians, particularly in the country’s southern and southwestern areas. Despite its importance to local food systems, traditional processing methods have often limited productivity and the crop’s wider commercial potential.

Addisu’s research seeks to bridge indigenous agricultural knowledge and modern biotechnology, turning a longstanding food tradition into an opportunity for scientific innovation, improved nutrition and commercial development.

Through Lucy Enset, the enterprise he founded, he is also working to translate research into marketable products and strengthen links between scientific innovation and smallholder agriculture. The initiative has created opportunities for rural livelihoods, with particular benefits for women involved in agricultural production and processing.

The innovations also carry implications for climate resilience and sustainable food systems. By improving the efficiency of processing a locally adapted crop, the technologies can help expand the contribution of indigenous resources to food security while opening new markets for enset-based products.

FAO’s Achievement Award recognizes individuals and institutions whose work delivers significant results in areas related to the organization’s mandate, including sustainable agriculture, rural development and food security. The award places particular emphasis on the impact, sustainability and potential for wider application of their achievements.