SAAF names three winners of its 2026 Innovation Challenge
From a single skin biopsy, it may soon be possible to rebuild an entire African chicken breed or fish in a laboratory. That idea, submitted by a livestock genetic scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, is one of three selected by the Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods (SAAF) Science Program through its inaugural Innovation Challenge.
From a single skin biopsy, it may soon be possible to rebuild an entire African chicken breed or fish in a laboratory. That idea, submitted by a livestock genetic scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, is one of three selected by the Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods (SAAF) Science Program through its inaugural Innovation Challenge.
The challenge invited early-career scientists across CGIAR to submit high-risk, high-reward research proposals that go beyond current portfolios. Three won up to USD 70,000 each, with nine months to test their innovations.
"What stood out about the winning proposals is their science-driven ambition to tackle some of the most critical challenges in animal and aquatic food systems," said Rodrigue Yossa, SAAF Director. "These ideas represent science with the potential to reshape how we approach productivity, sustainability, and resilience. SAAF is intentionally backing innovation that others might not yet be ready to fund."
Christian Tiambo and a cross-center team from ILRI and WorldFish are running StemCell4Food, a proof-of-concept using induced pluripotent stem cell technology to convert genetic material from indigenous African chickens and fish into living, renewable cell lines. If it holds, breeders could evaluate and distribute elite genetics without moving live animals across borders. Tiambo leads a team that includes Mengistu Samuel Bekele from WorldFish in Zambia, Pamela Kirimi from ILRI and Kenyatta University, and Sally Katee from ILRI.
Edwin Oyieng' at ILRI, working with colleagues at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and ILRI, is building the first immune atlas of natural parasite resistance in Red Maasai, Menz, and Djallonke sheep, three African breeds known to resist gastrointestinal nematodes without drugs. Anthelmintic resistance in many African farming systems now exceeds 50 percent. "If we can turn that into practical breeding tools, we will be giving farmers something that lasts," Oyieng' said. "A drug-free way to protect their flocks, their livelihoods, and their communities' nutrition." Oyieng' works with Joram Mwacharo at ICARDA and Julie Ojango at ILRI.
Rosa Jauregui at the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia is running the first genome-wide association study of methane mitigation in Urochloa tropical grasses, used across millions of hectares of smallholder livestock systems in Latin America. The findings will tell breeders which genetic pathway to pursue for developing low-emission forage varieties. Jauregui works with Claudia Perea, Jenny Gallo, and Alejandra Marín at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.
The SAAF Innovation Challenge is funded by the CGIAR Research and Innovation Portfolio, through SAAF.
