Dr Mary Ng'endo Kanui is a social scientist specializing in agri-food systems, with experience in gender and agriculture, nutrition-agriculture-climate linkages, multiple models of sustainable agriculture as well as rural development. Mary is trained in Environmental Geography (PhD and MPhil from the University of Oxford, U.K.), Environmental Science (Msc from Kenyatta University, Kenya), and Biochemistry (Bsc from Kenyatta University, Kenya).
Mary is currently working as a social inclusion specialist with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a member of the CGIAR (Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research) centers. She guides and supports IRRI in ensuring that farmers’ and consumers’ perspectives are incorporated in IRRI’s research work and decision-making. Mary has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed academic journals mainly on the nexus of nutrition and food security with multiple models of sustainable agriculture. Besides research, Mary has also worked with the donor community, namely as a poverty and equity consultant at the World Bank Group and a nutrition-sensitive agriculture consultant at the German International Corporation (GIZ).
Combining the research and development worlds has laid the foundation for Mary’s inspiration to seek out a social-impact driven career. Specifically, Mary’s objective is to utilize the synergy obtained from her diverse academic background, research and advisory opportunities with the aim of achieving a rewarding and fulfilling career in a social impact-driven international development path aimed at improving and benefiting people’s lives, especially people in the developing world, by use and conservation of the existing natural resources.
When not working, Mary enjoys motivational speaking, salsa dancing, cycling, nature trailing, hiking, and blogging.
