The KALRO Science Week 2026, which was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from June 15th to June 19th, under the theme “Innovations for Sustainable Agri-food Systems, Climate Change Resilience and Improved Livelihoods,” brought together researchers, scientists, development partners, and agricultural stakeholders to exchange ideas and innovations in support of agricultural research and development.
On the first two days of the event, the Digital Solutions (DS) team participated through the exhibition booth of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Kenya, where the Enterprise Breeding System (EBS) was featured alongside IRRI rice innovations developed in collaboration with Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). The participation provided an opportunity to present the latest version of EBS and share recent system enhancements with conference attendees.
Michael Gituma (IRRI) and Irene Mutesi (CIMMYT), who represented DS in the IRRI booth and introduced visitors to the Enterprise Breeding System (EBS), sharing its capabilities briefly. The booth highlighted how EBS supports breeding programs with integrated tools for breeding data management, workflow optimization, and decision support. Visitors also learned about rice varieties developed through the IRRI-KALRO partnership, such as Komboka, KALPAA and KAL-IMARA.
During the exhibition, the booth interacted with over 30 stakeholders, farmers, breeders, researchers, students, development partners, and government officials. The visitors included the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, the Director General of KALRO, and the Deputy Director General – Crops. The event served as an opportunity to reconnect with existing EBS users and introduce new audiences to the platform.
The exhibition sparked valuable discussions about the role of digital technologies in breeding and agricultural research. Stakeholders expressed an interest in the role of integrated digital tools in improving data management, streamlining breeding workflows, and enabling data-driven decision-making. The engagements also resulted in the gathering of approximately 30 contacts for future engagement and follow-up activities.
In addition to demonstrating technologies, the event served as a venue for forming partnerships and fostering collaboration within the agricultural research community. Participation at the IRRI Kenya booth increased visibility of the Enterprise Breeding System and a glimpse of Digital Solutions to key stakeholders attending the event.
Thanks to the invitation from one of our long-term partners, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Kenya. The collaborative effort enabled the team to engage with a wide audience, highlight recent updates on EBS, and participate in conversations around digital transformation in agricultural research and breeding programs.
