Prof Lesley Macheka
Executive Director
Overview
The Innovation and Industrialisation (RIIED) Directorate was established in alignment with the Education 5.0 model launched by the Government to promote innovation and industrialization in pursuit of home grown and research-based solutions to the country’s socio-economic needs. The Directorate has two main arms, the Innovation and Incubation Unit and the Agro-Industrial Park. The role of these two Units is to spearhead innovation and industrialisation within the University, in line with the country’s Vision 2030.
Vision
To champion increased agricultural production through sustainable innovations and technologies along the food supply chain – from farm to fork.
Mission
To be the best in Innovation and Industrialisation in Sub-Saharan Africa with special focus on the development and application of innovative solutions for increased agricultural productivity.
Functions for Research, Innovation, Industrialisation & Enterprise Development (RIIED) Directorate
The Innovation and Industrialisation has two Units, the Innovation and Incubation Unit and the Agro-Industrial Park, which is the Industrialisation Unit. The directorate also includes the Outreach Programme Unit.
The functions of the Unit are anchored on the following five key pillars:
- Research that solves practical problems.
- Innovations that sustain and provide solutions to the agriculture sector and community.
- Transfer of all technologies and innovations developed for the benefit of the public.
- Commercialisation of the innovations and technologies to generate income for the university and country.
- All innovations are to be protected: Intellectual Property Protection
Our Team
Dr. Sandra Makaita Madamombe
Acting Research Manager
Executive Director — RIIED ×
Prof. Lesley Macheka (BSc, MSc, PhD)
Qualifications
- PhD in Food Quality Management and Logistics (Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands, 2018)
- MSc in Food Quality Management (Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands, 2010)
- BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences (University of Zimbabwe, 2003)
About the Researcher
Prof. Lesley Macheka is a Food Systems Scientist, Food Safety Specialist, and Climate Change Researcher with more than 21 years of experience spanning academia, research, international development, and consultancy across Africa. His work focuses on sustainable and resilient food systems, climate-smart agriculture, food and nutrition security, food safety governance, postharvest management, indigenous food systems, nutrition-sensitive development, and rural livelihoods.
Throughout his career, he has collaborated with and provided technical support to international organisations including FAO, UNICEF, WFP, IFAD, Oxfam, Wageningen University & Research, and the Food and Nutrition Council of Zimbabwe.
Research Leadership & Funding
Prof. Macheka has served as Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator, and Country Coordinator on 15 competitive research and development projects, mobilising more than US$4.6 million in research funding from organisations including the Wellcome Trust (UK), Research Ireland (Ireland), Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC — UK), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC — UK), Grand Challenges Canada (Canada), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (Switzerland), OCP Foundation (Morocco), and the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development (Zimbabwe).
Publications & Supervision
He has authored and co-authored more than 45 peer-reviewed scientific publications, in addition to book chapters, technical reports, policy briefs, and documentaries, making significant contributions to food systems, nutrition, climate change adaptation, food safety, and sustainable agriculture.
He has successfully supervised and graduated 12 MSc students, four MPhil students, and one PhD student, and has mentored three postdoctoral researchers. He is currently supervising one postdoctoral researcher at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and five PhD candidates: three at MUAST, one at the University of Venda (South Africa), and one at Midlands State University (Zimbabwe).
Leadership & Advisory Roles
Beyond academia, he serves as Chairperson of the Scaling Up Nutrition Research and Academia Platform (SUNRAP) Zimbabwe, is a member of the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZimLAC) Technical Committee, and serves on the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) Task Force on Sustainable Diets (2025–2029).
Research Interests
Sustainable Food Systems; Food and Nutrition Security; Climate Change and Resilience; Food Safety Governance; Postharvest Management; Indigenous and Traditional Food Systems; Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture; Climate Adaptation; and Agrifood Systems Transformation.
Researchers Spot ×
Professor Justice Nyamangara
About the Researcher
Prof Nyamangara is ranked Number One in Zimbabwe for Plant Science and Agronomy by Research.com in 2026 with a Discipline index of 39. His research on soil fertility, conservation agriculture, and sustainable farming systems has contributed to improved agricultural productivity, climate resilience, and food security across Southern Africa.
Current Research
- Fostering Resilient Fruit Value Chains to Enhance Rural Livelihoods in the Zambezi Valley
- Harnessing Agrivoltaics and Nature-Based Solutions for Climate-Resilient (or Climate-Smart) Agroecosystems
- Research on Agroecology Network for Southern Africa
- Soil organic carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions under low- and high-density livestock management systems in sub-humid Zimbabwe
Research Impact
Professor Nyamangara’s research has shaped climate-smart agriculture, conservation agriculture, and soil fertility management, contributing to improved soil health, productivity, climate resilience, and food security in East and Southern Africa.
“Sustainable resource base management is the foundation of resilient and climate-smart agrifood systems.”
Researchers Spot ×
Bernadette R Jani
About the Researcher
Bernadette Jani is a passionate science communicator. She holds the Pitching Excellence Award for Women in Science Technology and Innovation and serves as the reigning Africa Region Champion of the Organisation for Women in Science for the developing world. Her research focuses on protecting outdoor workers in Zimbabwe’s mining and agricultural sectors within a climate-driven volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguity (VUCA) environment. She developed the SCORF (Shuramurowe Climate-OHS Risk Framework) and the Shuramurowe offline-first wearable safety architecture for Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) workplaces. She is also a SHE auditor and environmental consultant with training in ISO 14001:2026 and ISO 9001.
Current Research
- SCORF framework (ARIPO utility model filed)
- Shuramurowe offline-first safety architecture
- Wearable technology feasibility for LMIC workplaces
- ESG critique — climate-vulnerable worker invisible in reporting
Research Impact
- Society/Industry: First LMIC climate-hazard taxonomy
- Policy: Informs Zimbabwe’s SI 109 of 1982 and the OSH Bill — heat-day monitoring and task-specific thresholds
- Climate Justice: lowest emitters yet bear the highest risks
“No worker should go home hurt or not go home at all—because our risk assessment tools did not see the climate-related hazards coming.”
Our Team — RIIED ×
Dr. Sandra Makaita Madamombe
Qualifications
- PhD Crop Production Science (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
- MSc Soil and Environmental Management (University of Zimbabwe)
- BSc Soil Science (University of Zimbabwe)
About the Researcher
Dr. Sandra M. Madamombe is an applied agronomist and soil health specialist dedicated to enhancing smallholder food security through sustainable agriculture. Her research focuses on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), soil and water management, with a specific emphasis on optimizing crop productivity on degraded, coarse-textured sandy soils. Additionally, her work addresses vital crop protection strategies, exploring Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to suppress plant-parasitic nematodes in rain-fed maize systems under Conservation Agriculture. As Acting Research Manager, she bridges academic research with field-level interventions, driving climate adaptation strategies and resource-use efficiency to build resilient farming systems in semi-arid regions.
Research Interests
- Soil health
- Climate adaptation
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