Prof. Bancy Mati Convenor of the SRI-Africa Knowledge Portal

Prof. Bancy Mati is the convenor and manager of the SRI-Africa

knowledge portal. She ensures that information, publications and

happenings in the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) nexus in

Africa is collated and uploaded on the website. Prof. Mati is

credited with introducing SRI in Kenya in 2009. From humble

beginnings, she worked diligently with others promoting SRI

through research, capacity building and outreach activities, to the

extent that SRI has been adopted by thousands of farmers and

gained policy support in the country. Thereafter, Prof. Mati

embarked on promoting SRI in Africa and on 10th August 2018,

launched the SRI-Africa knowledge portal: www.sri-africa.net

A Professor at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya, Prof. Mati is a leading expert on land and water management, with special interest in irrigation and a dedication to promoting SRI. Prof. Mati holds a PhD degree in Agricultural Engineering, Food Production and Rural Land Use, MSc. in Land and Water Management and BSc. in Agricultural Engineering. She is a registered Consulting Engineer. She previously worked with ICRISAT, as Programme Manager of Improved Management of Agricultural Water in Eastern & Southern Africa (IMAWESA), and also with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Prof. Mati is an active researcher, trainer, development worker and consultant. She has consulted for WFP, FAO, IFAD, UNDP, World Bank, NEPAD, African Union, AGRA, AfDB, IWMI, ILRI, ICRAF, ASARECA, Sida, MENR among others.

Prof. Mati serves on a number of Boards and is member of the Steering Committee of the UN High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) and on the Board of Management of the Upper Tana Nairobi Water Fund (UTNWF). In addition, she is the founder Chairperson of the Association of Irrigation Acceleration Platform (AIAP) and member of the Steering Committee of Kenya Water for Industry Association (KWIA). She has been on the Advisory Board of the United Nations University’s UNU-FLORES; the National Biosafety Authority, the Engineers Board of Kenya and the Board of Global Water Partnership (GWP). Prof. Mati is a serious technical writer, with over 160 publications variously in books, book chapters, refereed journal papers, consultancy reports and conference proceedings.