Bringing science to communities: voices from the field

African universities are increasingly embracing experiential learning as a key strategy for addressing gaps in higher education and training. Experiential learning addresses the challenge of producing proactive graduates with adequate skills to serve relevant stakeholders, including agricultural practitioners and communities working at grassroots level. This publication showcases the on-the-ground impact of research and scientific work of RUFORUM-sponsored graduates together with their mentors and other stakeholders they interact with. It is the first in a series that seeks to address concerns that university research findings are for the most part written in a language not easily understood by end users and will thus showcase, in popular and accessible language, examples of where RUFORUM alumni and other beneficiaries are using science and innovation to solve real problems faced by communities. Featured, in the issue, is the research of 13 RUFORUM alumni whose work has had a direct, positive impact on particular communities or industries. The topics covered range from fighting chronic malnutrition using indigenous and alternative foods such as insects, to deploying innovative technologies to reduce post-harvest losses in the horticultural sector. Other topics have implications for health as well as economic and environmental stability and food security.