Nutrition is at the heart of everything in life; the food we eat is our first medicine. What you eat is what you are and who you are,” Adoko emphasizes, adding that everything you put into your body has an impact on your health. Growing up in a relatively deprived community in Benin, Adoko witnessed malnourished people. As a result, after receiving his Bachelor’s degree, he sought out a path and began with food technology to solve local problems of food production management and nutritional value addition. He was enthusiastic about it because it would benefit the community.
This is the story of Melas Cayrol Adoko, a Food Fortification and Nutrition professional currently working with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, Italy. Adoko witnessed the effects of malnutrition on rural communities while growing up in rural Benin, particularly among vulnerable children and women. This infused in him a desire to find a solution to this problem in his community, prompting him to apply for RUFORUM scholarships through the TAGDev Program.
Adoko earned a Master’s degree in Food Security and Community Nutrition through the TAGDev Program at Gulu University. Adoko’s passion for nutrition is intertwined with his research, work, and projects. From working on research on how the addition of orange-fleshed sweet potato and iron rice beans improves sensory nutrition to working on a chlorine dispenser challenge, he continues to advocate for nutrition benefits for humanity.
Working with communities in Gulu, Adoko educated refugees on how to add value to the meals they consumed as part of the food value addition project, which won him a Field Attachment Programme Awards (FAPA) grant from RUFORUM. This grant encourages post-graduate students to engage in community work, allowing for cross-learning between students and communities. Adoko was able to return to the community and educate the residents on the importance of eating nutritious foods.
The RUFORUM Blog 
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