Prof. Andika is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plants, Animal, and Food Sciences at the School of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST). He is currently the Director of the World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Use of Insects as Food and Feed (INSEFOODS).

A horticulturist by profession, Prof. Andika specializes in food security, with a focus on crop mineral nutrition, soil fertility, environmental horticulture, and climate-smart agricultural practices. He has been actively engaged in university teaching since 2003, progressing from Graduate Assistant to Associate Professor in 2018. His academic and research contributions have significantly advanced knowledge in food security and climate change, directly impacting households and communities.

Prof. Andika has extensive experience in research funding mobilization, particularly in thematic areas aligned with JOOUST’s strategic focus. His leadership roles in university management include serving as Department Chair and spearheading the INSEFOODS initiative, enhancing the university's global visibility through strategic partnerships and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) development.

A dedicated mentor, Prof. Andika has supervised numerous students and junior faculty members, fostering academic growth and research excellence. His collaborative efforts have resulted in the publication of over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings. Committed to advancing the university’s mission, he actively promotes the internationalization of academic programs, research, and outreach to strengthen JOOUST’s global impact.

Research Interests: Food security, Environmental Horticulture, Novel food systems and Policy analysis and development

Current research projects

·       Green Futures: Capacity and Cooperation for Transforming Agriculture.

· Strengthening Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology Capacity in Natural resource Management, Food Security an Health

·  World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Use of Insects as Food and Feeds (INSEFOODS)

·  Inclusive commercialization of the production of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) for the livestock feed industry and document the critical success factors for the BSFL enterprise

·   Improving the quality, climate change resilience and productivity of African indigenous vegetables for food security and wealth creation in Kenya

Awards and Honors

·         2008: DAAD research visit to Germany at University of Hannover

·         2006: A warded the DAAD Pure Research Grant Scholarship for PhD.

·         2003: Maseno University scholarship for staff development for Masters.

Teaching Experience

Courses Taught: Introduction to soil science, soils and civilization, Ecology and climate change, Fruits and vegetable crops production, fundamentals of plant ecology, Plant nutrition and fertilizers, Instrumentation in soil science, Soil survey, classification and land evaluation, Agriculture and environmental quality, Soil quality and food security, introduction to horticultural industry in Kenya, principles of crop production, Quantitative methods and Biometry. In addition to the courses taught prof. Andika has supervised over 5 PhD students and 10 masters students.

 Links to External Profiles

1.      GoogleScholar:https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=46PIuIwAAAAJ&hl=en

2.      ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Darius-Andika?ev=hdr_xprf

3.      Web of Science,

4.      ORDCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6603-659X

5.      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darius-otiato-50b4312b0/