Zipporah Gitonga is a Kenyan agribusiness professional whose work in agricultural inputs, farmer safety, and sustainable agriculture has earned her international recognition.
Gitonga has been selected as one of the inaugural FAO 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development.
In a statement on August 27, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe said Ziporah gained global recognition on a platform that celebrates women transforming agriculture and rural communities.
“From more than 600 nominations across 131 countries, Dr. Gitonga stood out for her leadership, innovation, dedication, and tangible impact in strengthening agrifood systems and improving rural livelihoods,” stated CS Kagwe.
Zipporah Gitonga was previously among five Kenyan women nominated for the 2026 recognition. The other nominees were Paloma Fernandes, Jane Maigua, Dr Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg and Sheila Komen-Keino.
Founder of Mazao Na Afya Agrochemicals
Gitonga is the Founder of Mazao Na Afya Agrochemicals, a firm involved in agricultural solutions for Kenyan farmers.
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Her work focuses on the intersection of agrochemical innovation and farmer safety, particularly in an agricultural sector where access to quality, properly regulated farm inputs remains a major challenge for many small-scale producers.
The focus places her in an important part of Kenya’s agricultural value chain, where the quality and safe use of farm inputs can affect both agricultural productivity and the livelihoods of farmers.
In 2025, Zipporah Gitonga authored a research study at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) titled Impact Financing Strategies and the Sustainable Growth of the Agricultural Business Sector in Kenya.
The study examined how different financing strategies can influence the sustainable growth of Kenya’s agricultural business sector.
It examined capital-raising strategies, social-value strategies, environmental-value strategies, financial literacy, and the role of risk attitudes in agricultural businesses.
The research concluded that improving access to capital, financial literacy and attention to social and environmental factors could help support sustainable growth in Kenya’s agribusiness sector.
Her Role in Kenya’s Agricultural Sector
Gitonga’s work brings together two important aspects of agriculture: the products and solutions farmers need to produce crops and the wider business environment required to make agricultural enterprises sustainable.
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Her work with Mazao Na Afya Agrochemicals has addressed the need for safer, more sustainable agricultural inputs, while her research has examined some of the financial challenges facing businesses in the sector.
This gives her work a broader focus than agricultural production alone, extending to farmer safety, agricultural business development and sustainability.
From Kenyan Nominee to Global Recognition
Gitonga’s journey to the FAO recognition began with her nomination in June 2026.
The five Kenyan women nominated for the FAO honour represented different parts of the agricultural sector, including agro-processing, agricultural exports, agrochemical innovation, research and sustainable farming.
Zipporah Gitonga was nominated for her work through Mazao Na Afya Agrochemicals.
She has since been included among the inaugural FAO 100 Women Heroes, giving her work a global platform.
The recognition comes under the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, which spotlights women’s contributions across agrifood systems.
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