General
Mak Acquires US$ 3 million Modern Poultry Unit Funded by KOICA IBS Program
Makerere University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) has opened up a modern poultry unit at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK) worth US$ 3 million.
70% of this budget is funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and another 30% by Eagle Vet. Additionally, Shinhan A-Tech is funding 30% of the horticultural enterprise.
The opening day workshop was held on Thursday, 30th August 2018 at MUARIK following 90% completion of the construction work. Construction commenced on 30th May 2018 and is expected to be complete by 30th September 2018.
The function was attended by the Country Director KOICA, Professors of Chonbuk National University (CBNU), the Chief Director, Eagle Vet Uganda, the Director KOPIA and the President, Korean Community in Uganda among others.
Makerere University was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration (DVCFA) Prof. William Bazeyo, CAES Principal Prof. Bernard Bashaasha, his Deputy Dr. Gorettie Nabanoga, staff from Makerere and other universities as well as farmers.
This development comes after Makerere University and Chonbuk National University’s International Agriculture Development and Cooperation Center (IADCC) signed an agreement in May 2016 to implement the KOICA (Inclusive Business Solutions) IBS Project.
Makerere University allocated part of the university farm land; totaling 4.2 acres, to the project. The project has constructed three (3) poultry units with a capacity of five thousand (5000) birds each, implying a total capacity of 15,000 birds. The focus is mainly on layers for egg production.
Additionally, a brooder house was constructed to raise chicks as well as a drying shed for dehydrating chicken manure. A microbial facility to grow micro organisms to be used in the fermentation of chicken manure has also been constructed. This will provide readily available organic chicken fertilizer to farmers hence strengthening the linkage between crop and livestock production.
The project intends to contract farmers that will supply raw materials like maize and soybean to process feeds for chicken. These inputs will be bought at higher prices to increase farmers’ income.
The project will also construct a six hundred square meter (600m2) greenhouse that will produce quality tomatoes.
Additionally, the project will train farmers on improved agricultural technologies at National Farmers Leadership Center and also share 30% percent of the profits with farmers.
In his congratulatory message, the Korean Ambassador to Uganda represented by Lee Jun-hee appreciated the project partners for the accomplishments so far, saying this will contribute to Uganda Vision 2040 of transforming the country from peasantry to a middle income status.
The Ambassador noted that Uganda’s agricultural sector employs 2/3 of the household labour force and accounts for 77% of poverty reduction.
“Despite this, agriculture in Uganda is underdeveloped and its contribution to NGDP has declined to 25% with less economic gains due to unsustainable use of resources,”
He said, besides accelerating commercialization of agricultural products, private enterprises and research institution must pool together resources to fight poverty and improve livelihoods.
In his remarks, Prof. William Bazeyo commended the Principal CAES Prof. Bernard Bashaasha for not being selfish.
“Many of us have studied from outside but what have we brought back home? I thank Prof. Bashaasha because without his thinking and not being selfish, these Korean colleagues would not be here. Prof. Bashaasha went and found that there is potential in Korea to bring to Uganda”. Bazeyo said.
Prof. Bashaasha studied in Korea, Married a Korean lady and has attracted collaborations with Korean government and agencies setting up a number of projects at Makerere University.
The DVCFA thanked the Korean Government for accepting to work with Makerere and supporting the university through finance and technology.
“I believe your investment in Uganda may not lead to tangible results back to the people of Korea but you are doing it to develop the people of Uganda to be like you.
Makerere University will not take you for granted. We know we are with you in the struggle to eliminate poverty and improve livelihoods,” the DVCFA stated.
Prof. Bazeyo hailed the Chief of KOICA in Uganda for being polite and humble saying it is one thing to be posted to a country, and, another to work with the people. He informed participants that Makerere University existed for a long time and some of its infrastructure is old. Prof. Bazeyo pledged to look for partners and mobilise resources to rehabilitate the old poultry unit on the University farm and also deploy armed security to safeguard the new facility with immediate effect.
The DVCFA also noted that there are more than 40 universities in Uganda but only two offer programmes in agriculture, and yet more people need agriculture than any other resource. He therefore stressed the need for Makerere to reach out more and work with farmers to alleviate poverty by bringing them to the University farm and train them on how to generate income.
“Extension workers are few and far spread and yet we need to train these farmers. It could not be a government policy, but as Makerere we can go out there and train farmers to increase production.
We must change the mentality of people on how to do farming as a business for maximization of resources to get them out of poverty”, Bazeyo explained and went ahead to say that:
“The Challenge is on Makerere because we are the father of education in this country.
Can we have similar facilities across the country and train farmers on how to rear chicken and other animals?
There is no harm in putting such facilities on our borders so as to train our neighbors” He said.
Prof. Bazeyo expressed happiness that Korea was walking with Uganda. Historically, he said, Korea started like Uganda and at one time, the two nations were at the same level.
He said that Koreans are now holding Ugandans’ hands, and yet they should be looked at as equal partners.
He appealed to the farmers and their leaders to mobilise themselves in groups, and pool their fragmented land for improved productivity, collective bargaining and marketing.
He also asked farmers to work with academicians adding that the University cannot conduct graduate education and research without farmers.
The Principal CAES, Prof. Bernard Bashaasha gave the background to the project and expressed happiness at seeing the fruits. He said the MoU signed in May 2016 when the President of CBNU visited Uganda entails academic training, research, staff exchange and outreach.
Prof. Bashaasha reported that currently there are 13 students in the Republic of Korea who are doing very well and are expected to return to Uganda upon completion of their studies.
“The other activities are the poultry unit and an element of micro organism processing extended here. There is an element of horticulture and the facility will help us in training. We really needed a poultry facility to help in training, research and outreach activities,” the Principal said.
Bashaasha also said the college was partnering with Moon Agriculture and Processing Company Limited (MAP Co. Ltd.); a private Korean firm, and have already opened up a fully fledged piggery unit at the University farm.
He also said the choice of the poultry enterprise is based on the fact the country’s population; especially in the urban areas, is ever increasing and yet land cannot be expanded. This necessitates going into intensive production with poultry as a viable option.
The other reason according to Prof. Bashaasha is that poultry combines very well with crop thus creating seamless interaction between crop and livestock production.
Briefing participants on the project background and purpose IBS Program Manager Chonbuk National University (CBNU) Cho Jin-Kook said the project is aimed at addressing low income due to poor agricultural environment, the weakening base of agricultural and livestock production due to climate change impacts, and the increase in demand for professional agricultural technology education.
Cho Jin-Kook explained that the project, “Improving farm income through agriculture and livestock circulation in Uganda”, will last three years (2018-2020) at a total budget of US$ 1,826,087.
The project purpose is poverty reduction through increasing farm income; contributing to the livelihoods of local farmers by improving the agricultural environment in response to climate change; strengthening the business operation capacity and growth potential by establishing a social enterprise.
The goal is to establish the eco-friendly recycling model of agriculture linking horticulture and livestock farming, and finally to increase farmer's income by strengthening farmer capacity,” the Manager said.
The expected benefit according to Cho Jin- Kook is operating an economic model connected by value chain type to solve poverty and lower socioeconomic polarization, improving farmers' income level through operation of Agro-industrial facilities in response to climate change, training skilled workers in agricultural industry and enhancing the sustainability through collaboration between stakeholders and public institutions.
“The core activities include production of eggs and chicken meat, drying and storage of feed crops, production of tomato and agriculture crops and supplying the organic fertilizer fermented with livestock manure.
Targets for the year 2020 year include; Feed resource production (1,000 tons), Livestock products (138 tons) and Horticulture production (10 tons).
Our IBS project policies will increase Kabanyolo farmer's revenue and finally contribute to the economic development of this Country”. Cho Jin- Kook explained.
Article Compiled by:
Jane Anyango
Principal Communication Officer,
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES)
The two-day Annual Forum for Graduate Research and Policy dialogue concluded on Friday 26th April 2024 with the Directorate for Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) calling on PhD candidates to embrace the feedback received from peers and mentors as well as seek avenues of identifying and protecting any Intellectual Property (IP) arising out of their work. The Director DRGT, Prof. Edward Bbaale particularly reminded candidates that whereas their papers had been subject to single-blind peer review and passed, additional feedback should always be expected in an academic environment. The Deputy Director DRGT, Prof. Robert Wamala on the other hand called upon candidates to visit the Intellectual Property Management Office (IPMO) to receive insights on aspects of their research, innovations and services that are unique and ought to be protected.
Day two of the forum was officially opened by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Umar Kakumba, who was represented by the Academic Registrar, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi. The DVCAA in his remarks reminded PhD fellows that their research will be of ultimate benefit to society when it transcends the initial objective of generating new knowledge, to translation into effective technologies, innovations and strategies that can be appropriately delivered to beneficiaries.
“It is therefore gratifying that this convention has helped to establish a supportive community of doctoral students and promote social and intellectual interactions among students and researchers from academia, industry and government” he appreciated.
Prof. Buyinza further highlighted that the current drive by Ugandan Universities to transition into centres of excellence in graduate training will be facilitated by training of high-calibre staff and enabling the development of new PhD curricula. Makerere University in particular, he noted, is currently developing Taught PhD curricula in most disciplines as a way of tapping into crosscutting knowledge that empowers graduates to tackle today’s multifaceted challenges.
He nevertheless urged PhD fellows on the current curricula to embrace the philosophy of interconnectivity by attending research dissemination outside their disciplines and incorporating those insights that help their research address the bigger picture.
Prior to this, the Chairperson of the Annual Forum’s Organising Committee and Deputy Director DRGT, Prof. Julius Kikooma had painted a picture of what had transpired on day one. He started off by thanking Hon. Dr. John C. Muyingo for presiding over the opening ceremony, where he launched the Research Information Management System (RIMS) as well as the Vice Chancellor for delivering an impromptu keynote address, which demonstrated his passion for research and the power that it’s commercialisation holds for driving industrialisation that can propel Uganda’s and Africa’s development aspirations.
Prof. Kikooma further highlighted that papers presented on day one each highlighted the importance of research as an awareness raising tool that can foster implementation of innovations that impact various spheres of societal well-being. Researchers on Day one nevertheless admitted that a lot of their findings never make it to the implementation stage, hence the need for research uptake strategies.
“Noteworthy were calls for multidisciplinary research teams, which were reechoed as a catalyst for championing a broader understanding of the different issues that may impact development, and foster reception and implementation by policymakers at both local and international levels” continued Prof. Kikooma.
The papers he highlighted equally took note of; increasing minority groups and marginalised persons albeit no interventions in sight, the need to close the knowledge gap in different interventions across numerous development sectors, financing for capacity building and interventions so as to create meaningful and lasting impact of interventions, and the need for more bankable data to foster decision making and policy formulation in areas such as health, environment and energy.
Highlights by Prof. Kikooma further took note of; the resourcefulness of community engagement and collaboration in research undertakings as an essential step to foster uptake and use of research findings, as well as socio-cultural biases, attitudes and stereotypes and constraints in the form of resources and technologies that affect scaling up of research efforts.
Prof. Kikooma equally took lead in the reflections on mental health and well-being for graduate students. He addressed the prevalence of mental health problems among graduate students and environmental factors that could actually be the source of these mental health challenges.
“It is crucial that we start more open conversations about mental health and well-being on campuses, to breakdown the stigma, to support students to build up their emotional resilience, and to enable more people to seek support from counseling and mental health services when things get tough” Prof. Kikooma proposed.
Graduate students as architects of knowledge production, pioneers of innovation, and catalysts of progress are an integral part of Makerere’s quest to become a research-led university. This position was reiterated by Prof. Edward Bbale’s remarks, wherein he further emphasized, “we count on you in terms of your dedication, your thirst for discovery, that must shape the future of our university and contribute to the socio-economic transformation of Uganda”.
He called upon PhD candidates to interest themselves keenly in the policies that govern their environment such as the; Intellectual Property Management Policy, Research and Innovations Policy as well as the Intellectual Property Management Office as structures that have been put in place to ensure that their research is well-facilitated.
“Makerere University is very resolute to explore and walk the entire journey along the value chain from research and innovation to commercialisation. In line with this, the Makerere University Innovation Pod was established to package and market research outputs and innovations for impactful adoption within communities” explained Prof. Bbaale.
In addition to emphasis that the Innovation Pod is multidisciplinary and therefore open to innovations from all disciplines, he equally reemphasied the need for staff and students to use the Makerere University Press (Mak Press) to publish their work. Mak Press, Prof. Bbaale noted, is well recognised across the globe and works published therein will receive wide consumption and appreciation.
Addressing the audience, the Managing Editor Mak Press, Dr. William Tayeebwa clarified that all scholars at Makerere University have the privilege of having their works published free of charge by his unit, and better still, are eligible to receive 20% of the proceeds from the sales of their publications. To practically illustrate the opportunity at hand, Dr. Tayeebwa admitted that paper presentations from the two-day forum were good candidates for compilation into a book that can be published by Mak Press.
He revealed that talks with College Principals had addressed the need to support Graduate Students to publish their work in college-based journals. “The commitment we want to make as Makerere University Press under the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training is to continue this conversation with College Principals, especially to have special issues dedicated to PhD student work.”
The President PhD Fellows at Makerere University (Pf@Mak), Ms. Clare Cheromoi not only thanked Mak Press, DRGT and the University Management for putting in place a supportive environment for the students to thrive but like the proverbial Oliver Twist, also asked for more. She called upon PhD candidates to not only consider university-wide events such as the Annual Forum as a marketplace for their powerful ideas but also an avenue to build lasting relationships.
“I thank you and welcome you all to our training on policy briefs that will be held on Wednesday 1st May 2024,” added the President to the PhD community.
Prof. Bbaale concluded the day’s remarks by inviting the President and Executive Committee of Pf@Mak to consider making the Annual Forum a Bi-annual event so as to grant even more PhD candidates the opportunity to present their work.
“As the Directorate, we are committed to enhancing such meetings and interactions and we are very grateful that the University Central Management and Vice Chancellor is very passionate, and we received their utmost support financially and otherwise” he added.
Prof. Bbaale paid tribute to his predecessor and Principal Investigator RIMS, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi for ensuring that his idea saw the light of day. He reassured PhD candidates that they would receive priority in the implementation of RIMS, so as to make their journey even smoother.
He thanked the Annual Forum and Policy Dialogue’s Organising Committee led by Prof. Julius Kikooma for a job well done in organising the inaugural event, and tasked them to aim higher so as to make future events bigger. He singled out the contribution of the Forum’s moderator, the Principal Public Relations Officer, Ms. Ritah Namisango for seamlessly steering the event, and the Media and ICT Teams for ensuring that the research findings shared at the Forum made their way to virtual audiences both in real-time and subsequent news broadcasts.
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