General
Mak Hosts Second Phase of GREAT Gender-responsive Legume Breeding Course
Makerere University is hosting the second phase (week 2) of the Gender-responsive Legume Breeding Course under the project titled, “Gender-responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation (GREAT). GREAT is a 5-year (2015-2020) collaboration between Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The five-day training (14th-18th January 2019) was jointly organized by Makerere University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) and the School of Women and Gender Studies (SWGS).
The course follows Phase one (Week 1) of the Gender-responsive Legume Breeding Course held in July – August 2018 where participants covered gender concepts, design of their gender-responsive research projects, qualitative and quantitative gender analysis and designed field case studies which they went back with to their countries and implemented.
After week 1, research teams, using their field case studies, collected data from female and male legume farmers and value chain actors involved in their ongoing projects.
The research teams mainly social scientists and plant breeders are now back at Makerere University Kampala Uganda with collected household level data on their project focus crops for the second phase (Week 2) of the training.
The second phase which attracted research teams from Burkina Faso, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mali, Ghana, Zambia, Senegal and Nigeria, was opened on 14th January 2019 by Makerere University Co-PI GREAT project-Associate Professor, Margaret N. Mangheni from the Department of Extension and Innovation Studies at Forest Cottages, Bukoto Kampala.
Assoc. Prof. Margaret Mangheni said the overall objective of the course was to strengthen the ability of researchers to design, conduct, and communicate gender-responsive research.
By the end of this training Mangheni said, participants should be able to articulate the concepts and principles of gender-responsive research and demonstrate positive practice and value for gender-responsive research. In addition, she said, participants should also be able to conceptualize, design and plan appropriate gender-responsive research, collect, analyze, interpret and integrate qualitative and quantitative sex disaggregated data and communicate gender-responsive research to a range of audiences.
She described this second phase as an important component of the GREAT course where participants will get the opportunity to analyze the data they collected from the field.
“After the participants had covered the theory, they designed field research breeding case studies which they implemented in their countries and the whole of this week; we shall be taking them through the process of data analysis. Unlike the usual data collection designs, breeders employed a mixed data design to collect both qualitative and quantitative data as a way of ensuring that the needs of both men and women farmers and other actors in the value chain are catered to,” Assoc. Prof. Mangheni noted.
The day’s program opened with a critical reflection on the process the research teams underwent when they were in the field, what stood out for each person as an individual, how they worked together as interdisciplinary teams of social scientists and breeders and the practical forms of collecting qualitative and quantitative data.
“This week we are going to give them skills on how to analyze this qualitative and quantitative gender data and how to integrate it into mixed method publications and how to communicate this research to their peers in the professional community and policy makers and ultimately how to influence their institutions on gender influence. At the end of the course they are going to be given certificates by Makerere and Cornell University”, The Co PI stated.
She said after week 2, there will be a Competitive small grant for the top 2 or 3 teams (about $10,000). Participants will be evaluated throughout the week on; final presentations, field case study reports as well as on the quality of qualitative and quantitative data. A template for final presentations and guidelines will be provided.
Winners will be announced after assessment of the field case study reports (about first week of March 2019). Field trainers will assist in completing work, and publication of outputs
In addition, two social scientists with an interest in further developing their gender research skills will be selected as GREAT Gender Specialist Fellows at the end of Week 2.
Besides conference support that will be available to Fellows upon completion to present gender research results at international conferences, the PI said, there will be new grant opportunities including the opportunity to publish gender research in a peer reviewed journal, participation in the upcoming GREAT conference in 2020 and access to resources and information under the community of practice.
As trainers, Dr. Mangheni said they were excited with this team.
“I think this year we have quality work. From the reflections from the fields you can see that the social scientist and plant breeders were able to work together and that interdisciplinarity is what we want to achieve. We see that they were able to face issues of interdisciplinarity the way researchers encountered, navigated and were able to present quality data so, there is evidence of learning.” Mangheni appreciated.
The professor said GREAT Project aims at application of the skills due to the many gender trainings conducted, and believes that they were contributing to the real equipping of candidates with skills that they can apply both in ongoing projects and the research they will be conducting later on. This is in line with the project vision to contribute towards gender inclusive agricultural research which meets the needs of men and women.
“So participants should use the acquired skills in their subsequent career and build onto what they have achieved, because we have only started them off on a journey of gender responsible research. The other one is to connect. We want to build a community of practice, a community of researchers and scientists who are passionate and skilled in conducting gender-responsive research. There is an institutional arrangement to ensure that they are linked. That connection is important so that we continue to exchange resources and to network and impact the research community”.
For those who have not participated in the GREAT courses offered, the don said, they are continuing to advertise their courses and the vision even beyond this five-year project is that Makerere University will be a center of excellence in gender-responsive research and training.
Reflecting on what contributed to the success of data collection, what should have been done differently to get better results and lessons from the field, researchers credited the continuous support from the field trainers, availability of funds, teamwork and commitment from researchers. Regarding the best ways to conduct interdisciplinary field gender data collection, researchers proposed having clear sampling and data analysis strategies, involvement of men and women, appropriate timing, building rapport with respondents and open-mindedness among others.
About GREAT courses
This is the third year of implementation of the GREAT project activities. The project is now on its third Course. Course 1 was the training of Root tuber and banana breeders. Course 2 was on Cereal grains breeding and currently, Course 3 phase 2 is working with Legume breeders.
GREAT delivers courses to agricultural researchers from sub-Saharan Africa in the theory and practice of gender-responsive research, seeking to increase opportunities for equitable participation and the sharing of benefits from agricultural research and improve the outcomes for smallholder women farmers, entrepreneurs, and farmer organizations. By building and engaging communities of researchers equipped with the skills, knowledge, and support systems to develop and implement gender-responsive projects, GREAT advances gender-responsiveness as the norm and standard for agricultural research
Report compiled by;
Jane Anyango and Esther Namitala
Communication Officers, CAES & SWGS
Makerere University staff have been urged to embrace servant leadership, integrity and compassion as they prepare to welcome students for the 2026/2027 Academic Year.
The call was made during the Makerere University Staff Prayer Breakfast held on 31st July 2026 at St. Francis Students Centre Upper Hall under the theme “Faithful Stewards: A Servant Heart with Integrity and Wisdom,” drawn from Colossians 3:23–24 and Mark 10:35–45.
The prayer breakfast brought together members of Council, University Management, academic, and administrative staff to dedicate the new academic year to God while reflecting on their responsibility of serving students with excellence, humility and integrity.
A Call to Seek God’s Wisdom
Host Rev. Dr. Lydia Nsaale Kitayimbwa reminded staff that no amount of professional experience or academic expertise can replace God’s guidance.
She noted that the University’s mission can only be fulfilled when staff continually seek God’s wisdom in serving students and one another.
“There is no amount of experience or expertise that can replace God’s wisdom.”
Rev. Dr. Kitayimbwa observed that students remain the reason universities exist and challenged staff to approach their work as a calling rather than merely employment.
“Without students, there is no university,” she said, encouraging members of staff to remain united, avoid unhealthy competition and trust God as they begin another academic year.
She further urged staff to become faithful stewards who work together in harmony, which she summed up as, “United we stand; divided we fall.”
A Community, Not Just a Centre of Research
In her remarks, Dean of Students Dr. Winnie Kabumbuli welcomed the Council Chairperson, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) and Members of Management to the breakfast, and reminded staff that a university’s value cannot be measured by research and innovation alone.
She described Makerere as a community held together by the spiritual as well as academic wellbeing of its people, and called on staff to renew their commitment to one another as much as to the institution they serve.
Draw Inspiration From Stewardship
Representing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) Prof. Sarah Ssali told staff that this year’s breakfast carried special significance.
“This is the first prayer breakfast we are having ever since we launched our strategic plan,” she said, referring to the University’s new Strategic Plan, launched on 2nd July 2026.
She encouraged staff to hold on to the morning’s reflections as a guide for implementing the plan over the next five years, describing Makerere as an institution many families choose above all others for the vision and training it offers their children. She urged staff to see themselves as stewards of that trust rather than simply employees carrying out a job.
Compassion and Discipline Must Go Together
Delivering her remarks, Makerere University Council Chairperson Dr. Lorna Magara challenged staff to strike a balance between compassion and discipline when dealing with students.
She observed that many students face different personal and academic challenges, making encouragement and timely support essential throughout their university journey.
“A word of encouragement can restore hope and prevent costly mistakes,” she noted.
Dr. Lorna encouraged lecturers and administrators to respond promptly to students’ concerns, explaining that delays, insensitive decisions and abuse of authority can discourage students and negatively affect their academic experience.
She reminded staff that students often remember how they were treated long after they have forgotten what was taught in class.
“Students may eventually forget what we teach them, but they will always remember how we treated them.”
She added that education goes beyond transferring knowledge.
“Education is more than knowledge. We communicate life, character and values.”
Quoting Mark 10, Dr. Lorna called upon staff to embrace servant leadership by exercising authority with humility, integrity and accountability.
She encouraged members of staff to ask themselves whether they would treat every student the same way ashey would treat their own child.
“We may not always have all the answers,” she said, “but we can communicate honestly, take responsibility and treat every student with dignity.”
She concluded by urging different colleges and administrative units to work together instead of operating in isolation, noting that unity strengthens the University community.
Referring to Galatians 6:2, she reminded staff to carry one another’s burdens and remain faithful stewards of the responsibility entrusted to them.
Servant Leadership Begins with Faithfulness
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. James Magara, husband to Dr. Lorna Magara, called on members of staff to embrace servant leadership grounded in humility, faithfulness and service to others.
Drawing from Mark 10:35–45, Dr. Magara reflected on the account in which James and John asked Jesus for positions of honour in His kingdom, prompting discontent among the other disciples. He observed that despite walking closely with Christ, the disciples continued to struggle with the desire for status and recognition. He noted that such competition remained evident even during the Last Supper, where concerns over positions and prominence persisted.
Dr. Magara said that Jesus responded to these human tendencies by redefining leadership through service rather than authority. He described Christ’s act of washing the disciples’ feet as the ultimate demonstration of servant leadership, explaining that genuine leaders are willing to undertake even the humblest responsibilities in service of others.
Referencing Philippians 2, he urged staff to emulate Christ’s humility and selflessness, contrasting it with the pride and self-exaltation illustrated in Isaiah 14. He emphasised that lasting influence and greatness are not measured by titles, positions or recognition, but by one’s willingness to serve faithfully and put the needs of others before personal ambition.
Drawing on his own leadership journey spanning several decades, Dr. Magara challenged leaders across the University to cultivate humility, integrity and a servant heart in the execution of their responsibilities. He cautioned that leadership driven by pride and personal ambition undermines both individual effectiveness and institutional progress, whereas servant leadership strengthens organisations and fosters lasting impact.
The prayer breakfast concluded with a call for unity and collective commitment as Makerere University prepares to begin a new academic year. Organisers noted that the reflections on stewardship, integrity and servant leadership would provide a strong foundation for the University community as it advances the implementation of the Makerere University Strategic Plan 2025–2030.
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