Agriculture & Environment
Mak Environmental Economists hold Policy Dialogue with Bugiri District Leadership
Environmental economists from the Environment for Development Initiative (EfD-Mak Centre) were on 28th and 29th October 2020 in Bugiri district, Eastern Uganda to dialogue with the local government officials on Lake Victoria’s rising water levels and pollution.
The team led by the Director EfD-Mak Centre Assoc. Prof. Edward Bbaale met with Bugiri district local government officials including the administrative and technical arms at the district headquarters.
Officials met included the Chief Administrative officer (CAO), Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Clerk to Council, Chairperson Local Council V, District speaker, District Police Commander and officers from the Environmental Police Protection Unit. The technical team was largely composed of the District Natural Resources officer, Forestry and Water officers as well as District planners and engineers. The meeting was also attended by representatives from Civil Society organizations (CSOs) and the Private sector.
Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) is a critical trans-boundary natural resource, underpinning the economy and livelihoods of the population, acting as a waste repository and providing food, energy, irrigation, drinking water, tourism and transportation to the surrounding communities and, is the primary modulator of the region’s climate.
Despite its importance, the LVB has undergone intense environmental degradation for decades, resulting in significant ecological and economic challenges. During the period of late January 2020, the effects of Lake Victoria bursting its banks started to be felt with several landing sites and settlements damaged by floods leaving almost half a million people homeless and property worth billions of shillings destroyed in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
The EfD-Mak Centre is mandated to carry out training, research and policy engagement in the realm of environment and natural resources and advise government on the best way the environment can be managed using evidence generated from research.
The university was in Bugiri because of its location and unique features. Bugiri district is located in Busoga Sub-region with a total land area of 1,045.9 km2 (403.8 sqmi). The district is located in a flat and rolling topographical zone with 90% of its landmass constituting the drainage basins of Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga. As a result, there are many swamps that crisscross the district as well as landing sites. The land surface is characterized by gentle undulating hills with few higher residual features. The district has a total of 1562m2 covered by water Wakawaka landing site covering 26,178 m2, Namatu (62,505m2), Rwengemaziriga (30,024m2) and Rwengekarent (26,645m2). The catchment areas have been grossly degraded, forest cover cut and swamps reclaimed.
The objectives of the policy dialogue was to discuss with district officials the status, challenges and to come up with strategies on how to have a nuance existence between the environment and human development.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Bugiri district Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Mr. Ezaruku Kazimiro welcomed Mak dons to the district saying, the dialogue had come at a time when the district was experiencing very serious effects of climate change and environmental degradation manifesting with floods that were still continuing. Kazimiro called upon participants to put up some mitigation measures to address these challenges to enhance sustainability in the district and country at large.
The CAO described the policy dialogue as important and, one thatis in line with the National Development Plan III (2020-2025) whose implementation has just started. He said, the NDPIII considers environmental management and climate change very seriously which to some extent must also guide the dialogue.
Mr. Kazimiro said, the NDP III goal under natural resources and climate change sector is to stop and reverse the degradation of water resources, environment, natural resources as well as the effects of climate change on economic growth and people’s livelihoods.
“The key issues or challenges affecting the environment which this country wants to address in this period under NDP III are poor management of water, environment and natural resources coupled with worsening effects of climate change due to high exposure to hazards and disasters, low disaster risk planning, rampant degradation of environment and natural resources, limited access and uptake of meteorological information and poor coordination and institutional capacity”, The CAO said.
The CAO said, there is poor coordination among different institutions, sectors and local government, absence of incentives for good environment practices adding that, there are some key targets which must be achieved under NDP III five years from now.
This according to Mr. Kazimiro include, increasing percentage of land area covered by forests from 9.1% to 15% countrywide, to increase the percentage of the land area covered by wetlands from the current 10.9% to 11.5% within five years among others.
Speaking on behalf of the Resident District Commissioner, Ronald Mukasa expressed the dilemma between environmental conservation and development.
“We have so many activities that are ongoing within our environment. We have timber cutting, we have sand mining in the waters, we have charcoal burning, we have construction ongoing but how really do we protect our environment when development is also going on hand in hand?
We have to sensitize our community and population on how to manage nature while preserving the environment. Our call is to plant more trees as we cut some down and this is the only way we shall maintain the environment and even preserve nature”. He said reiterating the call by the government and the president condemning acts leading to environmental degradation.
The representative of the LC5 Chairperson Mr. Mutamba Musa thanked Makerere University for considering Bugiri for the dialogue. He said forests in Bugiri were getting depleted, water levels rising and many activities taking place in the wetlands.
He told participants that the task ahead of every stakeholder was to ensure that the catchment areas that feed the bigger water bodies are protected. Mr. Mutamba attributed the degradation of the environment and natural resources to inefficiencies in environmental committees and the increasing population pressure.
“I would also love to encourage fellow leaders to also ensure that the environmental committees are made active. It is true we have these committees but they are inactive, so we should ensure that they do what is expected of them.
I also think that as Ugandans we are over producing and as you are aware, the supply of land is inelastic so, people have started encroaching on forests and wetlands for survival. So we should ensure that at least we produce manageable numbers of children to safe guard our environment”. Mr. Mutamba said.
The District Police Commander Mr. Ssebuyungo Geofrey noted that although Uganda has adequate policies on environmental protection and institutions including the Environmental Police Protection Unit, there is lack of support to the enforcement and sometimes environmental protection is taken up by politics.
“We need the independence of the enforcement team when it comes to environmental policies. It is also time that we develop a policy on road reserves, so that we plant trees by liaising with Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) because this is free land”. The DPC proposed.
Ssebuyungo also noted that environmental protection must be perceived and conceptualized in terms of development encompassing many things like empowering people to fight poverty.
He said, besides helping ordinary people to use the environment to make money, there is need to think of a policy for all Bibanja owners to plant trees along their boundaries and encouraging all people to have tree projects that can earn them big sums of money in future.
The Clerk to Council Mr. Nandhbu Joshua said Bugiri is one of the worst affected districts with the changing environment especially the rising or changing levels of Lake Victoria.
“We have a landing site called Wakawaka, it has displaced a multitude of homes, people are now moving around but as government we embarked ourselves on constitutionalism. The Minister of Environment wrote to clerk directing that all people who are around the affected area vacate”. He said adding that people who were instructed to leave the landing site were stuck and have nowhere to go.
In her Keynote address, the Senior Environmental officer Bugiri district Ms. Kauma Benadet who is also the Ag. Natural Resources officer reported that the district is faced with anumber of challenges regarding environmental management including the rising water levels, sedimentation due to encroachment of the buffer zone, increasing water pollution and declining fish stocks.
The environmental officer reported that in March 2020, a number of people were displaced by the rising water levels on L. Victoria and they have not been resettled to date, leading to the decline of many economic activities.
“The increasing pollution of water is due to lack of sanitary facilities. We have over one thousand people along the shore, most of these are living close to within 200m of the lake and this has led to a lot of pollution. We only have one pit latrine that was provided by the district which cannot serve this whole community and so, the only alternative is the water source, Lake Victoria”. She stated.
Ms. Kauma said the district was grappling with issues of sedimentation as a result of waste disposal because the catchment, the wetlands have been silted and most of this silt ends up in the lake. She added that most of the people around the shore line have migrated from the village because they don’t have land, so they end up even cultivating the small area on the buffer zone hence increasing the silt in the lake.
The Environmental officer attributed all the environmental issues in the district to the increasing poverty levels and the declining economic activities.
“Most of the people who destroy our environment are below the poverty line and the only thing they can resort to for a living are the natural resources. That’s why you see most of our forests are disappearing because of charcoal burning and the demand of fuel wood. We see the way swamps are disappearing because people have to cultivate rice to earn money to take their children to school, to get the necessary medical services”, Ms. Kauma stated.
She however said, the district was partnering with development partners like the World Vision and Red Cross Society that have provided resources to mitigate the challenges.
Ms. Kauma also expressed gratitude to the government for increasing the budget for natural resources management in the district.
“We now have a running budget of 35 million shillings of which about 10 million shillings is for enforcement. So, on issues leading to pollution of the lake, sedimentation and the like, we are going to ensure that we enforce because we have regional officers in the management of environment. We shall always be calling them on board so that we can force the implementation of the 200m buffer zone.” Ms. Kauma stated.
The Director EfD-Mak Centre Prof. Edward Bbaale explained that the bursting of the lake banks is just an effect of the degradation of environment more especially the catchment areas.
“The forests have been cleared, the swamps have been cleared and as a result, erosion of all the debris with all the materials, metals, sediments end up directly in the lake.
The lake is very shallow with an average depth of 40m and the highest being 80m and once degradation goes on for many years as of now, time comes when the lake is over whelmed and as I speak now the lake is over whelmed. It is saturated no wonder it has burst its banks leading to all sorts of issues”. Prof. Bbaale said.
The Director said Lake Victoria is a trans boundary natural resource not only in Uganda but touches other East African countries where part of the solution lies in a consensus and joint efforts where governments must work towards a common goal.
As for Uganda, the professor observed that there is no need for new regulations because the government is already committed to institutions.
“Government has established a number of institutions and frameworks that are intended to protect the natural resources and environment. From parliament for example, we have a Parliamentary Committee in charge of natural resources and environment. We have the Ministry of Water and Environment, we have NEMA, and others and the government has worked together with civil society to protect the environment.
What we need to do is to implement and remove the weaknesses in the implementation of regulations that are here. The weak enforcements should be worked on or revised as a mechanism of achieving favorable environmental and natural resource outcomes”, He explained
Prof. Bbaale said as university researchers, they have a role to play because the population needs alternatives and these alternatives must come from new knowledge generated from research for instance on green energy or clean energy that can be used other than cutting forests or making charcoal.
The Centre Director expressed the university’s commitment to conducting research in the new alternatives as far as energy and agriculture are concerned noting that Agriculture is one of the culprits leading to degradation.
“The type of agriculture being practiced is not smart agriculture. This is the type of agriculture where even the productivity is so low, output per person is so low to the extent that if someone wants to harvest a lot, he needs a very big chunk of land.
But now, there should be research in the new agronomical practices that can ensure the highest yields even on a very small piece of land. You don’t need to clear a forest to have great alternative from your agriculture. You just need to undertake smart agriculture, you just need to work on agricultural productivity as a mechanism of protecting the environment”, He said.
Report compiled by: Jane Anyango, Principal Communication Officer, CAES
Agriculture & Environment
APRC Trains Graduate Students & Stakeholders in the Use of the African Agriculture Adaptation Atlas
The Agricultural Policy Research Centre (APRC), housed within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) at Makerere University, continues to play a pivotal role in shaping Uganda’s agricultural future through evidence-based policymaking. With a mission to ensure that agricultural policies are grounded in empirical research and data, APRC is actively investing in capacity-building initiatives that empower researchers, policymakers, and development actors.
In a significant stride toward building climate resilience in African agriculture, APRC recently organized a two-day intensive training workshop focused on the African Agriculture Adaptation Atlas (AAAA) – a state-of-the-art, web-based decision-support platform that facilitates the integration of climate data into agricultural planning and policy.
The workshop, held on Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th June 2025 at the School of Agricultural Sciences, Makerere University, targeted two key groups: graduate students on the first day, and university faculty, government officials, and development practitioners on the second. This structure ensured tailored learning experiences for both emerging and seasoned professionals, helping to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world policy implementation.
The African Agriculture Adaptation Atlas (AAAA) is designed to provide dynamic, data-rich visualizations that support informed decision-making in agriculture and food systems across the continent. Through interactive maps and analytical tools, users can explore projected climate impacts, evaluate risks, and identify localized, climate-smart adaptation strategies.
Throughout the sessions, participants received hands-on training in a broad range of AAAA functionalities, including:
- Leveraging the Atlas for research and policy communication: Enhancing the ability of scientists and policy actors to translate complex climate data into actionable insights;
- Assessing projected climate impacts and associated agricultural risks: Essential for forward-looking planning and risk mitigation;
- Identifying climate-smart investment options, with a particular focus on the livestock sector, which is especially vulnerable to climate shocks;
- Analysing gendered vulnerabilities: Examining how climate change disproportionately affects women in agricultural communities;
- Understanding the implications of heat stress on agricultural productivity: Supporting targeted interventions to protect producers and their livelihoods;
- Estimating the economic returns of adaptation strategies: Aiding in prioritizing investments and allocating limited resources effectively.
Prof. Bernard Bashaasha, the APRC Coordinator, emphasized the importance of the training in advancing Africa’s adaptation agenda. “As climate change continues to threaten food security and disrupt livelihoods across the continent, tools like the AAAA, and the skills to use them effectively are essential. They empower decision-makers to craft policies that are adaptive, inclusive, and rooted in science,” he noted.
The workshop was coordinated by Dr. Florence Rwiza, Lecturer in the Department of Agribusiness and Natural Resource Economics at CAES.
More photos from the Training
Agriculture & Environment
NbS4Tea Project Team Makes Great Progress, Deploys Drones for Data Collection
****Funded by the Danish Fellowship Centre under Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NbS4Tea is a five-year initiative aimed at enhancing climate resilience and tea productivity in Uganda.
Launch of drones for data collection
The Nature-based Solutions for Tea (NbS4Tea) project has registered a significant milestone with the successful deployment of drones to improve environmental and agricultural data collection.
On 19th June 2025, the project team officially launched the drones at the Rwebitaba Tea Research Centre in Kyenjojo District, the project’s main research hub. The launch event included hands-on training sessions by Mr. Timothy Mutungi, a certified Remote Sensing Drone Pilot. Mr. Mutungi provided detailed instruction on drone operation, safety procedures, and data acquisition techniques specifically tailored to the project’s goals. The training was attended the core NbS4Tea researchers as well as students supported by the project.
By utilizing drone technology, the team will be able to capture high-resolution imagery and gather critical environmental data across vast tea-growing areas. This will enable more precise assessments of biodiversity, soil health, water use, and overall ecosystem services. The valuable insights generated will guide the development of sustainable, nature-based agricultural practices with the potential for widespread adoption throughout the tea industry.
About the NbS4Tea Project
NbS4Tea is a five-year initiative aimed at enhancing climate resilience and tea productivity in Uganda. Funded by the Danish Fellowship Centre under Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and led by Dr Emmanuel Arthur from Aarhus University, the project is being implemented through a consortium of Ugandan and Danish institutions namely: Makerere University, the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Uganda, Uganda Tea Association, Aarhus University, Denmark, and Kick-start International.
The primary objective of the project is to sustainably close the tea yield gap in Uganda by developing research-driven, nature-based solutions that enhance the climate resilience of tea production systems. This involves identifying climate-resilient tea varieties, integrating tea prunings and banana by-products, utilizing nitrogen-fixing agroforestry trees, and improving irrigation management. The approach emphasizes socio-economic feasibility, capacity building in research, and a market-oriented, multi-stakeholder collaboration to ensure both environmental and economic sustainability.
At Makerere University, the project is coordinated by Dr Alex Nimusiima from the Department of Geography, Geo-Informatics and Climatic Sciences at CAES. Other Project members are; Dr Grace Nakabonge from the Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism; Dr Prossy Nakawuka from the Department of Agricultural and Bio-systems Engineering; Dr Twaha Ali Basamba from the Department of Agricultural Production; and Dr Alice Turinawe from the Department of Agribusiness and Natural Resource Economics.
Specific objectives
- Identify and quantify climate change impacts on tea yield and quality based on historical and newly obtained data and novel data mining methods.
- Screen, select and recommend tea varieties adapted to abiotic (drought and heat) and biotic stresses (diseases and pests).
- Develop new knowledge on the potential of local waste biomass (tea prunings, banana pseudostems and peels) as soil amendments- mulch, compost, biochar, to recycle nutrients, improve soil fertility, increase carbon sequestration and alleviate drought.
- Reveal NbS through agroforestry combined with organic mulch, irrigation and resilient tea varieties that increase biodiversity and tea yield.
- Innovate new methods to enhance tea production under climate change through rainwater harvest and climate-smart irrigation infrastructure.
- Empower vulnerable groups (women, youth, and people with disabilities) in tea production and processing to ensure multi-actor involvement and socio-economic benefit outreach of the proposed NbS in tea cultivation and production.
- Identify export market strategies for NbS tea products, aligned with consumer preferences.
Progress thus far
Launched in January 2024, the project, organized in five work packages, has registered significant progress. Each of the work packages listed below supports one PhD student and one Masters’ student. The PhD students are: i) Mr. Adiga Hassan from the Department of Geography, Geo-Informatics and Climatic Sciences at CAES conducting research under work package 1; ii) Ms. Sarah Namayengo from the Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism conducting research under work package 2; Ms. Vivian Namutebi from the Department of Soil Science and Land Use Management undertaking research on work package 3; Mr. Keneth Chelimo from the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering conducting his research under work package 4; and Ms. Moreen Asasira from the Department of Agribusiness and Natural Resource Economics focusing on work package 5. The Masters students are: i) Ms. Evelyn Katasi from the Department of Environmental Management at CAES (work package 1), Mr. Vereriano Turyahebwa from Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism (work package 2); Mr. Ben Okurut from the Department of Soil Science and Land Use Management (work package 3); Mr. Augustine Okot from the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (work package 4); and Mr. Augustine Kigozi from the Department of Agribusiness and Natural Resource Economics (work package 5)
Work packages and achievements registered
Work Package 1: Climate change impacts on tea yield and quality – Headed by Dr. Alex Nimusiima
This work package centres on the analysis of historical and projected climate conditions in the study area. It examines how current climate patterns influence tea production, as well as the potential effects of future climate change on tea yield and quality.
Progress
i) A household survey assessing the socio-economic status of tea farmers and the effects of climate variability on their livelihoods has been completed.
ii) The collected data has been cleaned, and the Masters student supported under this work package is currently writing her thesis based on the survey findings.
iii) A historical climate analysis of the study area has been conducted by the PhD student, who is now preparing a manuscript.
Work Package 2: Screening & selecting tea genotypes for resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses – Headed by Assoc. Prof. Grace Nakabonge
This work package focuses on evaluating existing tea genotypes for their resistance to pests and diseases, using chlorophyll fluorescence imaging as a diagnostic tool.
Progress
i) A screen house has been constructed to serve as the experimental site.
ii) Germplasm from two tea varieties is currently being cultivated in the screen house in preparation for the upcoming experiments.
iii) A drone has been acquired to assist in data collection for this work package.
Work Package 3: Evaluation of NbS for climate resilience, higher yield and biodiversity- Headed by Assoc. Prof. Twaha Ali Basamba
This focuses on the characterization of mulch and biochar derived from tea prunings to improve soil health. It also aims to quantify the added value of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in enhancing tea productivity, promoting climate resilience, and supporting biodiversity.
Progress
- So far, Biochar has been produced from tea prunings and characterized.
- The Masters student supported under this work package is writing his thesis on the results of biochar characterization.
Work Package 4: Innovating smart and scalable irrigation technology for improved tea production- Headed by Dr. Prossie Nakawuka
This work package aims to develop and evaluate smart, scalable irrigation solutions to boost tea production. It focuses on assessing how irrigation impacts tea yield and quality, measuring water use efficiency, and analyzing the economic returns of irrigation practices. Additionally, it explores deficit irrigation and climate-resilient strategies to ensure sustainable tea farming in changing environmental conditions.
Progress
- The irrigation infrastructure is now in place and fully operational at Rwebitaba Tea Research Centre in Kyenjojo District.
- The experimental plots for irrigation experiments are already in place with water pipes.
Work package 5: Socio-economic assessment of tea-agroforestry and selected tea varieties – Headed by Dr. Alice Turinawe
This work package emphasizes co-creation within multi-stakeholder innovation networks to evaluate the economic feasibility and market access of tea agroforestry systems. It also focuses on promoting gender balance and understanding consumer valuation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) tea from Uganda.
Progress
To date, two co-creation workshops have been successfully conducted and the Masters student under this work package is currently analyzing the workshop results as part of their research.
Expected outputs and outcomes
- Increased tea production, productivity, and biodiversity through the adoption of NbS.
- Increased research and technical capacity of Makerere and R-ZARDI.
- Holistic stakeholder insight on economic feasibility, consumer acceptance and market access strategies, especially for vulnerable groups in the tea value chain.
- Increased job prospects for youth and women in tea production sub-sectors.
- Improved social status and increased incomes of tea farmers, traders, and exporters.
- Improved economic and environmental quality by recycling biomass waste into value-added products dedicated to soil enhancement.
- 4+ high-yielding tea genotypes adapted to drought and heat, diseases and pests.
- 15+ scientific articles, conference presentations.
- Five PhDs and Five MSc degrees.
- Market access assessment and empowerment.
Details on the project: https://news.mak.ac.ug/2024/01/new-caes-project-to-improve-tea-production-in-uganda/
More photos from the event
Makerere University, through its Department of Soil Science and Land Use Management at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), has launched a new project aimed at fostering green growth and promoting sustainable development across East Africa. This initiative aligns with global efforts to combat climate change and create eco-friendly, low-carbon communities through collaborative research, education, and technology.
Introducing the TORCH Project: Towards a Clean Energy and Zero-Emission Society
The two-year project, code-named TORCH (Towards a Clean Energy and Zero-emission Society in East Africa), seeks to strengthen cooperation between academia and local communities to promote green growth and environmental sustainability. Funded by the OeAD-GmbH under the Austrian Partnership Programme in Higher Education Research for Development (APPEAR), TORCH focuses on clean energy solutions, carbon emission reduction, and community empowerment through training, research, and co-creation of green technologies.
Officially launched by the Principal of CAES, represented by Dr. Paul Mukwaya, Head of the Department of Geography, Geo-Informatics and Climatic Sciences at Makerere University, TORCH builds upon existing East African government policies. The project will implement the innovative concept of living labs, where universities, communities, and stakeholders co-design, co-create, and co-produce affordable, reliable green technologies tailored to local needs.
Key Objectives and Activities
TORCH aims to:
- Enhance teaching on green growth by integrating principles into selected academic curricula.
- Establish three living laboratories in Central, South Western, and Eastern Uganda to boost co-creation on energy efficiency and low-carbon emissions.
- Increase human capacity through short courses, field research, and training.
- Empower women in science and technology.
- Promote novel green technologies and support policy transformation.
- Strengthen partnerships among universities in East Africa.
These activities directly contribute to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action), while also reducing health risks and conserving the environment.
Leadership and Partner Institutions
The overall project coordinator is Dr. Patrick Musinguzi, Lecturer in the Department of Soil Science and Land Use Management at Makerere University. TORCH involves several partner institutions, including: Makerere University (Uganda), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Austria), Kabale University (Uganda), Busitema University (Uganda), Kyambogo University (Uganda), and the University of Juba (South Sudan).
Highlights of the Launch Ceremony
During the launch ceremony held in the GIS Lab at Makerere University, and attended by representatives from the partner institutions, Dr. Musinguzi presented an overview of TORCH, outlining key strategies for implementation and expected outcomes. Central to the project’s strategy is the integration of green growth principles into Makerere University’s academic curriculum. This will be formally proposed to the University Management for adoption. Additionally, the project aims to strengthen the university’s research agenda in this critical area. This will involve supporting faculty and student-led research projects and generation of evidence-based insights on green growth to influence policy at both local and national levels. There are also plans to establish three living labs in Central, South Western, and Eastern Uganda to serve as practical hubs for advancing green growth.
Expert Insights on Community Engagement
In his presentation, Mr. Andreas Bauer from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna provided valuable insights into the critical role that living labs play in promoting sustainable, green growth. Highlighting practical examples and innovative approaches, Mr. Andreas Bauer emphasized how living labs serve as dynamic platforms for collaboration between researchers, industry stakeholders, and local communities, enabling real-world experimentation and the development of eco-friendly solutions that drive environmental and economic progress.
To emphasize the importance of collaboration between local communities and the academia, Mr. Kayanja Susane, a farmer from Kawumu Village in Luweero District, explained that, with guidance and support from the project team, he learned to produce biogas from animal waste -a reliable source of energy that reduces dependence on traditional fuels, subsequently minimizing environmental degradation.
Research Focus
As part of the strategy to guide implementation, the project team brainstormed potential ecological and social indicators of low emissions in homesteads, and proposed several research areas to support green growth. Proposed research areas include:
- Life cycle analysis
- Circular economy practices within homesteads
- Gender integration and the intersection of gender with green growth
- The role of livestock in promoting green growth
- Evaluating the impact of interventions on total emissions
- Barriers to adopting green innovations
- The use of indigenous knowledge in promoting green growth
Addressing the participants, the Principal of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), represented by Dr. Paul Mukwaya, Head of the Department of Geography, Geo-Informatics, and Climatic Sciences at Makerere University, commended the project as a timely initiative aligned with the University’s research agenda. He underscored the importance of collaborating with other stakeholders, noting that similar projects have been conducted within and outside Makerere. Dr. Mukwaya called for the adoption of the theory of change framework to ensure the project delivers measurable, sustainable impacts that extend beyond policy briefs and gender mainstreaming, ultimately contributing to lasting green transformation in the region. He expressed appreciation to the project funders for their unwavering support to Makerere University.
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