Agriculture & Environment
East African EfD centers strategize on how to promote sustainable use of Lake Victoria Basin (LVB)
Lake Victoria is a trans-boundary natural resource, underpinning the economies and livelihoods of the population within the wider catchment area of Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda. The most significant part of the Lake, 51%, is in Tanzania, occupying 35,088 Km. Uganda has 43% of the Lake, while Kenya has 6%.
The lake acts as a source of fresh water, fishing, a waste repository and provides food, energy, water for irrigation, industry, drinking, tourism within and cross border transportation.
However, the lake and its surrounding areas have faced many challenges including rising lake water levels, moving islands, encroachment, ecological and biodiversity degradation which is evident in the probable extinction of several fish species.
The violation of the buffer zone policy of 200 meters away from the lake by investors, industries, farmers and settlers, increasing pollutants in form of polythene bags, plastics and untreated wastes and poor fishing methods have changed the lake ecosystem.
East African governments are signatories to the regional and international treaties targeted at conserving, protecting and ensuring sustainable use of natural resources within the lake basin. Whereas the international treaties have been domesticated in national legislation and, institutions and agencies have been established with mandates to safeguard the fragile ecosystems, unstainable use and management of the lake basin persists. This is partly attributed to political interferences, ineffective monitoring and poor implementation of the existing laws on the management and utilization of the lake.
Because of unstainable management of the lake, countries have witnessed unprecedented consequences such as floods and mudslides, extreme and unpredictable weather changes including where dams could not generate electricity due to very low water level and many other livelihood, social and economic impacts including loss of lives.
East African EfD centers meet in Uganda to discuss LVB issues
On 7th June 2023, Environment for Development Initiative (EfD) Makerere University Uganda organized a one-day high level policy dialogue on changes of Lake Victoria’s hydrology, water quality and livelihoods that was hosted by Uganda’s environment watchdog – the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) at its head office in Kampala, Uganda.
The dialogue was attended by the three East African EfD Centres led by the Directors; Prof. Richard Mulwa (EfD-Kenya), Dr. Onesmo Selejio (EfD Tanzania) and Prof. Edward Bbaale, for EfD-Uganda. Each country was represented by the delegates from different agencies. Among others, delegates from Kenya included Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) of Kenya, Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) of Kenya and academia from the University of Nairobi. In Tanzania delegates spanned from Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Lake Victoria Basin, Mwanza, and other Academicians from Adhi University and University of Dar es Salaam. In Uganda, Delegates came from different agencies including Ministry of Finance, planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), National Planning Authority (NPA), Ministry of Water and Environment (MoWE), Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Environmental Police Protection Unit (EPPU), and academicians from Makerere University.
The Executive Director NEMA and host of the dialogue Dr. Akankwasah Birerega also graced the meeting.
Each country presented an in-depth analysis of the issues around LVB pertinent to its areas of jurisdictions, and later went into plenary discussion where short, mid and long-term interventions were proposed
Giving the background to the meeting, the Director EfD-Mak center Prof. Edward Bbaale said the need for this meeting arose from the impacts Uganda felt in 2020 when the country experienced heavy rainfall that made the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) unable to hold the water and caused a lot of havoc and predicaments on livelihoods.
During the period of late January 2020, fears of Lake Victoria bursting its banks started to be felt which later was followed by damaging of several landing sites and settlements as a result of floods. This led to disasters that left almost half a million people homeless and property worth billions of money had been lost in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
In April 2020, heavy floods with the moving vegetation chocked the hydroelectric power generation turbines at Jinja on Lake Victoria leading to a total blackout of the entire nation during a presidential address to the nation.
As a center, Bbaale said, the EfD-Mak conducted an investigation on the cause and what Government of Uganda can do to circumvent some of the issues through conducting national wide policy tours and came up with a policy paper.
Bbaale attributed the 2020 floods to Climate change, Lake Sedimentation due to catchment degradation and Buffer zone encroachment and lack of Regional Consensus on a well-coordinated Policy of regulating Lake Victoria inflow and outflow
The Director however said it was noted that L. Victoria is a trans-boundary natural resource benefiting East African countries and a source of River Nile holding livelihoods in Egypt and Sudan and thus, what Uganda does was bound to affect other countries, hence the need for the East African EfD centers to converge and debate what they can do together in terms policy frameworks and to tap from one another’s best practices.
“The current problems may threaten Lake Victoria basin for centuries if not well addressed at present. For example, all the major lakeside cities in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania could lose access to Lake Victoria in as little as 100 years.
We thought that we could leverage on each other’s information and knowledge on what we have collected concerning lake Victoria basin, come together, understand the issues from each country and how we can come up with one voice in the East African parliament and individual policy making bodies in our countries”, Said Bbaale
Bbaale reported that Environmental valuation in Uganda has huge capacity gaps. And more than often, environmentalists have vaguely responded to the president to weigh an industry over maintaining a wetland and many politicians have failed on the floor of parliament.
In addition to a deepened trans boundary cooperation on the management of the lake, tackling point and non-point source pollution, Bbaale called for the development of a coherent plan for conservation and rehabilitation of the fish fauna in Lake Victoria, strengthening capacity and human resources in environmental valuation as well as involvement of the general public in the management of the lake and observance of the buffer zone size of 200m away from the lake.
See the detailed EfD Mak presentation at the bottom of the page.
A cross-cutting enforcement body and an integrated Lake Victoria Basin Management policy for East Africa needed while producers must be responsible for their waste – Prof. Mulwa Kenya EfD Centre
The Director EfD-Kenya Prof Richard Mulwa decried the continued unsustainable utilization of natural resources despite many meetings targeting LVB. He said, the target for policy making on the lake basin and its ecosystem has been a moving target and would require a dynamic, adaptive, and collaborative approaches in balancing utilization and conservation.
Prof. Mulwa expressed the need for continued reviews and dialogues that incorporate the changing dynamics for example the changing climate.
At national level, Prof. Mulwa reported that Kenya has adopted integrated organic agriculture to reduce use of agrochemicals, promotes sustainable land use practices such as agro-forestry, crop rotation, conservation agriculture, and strives to eliminate the destructive fishing gears and enforcement of the allowable catch.
Other national interventions according to Prof. Mulwa are enhancement of waste management technologies and incorporation of the oil spills management plan and adoption of cleaner production technologies in industrial sector and mining sector, elimination of the use of cyanide and use the GDA (Gold Dressing Agent), Regulation of the aquaculture and develop MSP for suitability mapping , Promotion of conservation activities, integrating environmental considerations in County Integrated Development Plans including advocating and lobbying to expedite the enactment of many of the regulations that may govern activities in Lake Victoria that are still drafts.
Regionally, the Kenyan EfD Centre called for the Development of an integrated Lake Victoria Basin Management Policy/Regulation, formulation ofa regional monitoring commission under the East African CommunityandEnactment of draft regulations by the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC).
In addition to establishing an enforcing body that cuts across the five countries that share the resource, Prof Mulwa suggested that producers must be responsible for the waste they generate.
“Engage organizations on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) so each is responsible for waste collection and management around the basin and be able to care for the plastic bottles and how they are disposed’ He said.
See the detailed EfD Kenya presentation at the bottom of the page.
Declining water levels, water pollution and illegal fishing persistent challenges in Tanzania
Representing the Director EfD Tanzania, Dr. Rosemary Taylor said despite the immense contribution of the lake to many livelihoods, there is declining water levels due to evapotranspiration, given the Lake’s shallowness, poor land use practices, agricultural and industrial development, and water withdrawal for consumption.
The other threat and defining features of the lake’s water according to Dr. Taylor is eutrophication, poor water visibility, dramatic changes in nutrients, and hypoxia, resulting to a massive loss of biodiversity.
The deteriorating water quality was attributed the discharge of untreated municipal waste, industrial effluents, urban surface contaminated runoff, organic and inorganic waste for intensive agricultural activities, and municipality sewage.
To promote the sustainable use of the basin, Dr. Taylor submitted that Government of Tanzania signed various protocols and treaties with other partner countries, participates in regional organizations such as LVFO, formulated national legal and regulatory framework and established national agencies to facilitate the sustainability of the Basin. GoT also collaborates with development partners in promoting sustainable use of the Basin, fosters Local community awareness creation and engagements, and
Increased women’s participation in managing the basin’s resources.
Dr. Taylor however said, despite being signatory to regional and international protocols , illegal fishing leading to reduced fish stocks and water pollution leading to loss of biodiversity are the persistent challenges
Key findings from the national policy dialogue attributed the persistent challenges to unharmonized policies e.g., Diverse policies and strategies about various sectors, such as agriculture, fisheries, water, and tourism, may have conflicting objectives.
Other factors are the Inadequate implementation and loopholes of the existing legal and regulatory frameworks, Lack of a common objective and vision among the key players, Growing poverty among the locals and limited alternative sources of living among local people and the open access nature of the fishing activities.
“Harmonizing regional and national Policies, Laws, and Regulations can help establish consistent frameworks for sustainable management.
We also need to think about enhancing economic empowerment of local communities and stakeholder engagement (academia, private sector, etc.) and involving local communities in decision-making can enhance awareness creation and a sense of ownership of the basin’s resources”, Dr. Taylor submitted
See the detailed EfD Tanzania presentation at the bottom of the page.
Expand the horizon of your economics and put the economic value on every resource, ED NEMA to EfD Centers
The Executive Director NEMA Dr. Akankwasah Birerega underscored the role of the EfD initiative as the way to go on reason that quiet often the obstacles of the environment come from development and thus one cannot separate environment from development and vice versa.
“Environment for development is a very important initiative for pushing sustainable policies advocacy and making a case for conservation using the economic lens because most of the decision makers understand the economic lens faster than the ecological lens.
When you translate ecological lens to the economic lens, it is the same message but it will move faster.
If you say this forest is very important for rainfall formation and air we breathe, everybody will take it for granted as the usual talk of environmentalists. But if you give them what cost they will incur when the forest goes away, the message will sin faster.
When you tell people that air pollution will increase public expenditure on health management, the message moves faster than saying the air is bad. So we need economics to communicate environment because the most policy architects and policies in Africa are based on economics”, Dr. Birerega explained
He urged the EfD centers to to use the niche, ability and establishment they have to lead the shift to enhancing the broadness with which economics is looked with by expanding the horizon of economics to begin putting the economic value on every resource in environment be it water, air, pollution etc.
“Economics for development is a very significant vehicle for us to transform the way we look at things and therefore as NEMA we pledge our total commitment to working with you in delivering the objectives of economics for environment sustainability and development because there are no alternatives to that.
You cannot preach the gospel of ecology alone and succeed because development must happen. We should not look at development as brick and mortar and concrete but in a holistic manner”, NEMAs ED asserted.
Dr. Birerega expressed willingness to participate in the development and popularization of the policy paper arising from this dialogue noting that nationally and globally there is now a fair understanding of the value of environment due climate change, biodiversity loss and increasing levels of pollution.
“It is clear that you cannot ignore environment issues and continue talking about development. We ignored environment, it went silent and started fighting for itself and when it starts fighting, it always wins and so our politicians now have a fair view of the importance of the environment at national and global level”, He added.
He expressed hope that they no longer go through a lot of hustle to convince people for environment resources, the reason why there is a Climate Financing Unit in Ministry Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
Short, midterm and long term propositions during the plenary discussions
- The need for further scientific studies into the issues affecting LVB.
- Have a database where information concerning the LVB can be maintained and looked at what happens 10 years ago to inform policy.
- Involvement of local communities in the management and protection of natural sciences as the users.
- Enhance capacity building in water science to monitor how the seas and lakes behave.
- Using science to inform policy frameworks and devise means to invoke governments to use science informed policies.
- Public participation in environmental related dialogues and utilization of local knowledge to protect the LVB and move away from academic ranks.
- Harmonization of policies on alternative livelihood alternatives to reduce dependence on nature eg price of electricity and Gas to reduce use of wood fuel.
- All policies must have the policy action in order to achieve the objectives.
- Governments should incentivize local communities to protect lake shores and curb illegal fishing.
- Emphasize ENR valuation and enforcement.
- Environmentalists should make arguments based on science to address environmental problems eg if sedimentation continues, for the next so years the lake will dry up, given the magnitude of pollution.
- Governments should adopt participatory approach to start from local communities to the ministries.
- Extend the mandate of the LVB to all East African water bodies including Burundi and Rwanda for better implementation.
- Revisit national policies on offering certificates for residential, hoteliers and industries in fragile ecosystems to avoid double standards.
- Address the issue of sedimentation to national leaders and point out that in countries like Chad, a lake disappeared.
- Make a case for Uganda’s Presidential directive banning charcoal use that it shows good political will. However, there is need to provide alternative survival mechanism for communities to succeed e.g. how affordable is LPG gas and electricity.
- Countries should form technical committees to visit other countries to learn the best practices.
- Discussion on LVB should be promoted around the East African level under the Natural Resources Commission to gain political will.
- Investing institutional capacity building to provide ENR Valuation.
- Gazeting wetlands and enhancing public awareness for enforcement to be successful.
- Think of mechanisms to win political will to fight selective enforcement of the law.
- Government should address the issue of sewerage systems and waste management near water sources and adopt sanitary dumping sites.
- Strengthening existing partnerships within the country and across boarders and borrow best practices from neighbors, and bring resources together.
- Need to devote efforts in financing chapter and resource mobilization beyond governments and donors for long term financing for LVB policy implementation and capacity building.
- Establish village committees to participate in project evaluation and check on performance indicators.
- Evoke the education system in the region to build real patriotism from primary on importance of natural resources and the need to preserve it for the next generation. Borrow from Germany the sense of ownership of natural resources. Most education level of the population fishing in East Africa is more concerned with making super normal profit not the health and future of the stocks.
- Institutional strengthening to enhance implementation of regional instruments to manage natural resources and Biodiversity.
It was agreed that a writing team is constituted to synthesize the research findings from the three countries and come up with a single document written in simple language that policy makers can easily appreciate.
Later on, members would convene virtually in a webinar and further synthesize that paper for use as a policy brief or advocacy tool for sharing with government entities.
Given the opportunity, the policy paper will be presented to committees of parliament and other stakeholders. At the same time, EfD Tanzania, residing in a country hosting the East African Parliament in Arusha, will seek an opportunity to articulate the issues in the East African Parliament to promote awareness on LVB, converse political support and inform policy making.
Jane Anyango is the Communication Officer, EfD-Mak Centre Uganda.
The breeders from USA, Brazil and across Africa, including scientists from CGIAR met at Makerere University on 28th November-1st December 2023 to share experiences, best practices and ideas on collaboration, and to brainstorm on ways of improving productivity.
Overview
Soybean (Glycine max) serves as one of the most valuable crops in the world, not only as an oil seed crop and feed for livestock and aquaculture, but also as a good and cheap source of protein for human diet and as a biofuel feedstock. The protein content of soybean is the highest among legume crops, averaging 40% on a dry matter basis. Soy-foods are generally considered to be nutritious and healthy based on their nutrient composition which includes protein, fat, carbohydrates, dietary fibres as well as minerals and phytoestrogens (or isoflavones). Due to its nutritional superiority, soybean-based foods are highly recommended for children under 5 years, expectant mothers, and HIV/AIDS patients. Impact studies have shown that regular soy food consumption can reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering serum cholesterol by about 33%. It can also reduce the risk of rectal cancer by 80%, mammary tumour by 40%, and breast cancer by 50%.
Economic viability
Production of soybean stands at 264 million MT worldwide, with United States of America (USA), Brazil and Argentina being the largest producers. In Africa, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Uganda are the largest producers, with annual volumes estimated at 1.5 million metric tonnes (FAO, 2017). The Soybean Market size is estimated to reach $259 billion by 2030 (IndustryARC – Soybean Market Forecast 2023-2028).
The economic viability of soy production is determined by the commercial utilization of both its sub-products, meal and oil, which, respectively, account for about two thirds and one third of the crop’s economic value. Soymeal accounts for over 60% of world output of vegetable and animal meals and occupies a prominent position among protein feedstuffs used in the production of feed concentrates, while soybean oil is the single most important vegetable oil, accounting for 20% of global vegetable oil production. The widespread use of soybean oil in particular as edible oil is mainly due to (i) its plentiful and dependable supplies, (ii) its competitive price, (iii) its neutral flavour, and its stability in both unhydrogenated and partially hydrogenated form. Indirectly, the rapid rise in the demand for compound feed has contributed considerably to the rise in soybean and soyoil production. Soybean contributes significantly to the total value added by the agricultural sector in the major producing countries and particularly so in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and the USA. In these countries, soybean and its two main sub-products also occupy an important position in export earnings from agriculture as well as in terms of total merchandise exports (FAO). In Uganda, soybean is number one income earner crop in Northern and Eastern Uganda. Farmers in the region earn at least UGX1,200,000 per hectare per season.
Challenges undermining productivity
Despite the significant strides registered by soybean growing countries, and the health and economic benefits that the crop presents, a number of challenges still undermine productivity. These include; pests and diseases, prolonged droughts and prolonged rains, poor agronomic practices, inaccessibility to good seed by farmers, drudgery in the production chain (Planting and harvesting) and market price fluctuations, as well as mismatches in supply and demand. Surging input costs, supply disruptions of fertilizers and alternative crops caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and lingering COVID-19 effects have added more uncertainty and volatility to the soybeans market, driving up the prices. Home grown technologies, local seed business approach, and addressing the whole value chain, are envisaged as some of the strategies to overcome the challenges. Adapting crop management, conserving and improving soil conditions by minimizing tilling, increasing crop diversification, protecting soil from erosion, as well as the development of drought-tolerant varieties, will be key to withstand the emerging climate challenges.
Soybean Breeders meeting at Makerere
Soybean breeders from USA, Brazil, and across Africa including scientists from CGIAR on 28th November 2023 met at Makerere University to share experiences, best practices, and ideas on collaboration, and to brainstorm on ways of improving soybean productivity. The meeting held at the School of Agricultural Sciences (SAS), College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) was organized by the Makerere University Centre for Soybean Improvement and Development (MAKCSID) and the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) of the University of Illinois with support from USAID. It was coordinated by Prof. Phinehas Tukamuhabwa, Principal Investigator for the Soybean Breeding and Seed Systems at Makerere, and Prof. Brian Diers from SIL, University of Illinois. It was graced by the Principal of CAES, Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga, the Deputy Principal, Prof. Yazidhi Bamutaze, and the Dean, SAS, Dr John Baptist Tumuhairwe. During the meeting, participants shared progress reports of their respective institutions, highlighting the achievements registered in soybean breeding and seed systems, best practices, challenges undermining productivity, and strategies for improvement. In his presentation, Prof. Diers briefed participants on SIL breeding efforts, indicating that 20 varieties had been developed between 2019-2022 up from the 7 developed between 2013-2018. He also shared updates on the renewed funding from USAID, and the support extended towards new breeding programmes at IITA in Nigeria, IITA in Zambia, EIAR in Ethiopia, Makerere University, and SARI in Ghana.
Delivering a presentation on soybean research in Uganda, Prof. Tukamuhabwa noted that the country had registered significant strides with the production of six high yielding varieties namely; Maksoy IN, Maksoy 2N, Maksoy 3N, Maksoy 4N; Maksoy 5N, Maksoy 6N. Recent impact studies indicated that the new varieties developed by MAKCSID were the most planted and accounted for 93% of the soybean varieties grown by Ugandan farmers. Currently, Maksoy 1N is the most widely adopted variety by farmers, while Maksoy 3N has the largest quantities of foundation seed disseminated by the Centre. According to Prof. Tukamuhabwa, the Centre also established a state-of-the-art seed storage facility for early generation seed (Breeders and Foundation seed) and soybean germplasm used for breeding other varieties. Other facilities are soybean processing equipment (soycow) and Soybean roaster that are used to add value to soybeans. The growth of the soybean sub-sector in Uganda is mainly attributed to the availability of a wide range of improved varieties, government investment in soybean research, and increased private sector investment along the soybean value chain. Despite the achievements, Prof. Tukamuhabwa outlined a number of factors undermining soybean seed systems in Uganda including; the presumed high cost of seed by farmers, counterfeit seed in the market, limited interest in self-pollinating crops by most private seed companies, weak seed policy enforcement, limited access to seed, and unpredictable weather conditions. He expressed gratitude to all development partners that have supported the growth of the MAKCSID programme including; USAID through SIL, the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF VODP), NARO, NAcRRI, RUFORUM, AATF, AGRA, Soybean Africa Limited, NAADS, Smart Foods, ISSD Uganda, IITA, and all local soybean stakeholders.
At the meeting, participants including Godfree Chigeza from IITA, Zambia; Abush Tesfaye (IITA, Nigeria), Masresha Yirga (EIAR, Ethiopia), Harun Murithi (SIL), Andrew Scaboo (University of Missouri), Elizabeth De Meyer (University of Missouri), and Carrie Miranda (North Dakota State University) delivered presentations on the progress of their breeding and research programmes.
A major concern arising from the meeting was the increasing threat of rust. Through efforts of the Centre for Soybean Improvement and Development (MAKCSID), the soybean rust pandemic was brought under control, through breeding and dissemination of superior varieties to the farming communities.
Going forward, participants emphasized the need to set up a rust reference centre, early warning systems, and disease nurseries – potential lines for monitoring virulence. They also called for an increase in germplasm acquisition, capacity building for germplasm storage and utilization, introduction of bruchid tolerant genotypes, introduction of soybean genotypes suitable for mechanical harvest, mechanization of production processes, leveraging the scarce research infrastructure, and the development of necessary skills amongst scientists and staff.
In her remarks, the Principal of CAES, Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga expressed gratitude to participants for leading soybean development initiatives. She also appreciated the development partners for supporting the programme. Commenting on the significance of the crop, she said under NDPIII, soybean had been identified as a game changer and one of the crops to improve the country’s food systems. “The crop has been targeted for its oils and nutritional benefits. It is therefore important that we move it to the next level in terms of resistance to diseases, adaption to climate change, and development of fast growing varieties.” She specifically thanked the breeding team led by Prof. Tukamuhabwa for making Makerere the leading Centre in quality soybean seed production and distribution in the country. During their four-day visit, the soybean breeders visited the screen houses, soybean fields, and the Early Generation Seed Unit at MUARIK where they provided enriching insights for improvement. The team also toured Nakabango/Jinja trials as well as the Bugi ZARDI highland soybean trials.
More photos from the meeting
Agriculture & Environment
Stakeholders to work with Academia to strengthen Education & Research in Biodiversity Conservation
On 16th November 2023, national and international stakeholders participated in the kick off workshop hosted at Makerere University to further consolidate various schools of thought aimed at producing a holistic and relevant graduate student equipped with practical skills, research and problem solving abilities aligned to Sustainable Development Goals.
The blended kick off workshop, which brought on board the academia, researchers, private sector, civil society, business community and graduate students set the pace for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Partnership Project titled: Strengthening Education and Research Capacity for Enhancing Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resources Use.”
Expected to benefit over 350 graduate students and 20 members of staff, the SDG Partnership project that will be implemented by Makerere University (Mak) through the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) in collaboration with Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW), and Central University of Technology (CUT) is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
Welcoming the stakeholders to the kick off workshop, the research project team represented by Prof. John Tabuti from Makerere University and Ms Nele Vahrenhorst from Rhine Waal University of Applied Sciences highlighted that the project seeks to contribute to the following SDGs:
- Poverty Eradication (SDG 1), Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Quality Education (SDG 4), Economic Growth (SDG 8), promoting sustainable consumption and production through developing business opportunities in natural resources use (SDG 12), Climate action through better management technologies and protection on natural resources and ecosystems reducing carbon emissions (SDG 13), as well as protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managed forests, combat desertification and halt reverse land degradation and halt bio diversity loss (SDG 15).
Prof. Tabuti stated that the mode of delivery will prioritise the student using an approach referred to as ‘Student-centred learning.”
The main objective of the project is to enhance SDG research and teaching through a strong North-South-South partnership between HSRW, Mak, and CUT, so as to prepare graduate students for the societal challenges ahead, and the requirements of the job market. The SDG project partnership will ensure that university graduates are highly equipped with the necessary competencies to develop appropriate resource management responses, and implement optimum biodiversity conservation strategies as well as dealing with dynamic and complex business problems. The project will address the issue of environmental degradation hence poverty reduction, food insecurity, natural resource depletion, and climate change.
The project will focus on mainly Uganda, being the most bio-diverse country in Sub-Saharan Africa, with over 70% of its population relying on agriculture and use of natural resources. In addition, the loss of substantial parts of the natural habitat used in infrastructure development and extension is a major issue of concern. The research project states the urgent need to encourage the youths and students to foster their passion for SDGs premised on the rapid population growth in Uganda, with 50% of the population being under 16 years old.
Officially opening the kick off workshop for the SDG partnership project, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, represented by Associate Prof. Robert Wamala from the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training commended the physical and online participants for accepting to engage in this highly interactive workshop. He further underscored the need to conduct research aligned to the SDGs, national development goals, and global challenges.
The Vice Chancellor pointed out that biodiversity, despite sustaining the planet, faces unprecedented challenges including: Climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and unsustainable resource use. He highlighted education and research as the most formidable tools in addressing these challenges. He noted the role played by Makerere University through its 5-year Strategic Plan that aligns with the National Development Plan III (2020/21-2024/25), by contributing to our transformation into a “research-led” institution with a multi-faceted research agenda and enhanced engagement with industry players.
Associate Professor Robert Wamala concluded by informing the audience that DAAD has been instrumental in his career growth, having sponsored both his Masters’ and PhD studies. Currently serving as Deputy Director (Research Innovations and Partnerships) at Makerere University, he applauded DAAD for supporting research and capacity building programmes at Makerere University.
According to the Acting Head, Department of Environmental Management at Makerere University, Associate Professor Vincent Muwanika, the project will support practical training of students on problem identification, and staff in identifying and publishing local cases that are key in enhancing growth, not only at Makerere University but also in the private sector.
Associate Prof. Muwanika observed that the project’s alignment with SDG 15 will be guided by and greatly benefit from partnerships. He noted that partnerships are key in enabling us share and cross fertilize academic ideas and experiences, a feat that has kept Makerere University among top-tier research institutions.
Highlighting the importance of policies in churning out relevant products, Associate Prof. Muwanika commended the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University-Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe for spearheading and overseeing policies and programmes that recognize, incentivize, and promote partnerships with industry, people and institutions outside Makerere University.
To further onboard the stakeholders, the project team leads namely Prof. John Tabuti and Ms Nele Vahrenhorst specified that the main activities of the project would include: improving the teaching material on courses that assemble natural resources for use, socio-ecological issues, data analysis, genetics, entrepreneurship, and sustainable tourism. The project will focus on capacity building of teaching and research staff on various methods, develop case studies on sustainable natural resources use, develop networks with non-academic actors, enhance student mobility to strengthen international perspectives, as well as promote inter-country inter-disciplinary learning exchange, incorporate higher education management, internationalization, digitalization as well as monitoring and evaluation.
Prof. Tabuti advocated for a strong stakeholder engagement for content development, research undertakings and case studies. “We have brought you on board because you are key people in the field. You are going to play an instrumental role in the development of case studies. Stakeholders will work with the academic staff to develop the content and teach our students,” said Prof. Tabuti.
In a highly interactive session involving a plenary and group sessions, the stakeholders contributed to the discussion on their needs and expectations regarding the graduate competencies and skills in biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resources.
Matters arising from the stakeholder workshop:
- With regard to the kind of graduates’ employers would wish to have, participants presented a number of qualities including: good communication skills, practical orientation, humility, openness to diversity, readiness to learn and unlearn, ability to adopt to work ethics, problem solving skills, articulateness, confidence with ability to collaborate, design thinking mindset, and innovativeness.
- In response to a question on how the partnership with stakeholders to support teaching and research shall be made possible, the participants presented proposals including: Identification of case studies linking to the lecture to be delivered, identification of key stakeholders, stakeholder engagement, identification of valid course content, design access and agreement on methodological approach to be used during the teaching and learning process, compilation of issues to be addressed before they are presented, design of a working document that can guide who does what, coming up with a team to develop a framework for developing the curricular.
- Responses to a question on how partners can collaborate in development of case studies included: contribution of knowledge to case study development, establishment of linkages with the community, identification of research gaps, sharing of available resources in public domain, documentation of intellectual property rights, collaboration in teaching and training of students, provision of internship opportunities, giving notifications for advance preparation.
During the presentations, stakeholders indicated the readiness to partner with Makerere University to contribute to the development of case studies and content production for lectures and community outreach.
Closing the kick off workshop, Prof. Tabuti conveyed his gratitude to Makerere University management for supporting the project. He acknowledged Ms Ritah Namisango, the Principal Public Relations Officer of Makerere University for moderating the workshop. He thanked Dr. Dorothy Nampanziira, Ms Ritah Namisango, Ms Aziidah Namatovu and Dr. Godfrey Mayende for the excellent coordination of activities leading to the successful hosting of the workshop. He also thanked the physical and online participants for actively contributing to the stakeholders’ workshop.
By Agaba Issa Mugabo
As the impacts of climate change are increasingly being felt across Africa, the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) has reminded African Governments that their climate commitments are key to preserving the continent’s unique natural resources.
The appeal was made on 1st November 2023 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where higher education leaders, researchers, policy makers, development partners, students, farmers, among others from across the African continent and the world gathered to discuss and lay strategies to transform agricultural higher education to contribute to Africa’s development.
In line with thematic areas of the 19th RUFORUM Annual General Meeting (AGM), the “Accelerating and Scaling-Up Africa’s Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Actions: Experiences and Lessons” side-event was held. The side-event provided a platform for participants to share experiences and lessons learned from initiatives such as; Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa project (AICCRA), the Global Research Alliance for Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and Responsible Artificial Intelligence for Climate Action in Africa (RAINCA). It served as a unifying platform where participants collectively envisioned a future characterized by integration and harmony of solutions.
Furthermore, the side-event emphasized the urgent need for swift and coordinated action to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate. The event featured discussions aimed at fostering efficiency, collaboration, and idea-sharing across various tracks.
Africa by virtue of its overreliance on rain-fed agriculture is vulnerable to climate change impacts. Predictions show that global warming of 1.5°C or 2.0°C, a now more than likely scenario, will shorten crop growth duration, aggravate droughts, and consequently reduce yield for major staple cereals.
Climate change adaptation is therefore necessary to reduce the likely impacts on agricultural productivity. Furthermore, mitigation actions are required to reduce on greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon sequestration.
In addition to sharing lessons and experiences, the side-event provided a forum to address challenges in accelerating and scaling up Africa’s climate change adaptation and mitigation actions.
Speakers and discussants emphasized the vital role of climate finance in unlocking Africa’s green energy potential and fostering climate-resilient development, with a call on African governments to allocate more financial resources to address climate challenges effectively.
Dr. Florence Nakayiwa Mayega, the Deputy Executive Secretary of RUFORUM, welcomed the attendees with a powerful message. “Africa can play a bigger role in climate change mitigation” she said, urging that “Governments and their people must mitigate climate change while preparing for climate change”.
The Deputy Executive Secretary said that the main objective of the side event was to explore how universities can play an active role in addressing climate change issues. She added that universities should therefore take keen interest in the climate change initiatives RUFORUM is engaged in.
“Under the AICCRA programme, RUFORUM has developed curricula for enhancing the use of validated climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and/or the climate information services (CIS) knowledge products developed by the CGIAR Centres and other research institutions” added Dr. Nakayiwa Mayega.
The modules and other technologies, practices and innovations developed under the AICCRA programme were showcased at the side-event. The meeting also explored avenues for mainstreaming CSA/CIS into university activities including university curricula, research and outreach.
Dr. Robert Zougmore the AICCRA West Africa Cluster Lead delivered the keynote address on Accelerating and scaling-up Africa’s climate change adaptation and mitigation actions: Experiences and lessons learned from AICCRA. He reported that AICCRA which started in 2012 has reached three million smallholder farmers in six countries including: Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia. This, he said, had been achieved through a number of regional initiatives that complement national activities to deliver benefits for a broader range of stakeholders across East, West and Southern Africa.
“Africa, like other regions, has come to terms with the reality that climate change is already happening. The continent now knows that if left untamed, Africa’s economies, livelihoods and nature will be hit by severe climate-induced pressure,” said Dr. Zougmore.
“AICCRA has 45 packages that support millions of smallholder farmers across Africa to access and use proven innovations in climate information services and climate-smart agriculture,” he said.
Dr. Zougmore added that AICCRA believes that with better access to innovative technology and advisory services—linked to information about effective response measures—farmers are enabled to better anticipate climate events and take preventative action that helps their communities safeguard livelihoods and the environment.
He also said that close to 80 partner organisations across Africa are using AICCRA technologies to help farmers and ten agriculture data (Agdata) hubs have been established with the aim of transforming agriculture decisions in Africa. The hubs integrate data from multiple sources to help farmers make informed decisions about what crops or varieties to plant in a given location and when to sow them.
Addressing the audience on “Championing a transformative mode of Climate Change Action in Africa”, Dr. Ackim Mwape, from the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) called for the continent’s increased determination to accelerate action on adaptation and finance in order to deliver climate justice that Africa deserves.
Dr. Mwape said that there is need to inject more financial resources in climate action solutions in Africa to ensure that communities can bolster their climate resilience. “Only USD 30 billion in climate financing flows into Africa annually, which is only 11% of the climate financing needs estimated at USD 280 billion a year,” he said.
He said that governments, the private sector, multilaterals and development partners need to do more to help close the climate financing gap on the continent that is not only the hardest hit by climate change but also sleepwalking into a potential catastrophe. Dr. Mwape added that the ongoing initiatives by international partners are still a drop in the ocean compared to financial resources needed to protect the most vulnerable.
He concluded by adding that failure to act now, not only exacerbates immediate risks but also threatens long-term resilience and contributes to social inequality and political instability. He reiterated that access to adequate financial resources is crucial for climate change adaptation and developed countries are expected to scale up climate finance for developing countries with a balanced allocation between adaptation and mitigation.
Discussing Climate Information Services (CIS) Curriculum Development and Research: Experiences from International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), James Hansen a Senior Research Scientist at IRI, said that Africa requires climate information services that effectively meet African farmers’ decision-making needs in a variable and changing climate.
He said that well-functioning weather and climate information services can save lives and livelihoods. He added that in order for African communities and businesses to adapt more effectively to the inevitable impacts of climate change, CIS must be strengthened as comprehensively as possible.
Prof. Hansen however acknowledged that uptake and use of CIS in Africa is influenced by many factors including the lack of reliable historical observations, coarse scale of future climate projections, and weakly coordinated CIS delivery, among others.
Participants were urged to mitigate the effects of climate-related weather events and manage residual risks through participatory planning and comprehensive service delivery.
The side event concluded with a resounding message to the effect that: Africa is not just a continent facing climate impacts; it is a continent poised to lead the world in climate solutions.
During the same event, the GRA-RUFORUM Alumni Network in Africa was launched.
RUFORUM convenings are held annually and rotationally in countries where its member universities are based.
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