The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), Makerere University won a trophy for being among the best exhibitors in the academic institutions category at the 29^th Source of the Nile National Agricultural Show held in Jinja from 4^th-13^th August 2023. The trophies were presented to the winning teams at the closing ceremony presided over by the Minister of State for Agriculture, Hon. Fred Bwino Kyakulaga on 12^th August 2023. The Best Exhibitor Award was won by Uganda Prisons Service.

The Source of the Nile National Agricultural Show is the largest of its kind in Uganda and is an annual event that has been held since 1990, attracting an annual average of 350 agricultural exhibitors from different parts of the country and beyond. The 10-day exhibition is organized by the Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFFE) in partnership with Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). Held under the theme; “Fostering resilient agricultural value chains to drive agro-industrialization”, the 29^th National Agricultural Show was officially opened by the Commissioner in charge of Crop Inspection and Certification at MAAIF, Mr. Paul Mwambu.

CAES projects and innovations over the years

Over the years, the CAES faculty and students have produced cutting-edge research and innovations in the sectors of agriculture, food technology and nutrition, forest management and environment, and natural resources management. Focus has mainly been on enhancing farmer-centered approaches, climate smart agricultural systems, value chain improvement for the achievement of food and nutritional security, livelihood improvement and overall rural development. Some of the outstanding projects and innovations include; the Makerere University Soil Test Kit that provides rapid soil assessment to inform soil requirements for improved soil management, crop yields and incomes for farmers; the disease, pest and climate stress tolerant cow peas, and sorghum under the Makerere University Regional Centre for Crop improvement (MaRCCI); six high yielding varieties with short maturity periods Mak Soybeans – Maksoy IN, Maksoy 2N, Maksoy 3N, Maksoy 4N; Maksoy 5N, Maksoy 6N providing an affordable source of protein; and the bio-fertilizer formulations to unlock crop productivity for improved food security. Other innovations include; production and promotion of protocols for Banana Tissue Culture for quick multiplication and disease control to improve yields; value addition on Sweet Potato-Sorghum enterprises for improved livelihoods in Uganda; pig artificial insemination and elite genetics to improve farmers’ income; provision of alternative source of protein for poultry and fish feeds through rearing blue flies, maggots and earthworms to supplement silver fish; production of a livestock milk booster- produced from sugarcane industrial wastes to mitigate malnutrition, extreme hunger and poverty through improved milk production, nutrition and improved daily cash flow among farmers; promotion and utilization of the mobile fruit factory for juice extraction and value addition; development of a three wheeled multipurpose farmers’ tractor, MV Mulimi- able to thresh maize, pump water from a depth of 7m to a height of 33m, plough gardens, transport 20 adults and their goods over a reasonable distance, as well as charge a mobile phone; automated the Communal Hand Water Pumps to eliminate COVID-19 Transmission (Mak-Nayi); Green low-cost Touch-less Hand wash Technology (TW-20 Kit) for public shared spaces; Refractance Window Drying Technology (RWDT) for production of high quality bio-products adapted to common fruits, vegetables and herbs, for example mangoes, pineapple, jack fruit, carrots and moringa; an automated spray drier for egg powder production for use in bakery industries of Uganda; the KeBERA ICT based solution to detect inorganic contaminants as well as mycotoxins in food; the Sustainable Off-grid solutions for Pharmacies and Hospitals in Africa (SophiA) Project to Aid Remote Health Facilities; and the FLYGene Project aimed at enabling the implementation of selective breeding of the Black Solder Fly (BSF) for improved livestock feed availability in Kenya and Uganda.

CAES participation in the 29^th National Agricultural Show in Jinja

 At the 29^th National Agricultural Show held in Jinja, CAES staff and students showcased a number of innovations and projects. Dr Emmanuel Opolot from the Department of Agricultural Production showcased his projects on the Makerere University Soil Test Kit and soil moisture sensing for improved water use efficiencies and crop productivity among micro-scale irrigation systems in Uganda. Prof. Fred Kabi from the Department of Agricultural Production showcased his project on transforming municipal waste into industrial raw materials, whereas Dr Anthony Okiror presented his projects the Banana Tissue Culture Technology and sustaining sweet potato productivity by exploiting ‘reversion’ from virus infection. Other projects and innovations showcased included the high yielding varieties with short maturity periods Mak Soybeans – Maksoy IN, Maksoy 2N, Maksoy 3N, Maksoy 4N; Maksoy 5N, Maksoy 6N under the Mak Centre for Soybean Improvement and Development (MAKCSID); the water quality management project under the Department of Agricultural and Bio-systems Engineering; the Refractance Window Drying Technology (RWDT) under the Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, and the Balimisa project aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture and increasing farmers’ access to quality and reliable agricultural extension services through capacity building, innovations, networking and research. The CAES exhibition team was coordinated by Dr Stephen Lwasa from the Department of Agribusiness and Natural Resource Economics.

About the National Agricultural Show

The National Agricultural Show is the biggest platform for showcasing Agricultural innovations and exchange of knowledge and offers a lot of opportunities to the participants to learn of equipment and agricultural methods to apply on the farms. The Agricultural show attracts over 300,000 guests yearly, making it the most attended show. The ten-day exhibition, organized by the Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFFE) in partnership with Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) provides farmers, agro-industry players, service providers and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector the opportunity to showcase their innovations and technologies as well as engage in business networking. The Show also brings together agricultural scientists, small and large scale commercial farmers and stakeholders and service providers from across the value chain.