Agriculture & Environment
2023 Cohort: Mak Flags off 50 for Agrostudies Apprenticeship Programme in Israel
The Honorary Consul of Israel in Uganda, Mrs. Ishta K. Muganga on 7th September 2023 flagged off 50 students for the Agrostudies Apprenticeship programme in Israel. 37 of the students are from Makerere University and 13 from Busitema University. The first group of students left on Monday, 11th September 2023. The event held at the Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility at Makerere University was graced by among others, the Commissioner, Directorate of Planning and Development at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Mr. Walter Anguzu; the Commissioner, Directorate of Agricultural Extension Services at MAAIF represented by Mr. Steven Magume; the Coordinator of the programme at Busitema University, Dr Godfrey Lubadde; the Principal, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), Makerere University represented by the Deputy Principal, Prof. Yazidhi Bamutaze; and the Head, Department of Agricultural Production at CAES, Dr Mildred Ochwo- Ssemakula. In Uganda, implementation of the programme commenced in 2013 but was institutionalised in 2021. Coordinated by Makerere University through the Department of Agricultural Production, CAES, the programme has over the years benefited about 2,000 students.
About the Agrostudies programme
The Agrostudies programme, built with the support and oversight from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture, focuses on capacity building through practical and professional knowledge transfer in the field of agriculture, and promotes food security around the world by providing the participants with a creative, practical and dynamic educational framework.
The programme, operating since 2005, trains interns from Southeast Asia and Africa on carefully selected farms throughout Israel, as part of Israel support for developing countries. The programme is an integral part of the agricultural studies of the participants in their home countries, with the goal of providing an opportunity for practical experiential learning in advanced, modern agricultural methods.
The programme combines frontal instruction and theoretical studies with work in practical agricultural internships on farms around Israel. The internships are based on the “Learning by Doing” method, by which the participants gain first-hand experience of advanced agricultural technologies and methods at an international standard in various specializations. The goal of the programme is to directly connect the theoretical knowledge the participants study to the implementation of modern agriculture. At the end of the programme, the participants leave with professional experience and knowledge, allowing them to develop and promote the agricultural sector in their country. The Agrostudies Institute in Israel, which is the international centre for agricultural interns, coordinates the programme.
The flag off ceremony
During the flag off ceremony, the 2021-2022 alumni of the Agrostudies programme shared their experiences and guided the 2023 cohort on the activities and appropriate code of conduct while in Israel. Activities carried out during the one-year internship programme include working on different crop, poultry and dairy production farms. While on the farms, the students acquire skills in land preparation, green house management, drip and sprinkler irrigation, planting, weeding, grafting and seedling production, disease management, harvest and post-harvest management, packaging, value addition and marketing, hatchery management, vaccination, feeding and feed formulation, slaughtering and dressing, calf management, machine milking, artificial insemination, and waste management. The students are also exposed to theoretical studies about different agricultural fields and the diverse cultures of the people of Israel and the countries of the trainees. In their presentation, the alumni led by Mr. Dancan Mugizi, Mr. Oketch Jacob, and Mr. Bua Morris appreciated the governments of Israel and Uganda, noting that the trainings had exposed them to knowledge and skills in modern agricultural systems and technologies. “Overall, the programme changed our mind-set about agriculture as a rewarding enterprise. We also acquired a number of soft skills and became more resilient. We thank the governments of Uganda and Israel, the University Management, and the national programme coordinators for the tremendous work that has made the programme so enjoyable to students and a success.”
Remarks
In her remarks, the Honorary Consul of Israel in Uganda, Mrs. Ishta K. Muganga congratulated the students for having emerged successful out of over 600 applicants. Briefing the students on Israel, she cautioned them to show commitment to the programme and project a good image of Uganda. “Do what is right to avoid closing the opportunity for others. Israel has some of the best farmers in the world. Maximise your time to acquire knowledge and skills in different fields. There are numerous opportunities in Israel but for only those who are organized. You need to work as a team if you are to make significant strides, and when you return, deploy the knowledge acquired skilfully.”
Briefing the students on NDP III that seeks to make Agriculture profitable and sustainable, the Commissioner, Directorate of Planning and Development at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF), Mr. Walter Anguzu said a lot still needed to be done to improve the sector. “Many of our people are still in subsistence farming, grappling with challenges of low production, limited knowledge and skills, limited access to finances and market, and post-harvest losses. Our target is increase exports. Without exposure, we cannot reach where we need to be. We are grateful for this programme and I implore all of you beneficiaries to fully utilize this opportunity and acquire skills that will contribute to the transformation of agriculture in our country.”
On behalf of the Commissioner, Directorate of Agricultural Extension Services at MAAIF, Mr. Steven Magume congratulated the students upon acquiring a ‘golden’ opportunity to practice in one of the best agricultural countries. He appealed to the students to project a good image of the country when they go to Israel, and to work towards improving their soft skills. “Hard skills enable you to get a job but soft skills that include self-esteem, confidence, good attitude, and time management will keep you there.”
Highlighting the different national and global development programmes, the Deputy Principal of CAES, Prof. Yazidhi Bamutaze emphasized the importance of Agriculture in the transformation nation states, and the need to improve investment in the sector. He appreciated the governments of Israel and Uganda for presenting an opportunity to Ugandan students to improve their Agrostudies skills. “As a University, we have a duty to develop human capital. The notion of producing graduates that are skilled is paramount in the transformation agenda of our country. The Agrostudies programme has played a vital role in changing the mind-set and enhancing the skills of many of our students.”
Dr Narisi Mubangizi, Lecturer in the Department of Extension and Innovation Studies, also part of the coordination team, urged the students to be good ambassadors and avoid engaging in activities that will tarnish the image of the country. “Focus on what you are going for, acquisition of knowledge and skills, and ensure you successfully complete the programme. The diploma you get at the end of the programme is very marketable worldwide.” Similarly, Dr Mildred Ochwo- Ssemakula, Head of the Coordination team implored the students to appreciate the importance of the programme and focus on acquiring knowledge and skills that will enable them make an impact on the agricultural sector back home.
Related link: https://news.mak.ac.ug/2022/10/mak-flags-off-50-students-for-agrostudies-internship-in-israel/
See details on the 2021-2022 cohort in Israel in the document below;
Agriculture & Environment
AfPEC Project Targets to Safeguard Ecosystems in the Mt. Elgon Region through Agroforestry
*****Funded by DANIDA, Agroforestry for People, Ecosystems and Climate Change (AfPEC), a five-year project (March 2024-April 2029) focusing on Mt. Elgon Highlands in Eastern Uganda aims to foster to use agroforestry to prevent climate change and loss of biodiversity in the region. The project will focus on four districts namely: Mbale, Bududa, Bulambuli, and Kapchorwa. Project Partners: Makerere University, Aarhus University & University of Copenhagen (Denmark), Youth Leading Environmental Change (YLEC), Seniors without Borders, Forests of the World, Stjernekommunikation, and FrellsenKaffe. Through the project, coffee farmers in the region will be supported to export their coffee to Denmark. The project team held the inception meeting on 25th-26th September 2024 in Mbale City.
Overview
Climate change and biodiversity loss are emerging as two of the greatest environmental challenges facing humanity. In Uganda, natural ecosystems such as forests and wetlands contribute considerably to people’s livelihoods and the national economy. However, rapid population growth has led to the degradation of these ecosystems due to increased demand for firewood and the conversion of land for agricultural purposes. Furthermore, the effects of climate change, including variable rainfall patterns and higher temperatures, are leading to a rise in the frequency and intensity of floods, droughts, landslides, windstorms and hailstorms (UNEP- Ecosystem-Based Adaptation in Uganda). Failure to tackle the effects of climate change threatens the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with catastrophic consequences that will hit the poorest and most vulnerable communities first and hardest (UCL Global Governance Institute, 2021). The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world, for the benefit of people and nature. It aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems, and restore them to achieve global goals.
Agroforestry as a climate change adaptation strategy
Agroforestry, the purposeful integration of trees or shrubs with crops and/or livestock at the plot, farm, and/or landscape scale, is one potential climate change adaptation strategy to increase the resilience of farmers and agricultural systems against climate risk, providing a range of biophysical and socioeconomic benefits. As highlighted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports of 2022, agroforestry is a promising agro-ecological approach to climate change adaptation because of the multitude of co-benefits that many agroforestry systems provide including, enhanced food security and income opportunities, the provisioning of ecosystem services, and biodiversity conservation (Amy Quandt, et.al 2023). Agroforestry significantly impacts the environment in diverse ways that contribute to both global environmental goals and local sustainability. Despite of the benefits, promotion, implementation and sustainability of agroforestry practices is still not well addressed.
Purpose of the AfPEC project
Coffee farmers in the Mt. Elgon Region in Eastern Uganda have traditionally with success used agroforestry that protects important water catchments and biodiversity hotspots, but these areas now experience degrading soils caused by external factors such as forest loss, soil erosion and population growth. Changes in climate have also affected farming conditions favouring more drought-resistant crops and agroforestry systems with well-developed shade. Agroforestry for People, Ecosystems and Climate Change (AfPEC), a new project funded by DANIDA aims to understand the factors that motivate coffee farmers to engage in agroforestry, and to foster the use of agroforestry to minimize the effects climate change and loss of biodiversity in the region. Specifically, the project aims to document the effects of agroforestry in terms of ecosystem services and livelihood benefits, to understand motivating factors for long-term sustainable development, and to support science-based agroforestry in practice. The project will focus on four districts namely: Mbale, Bududa, Bulambuli and Kapchorwa.
Specific objectives
The project will be implemented though five work packages in line with the objectives below;
1.Quantifying the potential of agroforestry in terms of ecosystem services – Under this objective the focus is to assess the benefits of various agroforestry systems, including carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and other ecosystem services. This research will help stakeholders understand the potential and limitations of different agroforestry approaches and contribute to mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss. Additionally, the findings will be used to select suitable native tree species for planting in highland coffee agroforestry systems.
2.Identifying livelihood benefits from agroforestry and key factors for long-term sustainable development.
3.Channelling scientific knowledge on agroforestry into practice –Given the urgent threats posed by biodiversity loss and climate change in Africa, it is imperative to translate scientific research into practical solutions. In collaboration with NGOs and local farming communities, the project team will disseminate user-friendly information and ensure that research findings directly benefit livelihoods and ecosystems. The goal is to increase local income through sustainable coffee production, carbon credits, and potentially, emerging markets for ecosystem services.
4. Building multidisciplinary capacity at university level –The project will train four PhD students from Uganda, and at least 12 master students from Denmark.
5. Promoting optimized agroforestry systems widely.
Partner Institutions
AfPEC is composed of seven partners: three university partners with multidisciplinary backgrounds, three Danish and Ugandan NGOs and a private communication company. All partners work in close collaboration with four coffee farmer communities. These include; Makerere University, Aarhus University (Department of Ecoscience), University of Copenhagen, Youth Leading Environmental Change (YLEC), Seniors without Borders, Forests of the World, Stjernekommunikation, and FrellsenKaffe.
Project team
The overall PI is Dr Anne Mette Lykke from Aarhus University. At Makerere, the project is coordinated by Prof. John Tabuti from the Department of Environmental Management and Prof. Frank Mugagga from the Department of Geography, Geo-Informatics and Climatic Sciences. Other participants: Aarhus University, Department of Ecoscience (Jørgen Axelsen), Makerere University (Dr Josephine Esaete and Dr Kellen Aganyira), University of Copenhagen (Ida Theilade, Nerea Turreira Garcia, Stine Kroijer), Seniors without Borders (Poul Kroijer, Lone Jacobsen, Kjeld Lanng, Frans Theilby, Lars Brodersen, Jan Thorn Clausen, Hazra Okem, Ann Grace Apiita, Emmanuel Alituha, Christopher Ejiku), Youth Leading Environmental Change (Daniel Esayu, Annet Nakkazi, Richard Tusabe), Forests of the World (Jens Holm Kanstrup, Kristian Lybæk, Abiyu Lencho), and Stjernekommunikation (Jan Stjerne).
AfPEC Inception meeting in Mbale City
On 25th-26th September 2024, the project team held an inception meeting in Mbale City to get stakeholder buy-in and concretize roles of team members. The meeting was attended by 52 participants including the project team, farmers from participating districts, RDCs from participating districts, representatives from the participating NGOs – Seniors without Borders, Youth Environmentalists leading Environmental Change (YLEC) and Forests of the World, and Graduate students attached to the project.
Presentations/remarks by the project team
In his welcome address, Prof. Frank Mugagga, one of the project coordinators at Makerere University appreciated participants for honouring and turning up for the workshop, noting that it was important for the team to establish a working relationship for smooth implementation of the project. Outlining the importance of research and partnerships towards the vision and mission of Makerere University, he expressed gratitude to the funders, and the Project PI, Dr Anne Mette Lykke for her unwavering efforts towards securing the grant.
Presenting an overview of the project, the lead Coordinator in Uganda, Prof. John Tabuti explained that although agroforestry systems have been around for long, their contribution has not been well understood and adopted. Discussing the different work packages, Prof. Tabuti said the project would document both negative and positive impacts of highland agro-ecosystems to improve their contribution to ecosystems and livelihoods.
At the meeting, the Project PI, Dr Anne Mette Lykke briefed participants on ethics and the rules governing the DANIDA AfPEC Grant. She presented the partnership grant agreement, highlighting the research ethics considerations, rules on publications, communication and dissemination requirements, and data sharing and management as guided by DFC. She urged the project team to familiarise themselves with the regulations to ensure timely delivery of the intended outputs.
In his remarks, the representative of farmer groups in Mbale District, also Chairperson of Bufumbo Agroforestry Group, Mr. Hussein Mafabi appreciated the project team and funders, noting that the initiative would greatly improve their skills in agroforestry. Highlighting the factors fuelling environmental degradation in the region, Mr. Mafabi decried the lack of a clear policy on plastic waste management, calling for support to avert the crisis. He emphasized the need to translate the project results into actual policy changes to further collaboration beyond AfPEC. “AfPEC has the support of local communities who are eager and willing to participate in the project activities,” he noted.
During the workshop, representatives from the partnering NGOs including Seniors without Borders, Forests of the World, and YLEC shared their experiences working in the region, outlining success stories in coffee agroforestry that the AfPEC project can leverage to achieve its targets. Prof. Jørgen Axelsen briefed participants on the biological pest control processes, whereas Dr James Johns from Forests of the World delivered a presentation on biomass and carbon sequestration in Uganda’s smallholder agroforestry systems. Speaking to participants, Dr Poul Kroijer (Seniors without Borders) noted that through the AfPEC project, farmers in the region will be able to export their coffee to Denmark. The team expressed willingness to support the project activities.
Presentations by MSc and PhD students supported by the Project
AfPEC project will train four PhD students from Uganda, and at least 12 master students from Denmark.
During the workshop, three Masters Students from Aarhus University, Denmark and four PhD students from Makerere University who will be conducting research on different aspects of agroforestry in the Mt. Elgon Region, Eastern Uganda presented their research ideas to participants who provided enriching feedback. These are; Smilie Nielsen (MSc Human Security) who will be examining the factors that motivate young coffee farmers in Mt. Elgon Region to engage in agroforestry, Ms. Josephine Fogt Anderson (MSc Human Security) who will be studying women-nature relations in agroforestry and planting initiatives (How gender equality can be addressed in tree planting and agroforestry projects), and Ms. Matilda Willemoes who will be exploring the potential for carbon sequestration and storage in coffee Forestry systems.
The PhD students include Mr. Patrick Kayima who will study value chain and livelihood benefits of coffee agroforestry, and Ms. Patricia Adoch who will evaluate the influence of different management practices of coffee agroforestry systems on pollinators and pests in the Mt. Elgon Region. Ms. Joyce Lunyolo will conduct research on incentives for stewardship efforts in coffee agroforestry among farmers in the region, whereas Mr. Derick Kisegu will study and document the contribution of Arabica coffee agroforestry systems in mitigation and adaptation to climate change in fragile highland ecosystems of Uganda.
The students will be supervised by academics from the partner institutions namely: Prof Anne Mette Lykke, Prof. John Tabuti, Prof. Frank Mugagga, Dr. Josephine Esaete, Prof. Ida Theilade, Dr. Kellen Aganyira, Prof. Stine Kroijer, and Prof. Katrine GroFriborg.
Remarks by the Chief Guest
Addressing participants, the Deputy RDC Kapchorwa District, Mr. Martin Sakajja, on behalf of the Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) in the project area, expressed gratitude for the initiative noting that it holds immense significance for the country and world at large. “Agroforestry represents the fusion of agricultural productivity with ecological conservation—a synergy that is critical for sustainable development in our times. For generations, rural populations have depended on agriculture as their primary source of livelihood. Yet, we know the challenges farmers face: declining soil fertility, erratic rainfall, and dwindling forest resources. Agroforestry addresses these issues by promoting sustainable agricultural practices that not only enhance food security but also generate additional sources of income from forest products such as fruits, timber, and medicinal plants. Through this project, we envision empowering farmers to increase their yields while preserving the natural resources they rely on. By embracing agroforestry, we are not only reducing our vulnerability to climate change but also contributing to global climate goals. I commend Makerere University and all the partners involved in this project for their vision and dedication,” he noted.
Remarks by the representative of Makerere University
On behalf of Makerere University, Dr Henry Ssemakula appreciated the project team for the initiative noting that it aligns with the sustainable development goals (SDGs), the National Development Plan, and the Parish Development Model. “The project is also in tandem with our strategy of transforming Makerere into a research-led University responding to national, regional, and global development challenges, and contributing to global knowledge generation. Its commitment to capacity building through Masters and PhD trainings, community engagement, and internationalization is equally commendable.” He appreciated the funders for supporting AfPEC and several other projects in Uganda.
The workshop was moderated by Dr Josephine Esaete, Dr Vincent Muwanika, and Dr Kellen Aganyira from Makerere University.
On the final day of the workshop, the project team conducted a reconnaissance tour of three research sites namely; Bufumbo in Mbale, Buginyanya in Bulambuli District, and Sipi in Kapchorwa District.
More photos from the workshop
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