Participatory Common Learning in Groups of Dairy Farmers in Uganda (FFS approach) and Danish Stable Schools

Farmer Field Schools (FFS) is a well-known concept, which is widely used in many types of farming systems in the Global South. In this report different approaches to FFS adjusted to Ugandan smallholder dairy systems and to Danish organic dairy systems are explored and discussed. The report is based on a Master Thesis in Health Anthropology and a mini manual to the so-called Stable Schools. Improvements of farming practices should be based on the context of the individual farm and include the goals of the farmer and the farming system. This should be the case in all types of farming systems. Viewing learning as a social phenomenon and process, as well as an interaction between the learner and the learning environment (including other farmers) may give opportunities for context based innovations and developments towards a common goal in a group of farmers. It is also seen as a result of common transformative learning and legitimate peripheral participation in a social learning environment

Indigenous banana plantation management knowledge of Oruruko farmers in Bushenyi Uganda

This thesis investigates the traditional knowledge of Banyankore (with référence to the Baganda) banana farmers in the village of Oruruko in the district of Bushenyi, Uganda. It explores the sociocultural, économie and political atmosphère and environment that thèse farmers dwell in and how the latter have an impact on their livelihood stratégies. Despite suffocating poverty, thèse people survive and prosper utilizing their own unique diverse knowledge of the banana plant. This thesis illustrâtes the multiple Banyankore cultural uses and beliefs of and about bananas, and how they and the banana plays a critical rôle in village society and the family. This work is also presented as a critique of development initiatives that undermine local Banyankore knowledge in favour of Western science as the only source of proper knowledge in orderthat greater poverty alleviation measures can be innovated. The Banyankore people, like ail other peoples, possess their own unique local knowledge that is highly specialized and critically important to their local area. Through this work, I have attempted to capture a glimpse of the wealth and importance of this knowledge banana farmers possess. Lastly, but most importantly, I have tried to understand and learn from Banyankore so that through my work, I would have the honour of telling at least a fragment of their story. Nevertheless, even after three years in Uganda, the more I learned, the less I learned I knew

Giving thanks to… a sentipensante assignment

Giving Thanks to… is a novel assignment for students of Library and Information Science (LIS). It was recently implemented for the first time in a course on information behavior, but could potentially enhance learning in any domain. Inspired by contemplative pedagogy (Hart, 2004), the assignment encourages “sentipensante” (Rendón, 2011), that is, a balance of mind and heart. In a nutshell, students write an informed and heartfelt thank you message to a scholar of information behavior whose work is not yet canonical, affirming their contribution to the literature. Once placed into the mail, these bespoke missives are microaffections (Burklo, 2016) that socially construct a more appreciative and inclusive space withing our field. This paper presents the educational context, the assignment’s main components, example outcomes, student feedback, and the instructor’s reflections. To conclude, links are provided to an online exhibition about the project and to detailed assignment guidelines that other educators may borrow

Women and Agroforestry: A Human Ecology Approach to Understanding The Needs and Priorities of Women Farmers in Africa

This study examined rural Ugandan women's lives to discover reasons why they may or may not practice agroforestry. These women are responsible for the triple roles of reproduction, production and community maintenance work, all carried out within the context of a gendered social environment. From the perspective of the social manifestations of gender, six key factors were identified. The findings were used to create a theoretical model of the interaction between rural women's lives and agroforestry systems. The model shows that agroforestry is not only a biophysical farming system; There is a human component in that interacts with other components to determine the success or failure of an agroforestry initiative. The model can be used to identify and understand the human component of the agroforestry system on an individual and community level.women in development, agroforestry programs, human ecology, women and work, Crop Production/Industries, Labor and Human Capital,

An economic assessment of banana genetic improvement and innovation in the Lake Victoria Region of Uganda and Tanzania:

"This research report highlights findings from a set of studies undertaken by applied economists on the impact of improved banana cultivars and recommended management practices in the East African highlands. A particular focus of the analysis is genetic transformation of the cooking banana. Genetic transformation to achieve pest and disease resistance of the cooking banana is a promising strategy for smallholder farmers in this region. Biotic constraints are severe and not easily addressed through conventional breeding techniques or control methods. Exports on the world market are currently negligible, so that the risks of reduced exports due to policies against genetically modified foods are low. The crop is both an important food source and a significant generator of rural income, which means that improving productivity could have great social benefits." from Authors' SummaryBananas, Genetically modified foods, Nutrition, Genetic engineering, Economic impacts,

Training report: capacity building in entrepreneurial and business skills for operationalizing fresh cassava roots packhouse.

This report describes the capacity building process and activities that were done to enhance the business and entrepreneurial skills of packhouse operators

Institutioners roll i naturresursförvaltning i kontexten hållbara agroekosystem : case från peri-urban Masaka, Uganda

In this thesis the roles which institutions play in the management of natural resources are explored. These management strategies and the natural resources were put in the context of sustainable agroecosystems and the components were looked at from a systems perspective. The study has the structure of an embedded multiple case design and conducted through participatory methods: semi-structured interviews, transect walks and focus groups. The results were analyzed using theories on resource governance and management, institutions, agroecosystems sustainability and agroecological systems. Several institutions were identified as playing a more or less important role: family; the law; national, parastatal and government organizations and the informal economy. The most frequently mentioned and discussed natural resources and resource systems were trees, the wetlands, agricultural land, pasture and soil. The study concludes that there is a lack of local natural resource management institutions which connects to the human capital and the absence of facilitation to support such capital in the management of natural resources

A dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity to climate change: A case study of water management in Makondo, Uganda

This thesis is carried out against the backdrop of serious concerns that climate change will affect the livelihoods of rural people in Sub-Saharan Africa. I examine the adaptive capacity of people at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa, in particular those in Makondo Parish, in the southwest of Uganda. The focus is on the way adaptive capacity emerges from the interaction of community members, extra-local actors such as non-governmental organizations, and national and local policy-makers. The thesis builds upon literature that explores adaptive capacity at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa. The research, which employs context-sensitive methods, specifically ethnographic and participatory methodologies, contributes to a growing literature on adaptive capacity to climate change in three key ways. First, methodologically, I argue that the application of participatory Geographical Information Systems (PGIS) alongside ethnography can offer a context-sensitive approach for assessing the complex subject of adaptive capacity. The approach – which I refer to as a ‗dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity‘ – can reveal data about people and their places that might not otherwise emerge; data that may be of critical importance to understanding adaptive capacities. The approach helps uncover complex realities in relation to both social connections and connections with place. Second, the thesis explores adaptive capacity and water governance. The results of the research reveal that relations and practices may affect the adaptive capacity of people in these areas to deal with climate change. Although at the household level people display context-based adaptive strategies such as water recycling and seasonal adjustments, the overall adaptive capacity of community members is constrained by gender-based and village-level water governance mechanisms that limit how future adaptive strategies will develop. My dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity takes these complex issues into consideration with a view to developing an understanding of how adaptive capacity is shaped by access to resources and power. My study therefore suggests that, at the micro-scale, adaptive capacity strategies require efforts that address multiple limitations with regards water governance, because these limitations may be associated with the various determinants of adaptive capacity. The third contribution concerns the role of agro-pastoralism in shaping adaptive capacity. Results from the research reveal that adaptive capacity is happening via a complex web of relationships that have implications at individual level. Agro-pastoralists display context-based adaptive strategies such as application of local knowledge about water, cooperation and sharing and seasonal diversification of livelihoods. All these coping mechanisms benefit wider community in Makondo. However, the overall adaptive capacity of agro-pastoralists is constrained by enclosure that limits how future adaptive capacity will develop