Defying the odds: the story of a female matooke trader in Uganda.

European UnionInternational Fund for Agricultural Developmen

Promoting private-public synergies for managing flooding in Kampala city : a case stydy of Bwaise, Parish III, Kampele division

Master thesis in development management - University of Agder 2013Many cities in the world, particularly those in Africa are faced with growing problems associated with flooding. Increased rain frequency and intensity alongside other factors such as settlement in flood plains, poor waste management, and increased surface run off exacerbate the situation. This study was undertaken to assess the possibility for effective collaborative management of floods in one of the cities in East Africa: Uganda. The focus was on effective reduction in vulnerability and risks from flooding through collaborative action. Local perceptions of why floods occur were explored and how communities adjust to them. Further, the possibility for collaborative action between the authorities and the flood prone communities was considered. In addition, the study attempted to establish a model with regard to how collaborative action should be organised. Qualitative methodologies were used in this study and they included; unstructured interviews, observations, focus group discussions and document review. Study findings revealed the diversity in perceptions with regard to the causes of flooding. The identified causes were categorised into those that were internal to the community and those that were induced. Community coping strategies were found to be effective only in the short run and a suggestion was made that a better approach should incorporate both the short term and the long term strategies. A further revelation pointed to the possibility for establishing collaborative flood management structures and was used as a basis to compile a model. However, it was acknowledged that though collaboration was possible it needed reconciliation of views and changes in attitude for it to be forged meaning fully. KCCA was considered, to be the best position to initiate such collaboration especially since it had the capacity and the resources to do so. It was thus concluded that synergy was possible and a model on how it can possibly be organised was presented

TH2.2: Gendered mapping and consumer testing of steamed matooke in urban areas of Uganda

This paper explores the attributes of steamed matooke that are (un)desirable for urban consumers in Uganda by gender, age, and income status. A gendered food mapping involving the use of Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Individual Interviews (IDIs) was conducted, followed by a consumer test with 381 consumers where four steamed matooke samples/cultivars were evaluated namely, Nakitembe, Kibuzi, Ntika and Mpologoma. Of the cultivars assessed Kibuzi was most preferred during the FGDs and had the highest mean overall liking in the consumer test (7.2). Ntika was least preferred (5.9). However, differences were observed among income classes and gender groups (sex and age). High- and low-income consumers gravitate towards Kibuzi while for the middle income it was Mpologoma. The females (adult and youth) showed more preference for Mpologoma while the males liked Nakitembe more. The mapping of sensory characteristics showed that the key drivers of overall liking were a yellow color; a nice aroma; attractive looking; sweet (delicious, not sweet like sugar); Homogeneous (one color); good taste and soft. Matooke taste proved a key determinant for the preference of steamed Kibuzi over the other varieties. It is important to undertake a sensory quantitative descriptive analysis and physio-chemical characterization of this attribute, to guide breeding efforts geared towards improving sensory acceptability of matooke cultivars. Differences were observed in preference among different income and gender categories and breeders need to package products based on the preferences of the various socio-demographic segments, including by gender and income class groupings to enhance new cultivar adoption

Digital agriculture platforms: Understanding innovations in rural finance and logistics in Uganda’s agrifood sector

This work is part of the CGIAR Research Initiatives on Rethinking Markets. CGIAR launched Rethinking Markets with national and international partners to leverage markets and value-chains to address nutrition, livelihoods, and environmental concerns in food systems, at national and subnational levels in seven countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Other CGIAR centers participating in Rethinking Markets are: International Water Management Institute (IWMI), The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Alliance Bioversity-CIAT), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and WorldFish.Agriculture is the mainstay of Uganda’s economy, contributing about 25% of the GDP, a third of the export earnings and almost all the country’s food requirements. Yet, the sector still faces various challenges that affect production and the income derived from it. Systemic issues impact smallholder farmers' livelihoods across markets, land, skills, and capital, with cross-cutting social exclusion issues. Effective application of digital agricultural technologies has emerged as a catalyst in addressing productivity and efficiency challenges and enhancing inclusiveness in agri-food systems. Digital technologies have shown potential to address bottlenecks in access to extension services, marketing systems, suitable financial products, reliable weather information, transport services and logistics as well as supply chain management. Scaling of digital agricultural technologies in Uganda is critical for improving productivity and addressing challenges in the agricultural sector. However, for scaling to be undertaken effectively and inclusively, there is need to address the barriers that limit the use of digital innovations for some populations. However, the issues surrounding scaling and inclusivity of digital services are not well understood. This study therefore sought to contribute to bridging this knowledge gap through an assessment of the existing digitally enabled innovative cross-value chain services to gain insights into how the services are addressing inefficiencies, creating opportunities for improving efficiency and inclusiveness as well as identifying promising innovations for scaling. Specifically, the study focused on innovations in finance and logistics for value chains. For finance, the study specifically looked at digital payments, credit, and insurance, while for logistics, the focus was on supply chain management, transportation, traceability, digital platforms for e-commerce, and (cold) storage across value chains. The study used a qualitative approach to collect data in two phases: the first phase involved conducting an inception workshop followed with key informant interviews with 39 service providers and enablers. The second phase involved case studies using 12 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), 12 individual interviews and a validation workshop. The findings show potential for digital agricultural innovations to address some of the challenges. Several benefits are associated with the current use of digital innovations including linking value chain actors with the enabling services (e.g., insurance companies, banks, government), increased access to markets, access to extension and advisory services including market and weather information and quality agri-inputs and tractor services, services such as credit and savings, agri-insurance, agri-trucking, Heating Ventilation and Conditioning (HVAC) and warehousing. The use of digital innovations has for instance enabled access to agri-insurance and digital loans or credit which was not possible before. However, there are some challenges with the use of digital finance and logistic services. For instance, the study identified challenges of access due low awareness and information due to limited digital literacy, social norms and power-relations that disadvantage some sections of the population such as the women and youth from access and some technology design issues that need to be addressed for effective and inclusive uptake and scaling. Additionally, the ICT infrastructure in Uganda is unevenly distributed with significant gaps between rural and urban connectivity. Communication infrastructure (e.g., network coverage and broadband services) is established in urban centers, but rural areas have poor or no connectivity. Limited access to electricity is a major cause of the discrepancies in urban–rural Internet use and mobile phone penetration rates in Uganda. Yet mobile technology is at the heart of the digital transformation in Uganda as in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The study also identified some promising innovations that offer opportunities for scaling, following prioritization by stakeholders of the most significant challenges to scaling (low awareness of services and lack of information to support farmers to make a case for investing in digital services). These innovations have active SMEs and start-ups engaged in them and include digital input supplies and payments bundled with agronomic advisories, e-market places for outputs bundled with digital payments services and logistics, and agricultural logistics services involving transport and warehousing services

Gaging consumer demand and preference for peeled, packaged, and labeled cooking bananas in Uganda

Cooking banana is widely grown and consumed the world over due to its distinct aroma and taste. It also forms the economic lifeline for many countries. However, the fruit is highly perishable owing to its high-water content, disease susceptibility and quick ripening after harvest. This results in significant economic losses across its marketing chain. A breakthrough towards reduction of the bulk of the losses incurred, especially at the retail level, has been achieved through a technological innovation that extends the shelf-life of fresh cooking banana in peeled and packaged form. However, consumer preference and demand for this novel product remains widely unknown. Our study therefore investigated consumer demand and preference for peeled banana products with varied attribute levels in two major banana consuming cities of Uganda—Kampala and Jinja. A Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) was conducted with 360 banana consumers who were randomly picked using a systematic sampling approach from 8 banana retail markets located within the two sample cities. Principal factor analysis, based on perceptions and attitudes towards peeled banana products, was conducted to segment the respondents into market niches. Then, a latent class model (LCM) was estimated to identify the different segments for peeled banana products and the values they derive from the different products. Lastly willingness to pay (WTP) estimates for the different customer segments for peeled banana products with varied attribute levels was also determined

Stay visual inspection or go weighing? Insights from a value chain analysis for cooking banana in Uganda.

European UnionInternational Fund for Agricultural Developmen

Stay visual inspection or go weighing? Insights from a value chain analysis for cooking banana in Uganda.

Playwright: N/A Director: N/A Academic Year: 1994-1995https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/production_images/2388/thumbnail.jp

Reassessing the cost-effectiveness of high-provitamin A bananas to reduce vitamin A deficiency in Uganda

There are two high-provitamin A (pVA) banana-based interventions potentially available in Uganda—biofortified genetically modified (GM) banana and fast-tracked banana landraces from outside Uganda that are naturally high in provitamin A (nHpVA). Based on the newest country statistics and using adoption scenarios obtained through focus group discussions and expert interviews, we assess obstacles and opportunities for adoption as well as cost-effectiveness of these interventions. In two alternative scenarios for the GM banana (M9 matooke), we assume 40% and 64% adoption rates, which would result in US$29,374,151 and US$63,259,415 in income saved, respectively. As an alternative, for the symmetrical scenarios, we calculate that if the nHpVA banana (Apantu plantain, native of Ghana) were to be adopted, US$46,100,148 and US$76,364,988 in income would be saved. Taking into account the full cost of R&D, we estimate that the M9 matooke could save one disability-adjusted life year (DALY) at a cost of US$67.37 at best and US$145.09 at worst. We estimate that the Apantu plantain could save one DALY at a cost of US$50.54 at best and US$83.72 at worst. Our DALY analysis estimates that all assessed HpVA banana interventions are extremely cost-effective in all scenarios, following both the World Bank's and the WHO criteria. Nevertheless, successful interventions would require extensive promotion campaigns and shifts in agricultural value chains

Digital agriculture platforms: Understanding innovations in rural finance and logistics in Uganda’s agrifood sector

Agriculture is the mainstay of Uganda’s economy, contributing about 25% of the GDP, a third of the ex port earnings and almost all the country’s food requirements. Yet, the sector still faces various chal lenges that affect production and the income derived from it. Systemic issues impact smallholder farm ers' livelihoods across markets, land, skills, and capital, with cross-cutting social exclusion issues. Ef fective application of digital agricultural technologies has emerged as a catalyst in addressing produc tivity and efficiency challenges and enhancing inclusiveness in agri-food systems. Digital technologies have shown potential to address bottlenecks in access to extension services, marketing systems, suita ble financial products, reliable weather information, transport services and logistics as well as supply chain management. Scaling of digital agricultural technologies in Uganda is critical for improving productivity and addressing challenges in the agricultural sector. However, for scaling to be undertaken effectively and inclusively, there is need to address the barriers that limit the use of digital innovations for some populations. However, the issues surrounding scaling and inclusivity of digital services are not well understood. This study therefore sought to contribute to bridging this knowledge gap through an assessment of the existing digitally enabled innovative cross-value chain services to gain insights into how the services are addressing inefficiencies, creating opportunities for improving efficiency and inclu siveness as well as identifying promising innovations for scaling. Specifically, the study focused on in novations in finance and logistics for value chains. For finance, the study specifically looked at digital payments, credit, and insurance, while for logistics, the focus was on supply chain management, trans portation, traceability, digital platforms for e-commerce, and (cold) storage across value chains.Non-PRIFPRI1; 3 Building Inclusive and Efficient Markets, Trade Systems, and Food Industry; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economie