College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES)

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    Analysis of Leachate Chromium from Solid waste disposal site at Kiteezi, Kampala City (Uganda)
    (Makerere University, 2013) Ahebwa, Amelia
    Poverty, population growth and high urbanization combined with ineffectual and underfunded governments preventing efficient management of wastes has become of global concern especially in developing countries across the world. Landfilling remains the simplest, cheapest and most cost-effective method of disposing waste, in both developed and developing nations of the world. The most commonly reported danger to human health from these landfills is from the use of surface water and groundwater that has been contaminated by leachate that is discharged into these water bodies from the landfills. Municipal landfill leachates are highly concentrated complex effluents which, among other constituents, contain heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, and xenobiotic organic substances. The main aim of this study therefore was to assess the levels of chromium in the leachate prior to and after treatment at the solid waste disposal site in Kiteezi and further downstream after discharge. Kampala presently has one landfill site located in Kiteezi, Mpererwe. The Kiteezi landfill is a containment site, 29 acres in size and has been filled with waste since 1996. The site poses a health and environmental risk to the neighbouring communities due to poor planning and management of the site. Process inefficiency of leachate treatment in the plant often causes poorly treated leachate quality at the solid waste disposal site. In this study, water samples collected from the site were assessed to determine their chromium concentrations using the Flame atomic absorption spectrometry method. The results obtained of chromium levels in the samples were found to be within the WHO safety standards for drinking and irrigation water.
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    Hydrological modelling of river Manafwa basin for irrigated agricultural development
    ( 2015-11) Ddamulira, Solomon
    Agricultural production is carried out in most parts of Uganda for both domestic and commercial purposes. In most regions of Uganda, the population depends on this rain fed agricultural production throughout the year. The changes in the climate have greatly hindered the production leading to a decline of 10% in agricultural produce. Therefore there is a need of supplementary production in order to increase production within the regions of Uganda. One of the methods to improve production within Uganda is carrying out irrigated agriculture. Eastern region of Uganda is one of the targeted areas for the irrigated agriculture due to presence of major permanent rivers such as Manafwa and Mpologoma. Presence of the permanent rivers in the region has made available potential water sources for irrigated agriculture to supplement food production during dry periods of the year. The change in climate has led to uncertainties in the river flows hindering irrigation planning in the region. Therefore there was a need to determine the available water for irrigation from the river flows that can sustain irrigation within the region. In this study, a hydrological model was conducted for river Manafwa flows to determine the potential acreage that they can sustain for surface irrigation. Using ArcGIS, a digital elevation model was used to clip out the catchment which was then delineated to establish drainage area of about 8410 km2 and the watershed. Annual runoff estimates were computed using the SCS CURVENUMBER method in GIS. The catchment curve numbers were determined using soil and land use data layers from FAO website, where the layers were reclassified, superimposed and merged. The annual runoff estimates were computed using spreadsheets and rainfall data. The river flows were then characterized from daily historical flow measurements from 1946 to 1946 at Busiu gauging station where hydrograph and flow duration curves were plotted. The dependable flow was determined at 75% probability of exceedance (5.29 m3/s). Water balance analysis was done to determine the portion of water is available for agricultural use. Maize crop having the highest water requirement was used as the base crop to determine the minimum acreage that can be irrigated from the available water. Using CropWat software, the irrigation requirement for maize crop for both growing seasons was determined. Two crop growing seasons were considered for the river water shed. For April - August season, an irrigation requirement of 0.62 l/s/ha and the potential irrigation acreage of 2810 ha was determined. . For September - March season, an irrigation requirement of 0.89 l/s/ha and the potential irrigation acreage of 1958 ha was determined. The results suggest that within the river Manafwa basin, the agricultural water can be utilized for irrigation for a particular acreage as this will increase agricultural production within the region.
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    Evaluation of the adoption of elite clonal coffee in Kagango sub-county, Sheema district in western Uganda
    (Makerere University, 2016-08) Tugume, Myres
    Adoption of elite clonal coffee amongst farmers in Kagango Sub County has been due to the low productivity of traditional varieties that have been in existence for many years. The study evaluated the adoption of elite clonal coffee in Kagango sub -county Sheema district in western Uganda and the main objective of the study was to evaluate the adoption of elite clonal coffee by farmers, The specific objectives were to characterize the farmers of elite clonal coffee, to examine the source and affordability of elite clonal coffee seedlings and to assess the key constraints in elite clonal coffee adoption in Kagango sub-county. A Sample of 40 farmers was selected for the study and household interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire and factors such as farmers' level of education, sex, age, household size, land owner ship, farm size, variety of coffee grown, source and affordability of coffee seedlings, were considered. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social scientists (SPSS). To characterize the fanners of elite clonal coffee (Objective one), descriptive statistics (means, frequencies, and standard deviations) were used. The factors that influenced the adoption of elite clonal coffee were examined using the binary logistic regression model. The binary logistic regression model results showed that age of the farmer (p=0.0001), marital status of the farmer (p - 0.0280), coffee farming experience (p - 0.0850), years of formal education (p = 0.0170), and access to clonal coffee seedlings (p = 0.0000) significantly influenced farmers' adoption of elite clonal coffee. The farmers got elite clonal coffee seedlings from the nursery operators, community farmer groups and UCDA. The constraints that were faced by farmers in the adoption of elite clonal coffee are inadequate extension service, low farmer capacity to access and use of technology, on-innovative and non-proactive research systems, inadequate credit, inadequate information on availability of improved coffee variety (elite clonal coffee), lack of government support, inadequate knowledge about the innovation, and inadequate water The study recommended formation of farmer groups so as to increase their access to extension services, recruitment of more extension staff by the government, government's strategy of educating farmers through the use of radio programs on the need to adopt improved coffee technologies, the government to provide subsidized loans and credit facilities targeting rural farmers.
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    Nodulation, biomass and yield of erect type cowpea genotypes in Uganda
    (Makerere University, 2017) Mugweri, Jonathan
    Cowpea is a major legume in Uganda, ranked fourth after beans, groundnuts and soybean. It is grown mainly in eastern and northern Uganda for human consumption and animal feed. Not much research has been done on cowpea especially with respect to crop improvement. As such, farmers largely grow landraces that are low yielding and susceptible to major constraints. On-going research to address these limitations have identified improved varieties, for which additional agronomic information is required. A field study was conducted at Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo (MUARIK), Uganda, during 2015 second rains to determine the effect of nodulation and biomass on yield of 54 erect cowpea genotypes. The genotypes were planted randomly in plots and then in two replications. Parameters evaluated included: Nodulation (determined on a scale of 0-5 due to presence of nodules at root zone), biomass (total sum of mass of branches, leaves and roots) (g) and yield (seed weight) (kg/ha). There was more variability (CV = 60%) among yield values than among biomass values (CV = 26.3%) and root nodulation values (CV = 46.4%) relative to their respective means (2.65 for root nodulation and 253.16 for biomass). A strong correlation (r= 0.735) occurred between nodulation and yield (at 1% level of significance) with a positive linear relationship after regression analysis. There was a weak correlation (r= 0.042) between biomass and yield at 1% level of significance; absence of a linear relationship was confirmed after regression analysis. Higher mean root nodulation was observed for landraces from northern and eastern Uganda (NE) and IT genotypes from Nigeria while the crosses showed a higher biomass accumulation. Genotype NE 51 x SEC 3 had 464g as the highest mean biomass. Landraces from western and central Uganda (WC) had some of the highest mean yields in the data (WC 64 = 2674.18) and genotype WC 16 with 182.50 kg/ha had the lowest mean yield. Further studies are recommended in more seasons and location to validate these results.
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    An assessment of the environmental and socio-economic impacts of sand mining activities in Lwera, Nkozi sub-county, Mpigi district, Uganda
    (Makerere University, 2017) Bogere, Meek
    Sand mining has been one of the serious environmental problems around the globe in recent years, as the plains, swamps, rivers are widely exploited, materials like sand have been exploited due to man's attempt to satisfy his insatiable needs. The situation stated above is not an exception of Lwera the case study area. Exploitation of sand often results into land degradation, loss of aesthetic beauty of the land, loss of agricultural lands, river bed degradation and lost riparian habitat. In order to address these problems, practical and explicit laws and regulations have to be developed by municipalities in a participatory manner so as to facilitate enforcement and compliance at all levels within the social settings. This research was therefore carried out to assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts resulting from sand mining activities in Lwera catchment. The main objective of the study was to assess the environmental and sociological impacts of sand mining in the study area. Specific objectives were: to identifying and assess some major environmental impacts associated with sand mining activities in Lwera. The study revealed that irrespective of the large quantity of sand being mined from the catchment with its economic importance, it is concluded that socially and environmentally, sand mining activity is causing more harm than good.
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    Evaluation of the impact of age on compost quality at Mbarara Municipal compost plant in south western Uganda
    (Makerere University, 2017) Mugambe, Christopher
    The composting industry, including producers, testing laboratories, marketers and consumers have a well-documented need to know the specific chemical, physical and biological properties of compost products. Composting has become a preferred method for municipalities and industries to recycle a variety of organic byproducts often regarded to as “wastes” thus transforming them into useful soil conditioners and amendments. The safety and quality assurance of compost product as a soil vitalizer and amendment are required to meet the needs of agricultural, horticultural, silvicultural and landscape markets both nationally and internationally. However, currently there exists no industry or laboratory wide sampling and testing the quality and protocols of compost product. The objective of this research was to assess the quality of compost produced at Mbarara Municipal Compost Plant in reference to the international standards for high quality compost. The study followed a whole composting process of Mbarara Municipal Compost Plant which has been producing compost in western Uganda for the past nine years. The impact of age on compost quality in terms of nutrient content at different stages of composting was tested. Most compost parameters tested such as C: N ratio (18:1-23:1), pH (9.8), %OC (15.54±3.47) % and %N (0.79±0.04) % were found within acceptable limits set by international standards of high quality compost as of July 2017. % P (0.46±0.01) % and % K (2.14±0.08) % tested in final sieved compost product were within critical levels for agronomic soil conditioning although international standards for them are not stated. However, the texture tested in Mbarara municipal compost at all stages of composting was found to be apart from the expected texture of high quality compost with sandy loam as the textural class for all samples. This therefore calls for investigation about the possible sources of the high sand content in the compost and at what stage it gets there. Generally, compost produced at Mbarara Municipal Compost Plant can be used as a good soil vitalizer and the same composting technology would be a great deal if adapted in all municipalities of Uganda to utilize an often neglected resource “municipal solid waste” into a useful resource to vitalize the depleted soils of Uganda. However, to further improve quality of compost and its sustainable production, a well-equipped laboratory to test compost quality and ensure quality assurance for compost produced at the plant for different markets should be established at the plant.
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    Effects of home garden agroforestry on people’s livelihoods in peri-urban areas of Kampala: Case study of Nakawa Division
    (Makerere University, 2017) Muriisa, Benson
    A study to elicit the knowledge effects of home garden agroforestry on people’s livelihoods in peri-urban areas of Kampalawas carried out in Nakawa division Kampala District between June and July 2017. The specific objectives were to: (i)To inventory home garden agroforestry trees and crops in the study area. (ii) To examine the contribution of home garden agroforestry to food security and incomes of the households. (iii) To examine the challenges faced by households practicing home garden agroforestry in Nakawa Division.Cross sectional socio-economic surveys was used to collect data in which questionnaires having both open and close ended questions, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were conducted. Questionnaires were coded and entered into SPSS program and analyzed for the preferredPractice, Maintenance and contribution of home garden agroforestry. Home garden agroforestry contributed to the economy of Nakawa division by providing food security and household’s income generation. Management of home garden agroforestry was being constrained by the high growth of household’s sentization techniques and good relationships between the community and stalk holds in the division. Utilization of home gardenshad a positive significant attitude on household’s willingness to keep and manage it. Indeed many respondents were motivated to retain home gardenson their homes such as home gardens due to the attraction of visitors and food security and income generation of households which were obtained from it since they have a very big positive impact on households and well-being. There is urgent need to formulate and implement laws and policies to guide and promote agriculture and commercialization of FAO like some home gardensand this should be spearheaded by institutions like Uganda Food agriculture Organization (FAO) and Community Based Organizations and backed by the provision of both financial and management support. All communities should maintain and sustain these home gardens through establishment and maintenance of commercial gardens containing some important tree and crop species. This may be one of the most effective avenues or enhancing the keeping and managing of home garden agroforestry.
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    The challenges and opportunities of tree projects to increase on farm tree cover: the case study [of] Kyeizooba Sub County in Bushenyi District
    (Makerere University, 2017-09-25) Asiimwe, Elisa
    In order to address the problem of high rural poverty and food insecurity, government and international donors have funded on-farm plantation forestry projects as one of the tools for improving the welfare of rural communities. In the wake of climate change, on-farm plantation forestry has evolved to include carbon forestry, with the dual purpose of sequestering carbon and improving rural livelihoods. However, there is a dearth of empirical evidence regarding whether and under what conditions on-farm plantation forestry can deliver favorable livelihood outcomes. Therefore, Propensity Score Matching (PSM) and endogenous switching regression models were used to estimate the average treatment effects of adopting eucalyptus and carbon forestry woodlots (under the plan vivo system) on consumption expenditure per adult equivalent and daily calorie acquisition per adult equivalent. PSM and switching regression results consistently indicated that adoption of eucalyptus woodlots increased consumption expenditure by 32 and 28.3% respectively. PSM and switching regression results also indicated that adoption of eucalyptus woodlots increased calorie acquisition per adult equivalent by 36 and 13.1% respectively. Results also indicated that adoption of carbon forestry increased calorie acquisition per adult equivalent by between 22 and 26.9% but the impact on consumption expenditure per adult equivalent was mixed. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence that adoption of on-farm eucalyptus woodlots is an important pathway for smallholder farmers to escape poverty and improve food security. Similarly, adoption of carbon forestry woodlots under the plan vivo system can improve food security. However, previous on-farm plantation forestry projects were not well targeted to the poor households.
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    Profitability of rice production by rice farmers in Namalemba Sub County Iganga District
    (Makerere University, 2017-11) Gatama, Kenneth
    This study looked at profitability of rice production by rice farmers in Namalemba sub county Iganga district. The objectives of the study were to characterize the farmers engaged in rice production in Namalemba sub-county, Iganga district, determine the profitability of rice production in Namalemba sub-county, Iganga district and to determine constraints of rice productivity and profitability in Namalemba sub-county, Iganga district. Different methods were to get reliable data from the field. These included both primary data and secondary data. The data collection instruments included the questionnaire and documentary sources. From the study majority in the community know how to read and write where 41.2% of the farmers had completed secondary level. Majority 67.5% of the farmers had an off farm employment (income) to supplement on their farm incomes. Majority 82.5% of the farmers earn More than 10,000 Ushs, while few 17.5% earn below the poverty line. The results suggest that the profit in rice production is highly associated with the type of Rice farmers grow with a mean of 2.4500 and SD of 1.25183. It is clear that, Families producing Rice have a high positive return to labor per acre hence indicating that Rice production is profitable. Results show that the Total Variable Cost (TVC) was higher than the Total Fixed Cost (TFC) per hectare associated with rice production. Farmers with no access to market information were being exploited by middlemen and traders by offering them low prices for their produce which would negatively impact on their profits (gross margin). The results revealed that farmers in Namalemba are faced with faced with Poor Soil Fertility, Poor Soil Fertility, Long drought, Poor seeds, Pests and diseases, Low skills for Irrigation, Land fragmentation and Inadequate manpower during production The study recommends that, there is need for farmers’ timely access to inputs at affordable prices and guaranteed facilitation to enable them stock adequate quantities like seeds and pesticides ahead of planting season. there is need to avail extension services to the farmers in Namalemba Sub County to inform and educate farmers in the sub county in question about the farming practices and management to increase the acceptability and adoption of rice production in the sub county. This could create awareness and spread information between farmers about the rice production.
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    Soil fertility management in banana plantations using grass mulches and manures in South Western Uganda
    (Makerere University, 2017-11-14) Munanura, Balaam
    Uganda’s soils were once believed to be the most fertile in Africa, but soil nutrient mining and soil erosion have led to soil degradation and declining agricultural productivity. Lack of environmental awareness among farmers, traditional agricultural practices, minimal inorganic fertilizer use, and little to no use of improved crop varieties all contribute to continued soil degradation. East Africa Highland banana yields on smallholder farms in the Great Lakes region are small Uganda inclusive. The major causes of poor yields are declining soil fertility and soil moisture stress. In order to improve production, knowledge on highland banana response to fertilization is important, to establish the effect on soil and hence the crop yield. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of mulching and manuring on chemical and physical properties of soils in banana plantations in Bushenyi district. The study was conducted in Kyeizooba sub-county, Bushenyi district in southwestern Uganda. Ten soil samples were taken from mulched and ten from unmulched, five from top soil and five from subsoil for each treatment were analyzed at Makerere university soil science laboratory for pH, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, soil organic Carbon and texture. For top soils, the pH was significantly higher in mulched (7.25) than in unmulched (6.34). For sub soils the same trend was observed mulched (5.93) and unmulched (4.78). However for both mulched and unmulched plantations, the pH of sub soils and top soils were not significant (p>0.05). Nitrogen content in top soils of mulched and manured plantations was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that in sub soils. Also under both treatments, the N content of top soils was higher than that in sub soils. P content in top soils of mulched and manured plantations was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that in sub soils. In both treatments, the P content of top soils was higher than that in sub soils. The K content in top soils of mulched and manured plantations was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that in sub soils. Also the K content of top soils was higher than that in sub soils under both treatments. SOC content in top soils of mulched plantations was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that in sub soils. Also under both treatments the SOC content of top soils was higher than that in sub soils. The clay content in top soils was significantly (p<0.05) higher in mulched than in unmulched plantations. For both soil levels, sand content was significantly (p<0.05) higher in unmulched plantations than in mulched, for both mulched and unmulched sand content was higher in topsoil than in subsoil. Silt content was similar in the top soils of both treatments. For sub soils, silt content was higher (p<0.05) in unmulched than in the mulched. For mulched silt content was higher in top soil than in subsoil and in unmulched, no significant difference was observed.
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    Effects of crop raiding on livehoods of households around Kalinzu Forest Reserve: Case study of Kyamuhunga Parish
    (Makekere University, 2018) Twinamatsiko, Gonzaga
    This research dealt with the effects of crop raiding on lively hoods of households around Kalinzu forest Reserve on farmers. The research was carried out with the objectives of finding out the animal species most involved in crop raiding, type of crops most affected, the factors that lead to crop raiding and effects of crop raiding on the livelihoods of the people surrounding the forest reserve. The research conducted was both qualitative and quantitative in nature whereby descriptive cross sectional methods were used. Data were collected using questionnaires, one to one interviews, direct assessments/observations, reviewing of literature, and was later analyzed using statistical package for social scientists (SPSS). The results of the study indicate that animal species most involved in crop raiding/damage from Kalinzu Forest Reserve are baboons, monkeys, wild pigs, several species of birds, squirrels, edible rats, porcupines and chimpanzees. Most raided crops were sweet potatoes, cassava, maize, and sugar cane by wild animals both vermin and non vermin animals. The least raided crops include: rice, millet, beans and peas. These are mainly raided by avian species. However there are some crop species which are not eaten by wild animals but vandalized. Some of the vandalized crops include onion, pepper, cabbage, and simsim. Over 96% of the population of Kyamuhunga parish adjacent to the forest reserve was affected by crop raiders. Factors that lead to crop raiding include; proximity to the forest reserve, increased habitat destruction, high population, lack of grazing land and poor guarding method, and inadequate help from government institutions .Therefore palatable and nutritive crops should not be grown within the fringes of the forest reserve, conservation education is paramount, coherent land use plans should be emphasized to determine where certain crops can be grown.
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    Assessing the role of tour companies in growth of tourism as a business in Uganda: A case study of four selected tour companies in Kampala District
    (Makerere University, 2018) Kamugira, Pophia
    The main aim of this study was to investigate the role of tour companies in the growth of tourism as a business in Uganda among the four selected tour companies in Kampala which include; African Pearl Safaris, Prime Safaris, Great Lake Safaris, and Gorilla Link Tours Ltd. The objectives of the study were to: identify the services provided by tour companies to tourists in Uganda, establish ways in which tour companies support tourist stay while visiting Uganda and documents strategies that can be adopted in Uganda to streamline the activities of tour companies in providing professional services. The descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted because it provides a systematic description that is as factual and as accurate as possible, (Amin, 2005). The total population of management, staff and members of four selected tour companies which were; African Pearl Safaris, Prime Safaris, Great Lakes Safaris and Gorilla Link Tours Ltd. The study was based on a sample size of 64 that was drawn from a population of 100. The study used simple random sampling techniques. Simple random sampling technique was used to sample the company administrators, staff and customers. It was concluded that tour companies can be seen as a central link in the distribution chain and also agreed that tour companies help in reducing time of stressed and less free time tourists by providing them reliable tour services which means that acting as a central links and at the same time reducing time of stressed tourists are the most important services provided by tour companies to tourists in Uganda. It was concluded tour companies do not provide tourists with good services through caring for which makes us feel safe. It was concluded that regulation of the legal framework to make it easier for tour operators to adapt and implement their business operations. It was recommended that there is a need to put strategies for improving the operation of working guidelines for tour companies in Uganda. It was recommended that tour companies need to improve their services in order to attract tourists that visit Uganda and improve their business operation. It was recommended that authorities responsible for tourism in Uganda need to set policies for tour company operation and this will improve standard of activities done by the tour companies.
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    Assessment of the effect of soil amendments on soil health and productivity of tomato (Lycoperscon esculentum)
    (Makerere University, 2018) Malaala, Alex
    Different soil inputs have varying effects on yield and post production soil properties. This study assessed the effect of three soil inputs namely; poultry manure (PM), NPK 17:17:17, and organo yield biochar-based enhancer on tomato growth, yield and the post cropping soil properties. An experiment was conducted at National Crops Resources Research Institute, Namulonge in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Data were collected on growth and yield parameters; plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, number of flower clusters, number of fruits per plant, weight of fruits per plant and soil tests before and after the experiment. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to assess the effect of treatments on tomato growth and yield. Effect of the inputs on post production properties were assessed through comparing soil properties before and after cropping with published critical values. Results indicated that all inputs increased growth and yield of tomatoes significantly (p < 0.05) compared to the control. Organo yield biochar-based enhancer had superior effect with highest yield of averagely 24.8 fruits per plant and 1192g yield per plant while the unfertilized (control) had the least 8.6 fruits per plant with average weight 335g per plant. Also, NPK increased the tomato growth parameters followed by poultry manure and organo yield. Poultry manure and organo yield fertilizers improved the soil chemical and physical properties. Organo yield decreased the soil bulk density and increased the pH from 4.8 to 5.5. NPK treatment only increased the calcium content in the soil. Use of fertilizers increased growth and yield of tomatoes as well as the soil improvement; however, organo yield biochar-based soil enhancer is recommendable for sustainable tomato production since less quantities are required to reduce on the amounts of money spent on chemical fertilizers.
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    Potential contributions of white water rafting to adventure tourism development in Jinja district .case study Itanda falls
    ( 2018) Nabulwa, Ivan
    The intention of this report was to explore the whitewater rafting industry on the Upper White Nile. Although the White Nile is widely considered one of the greatest stretches of whitewater in the world, there is little actually known about the industry itself? As a result the following research investigates the potential contributions of whitewater rafting to adventure tourism development in Jinja. Additionally the research investigates the role played of whitewater rafting to adventure tourism development. And to find out the challenges affecting whitewater rafting. Finally the strategies for promoting whitewater rafting were also examined in this report. Through this research a vast amount of information was gained on the nature of this industry. Two survey instruments were used for data collection from 70 respondents who were considered, questionnaires were designed and interviews were carried out. Data collected from the respondents was entered, coded and managed in Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 17.0). The results revealed the contributions of whitewater rafting to adventure tourism development in Jinja. The findings proved that the roles played by white-water rafting to adventure tourism development are both positive and negative and these affect the social, economic and environmental structures of the local communities. The findings also showed the challenges affecting white-water rafting and also presented the strategies used to promote white-water rafting in Jinja district. In conclusion, the objectives of the research were met and effectively exposed new information about the rafting industry. The research proved the potential contributions of white-water rafting to adventure tourism as social, economic and environmental in both positive and negative ways The researcher recommended the rafting companies for example Adrift, Nalubale, NRE to improve on their marketing tools, customer service and also government involvement in the rafting industry either through provision of incentives for example tax holidays or in regulatory processes in order to maintain and manage the authenticity of the rafting business.
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    Assessment of the factors influencing consumer choice of accommodation facilities in Kampala Central Division
    (Makerere University, 2018) Mwebaza, Peace
    The study was carried out to assess the factors influencing consumer choice of accommodation facilities in Kampala Central Division. The objectives of the study were; To assess services and facilities offered to tourists at the hotel, To establish the factors that influence tourist choice of a hotel, To assess the measures put in place to enhance tourist satisfaction with hotel facilities. In a bid to achieve the above objectives primary and secondary data was collected by the researcher and descriptive analysis was carried out. A sample size of 60 respondents was interviewed this included 20 staff at the hotels which were sampled and 40 tourists who were picked through both simple random and purposive sampling techniques. The research findings revealed that for both clients and staff that the most attracting and important factors that would influence consumer‟s choice are quality customer service by staff, safety and security at the hotel and cleanliness of the rooms. This research also revealed that quality of various services and facilities at the hotel play an important role as well. It was recommended in the study that hotels should communicate better with their clients, acquire better marketing techniques and improve some facilities at the hotel. This will enhance satisfaction and build customer loyalty.
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    Assessement of awareness and attitude of the community towards wetland conservation
    (Makerere University, 2018) Arineitwe, Derrick
    The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of community awareness and attitudes on wetland conservation in Rukiiri Sub-country, Ibanda district. The method used for data collection was interviews which were administered to 70 respondents of which 60 were local community members and 10 were local leaders and district officials to achieve all the objectives. Field observation and photography were also used as supplementary data collection efforts. The findings suggest that 84.3% of the respondents interviewed were aware of the services and functions provided by wetland while 15.7% were not aware. This indicates high level of awareness of wetland functions. This need for conservation of the wetland was supported by 82.6%, from both kyanguhanda and Katehe,75% from Rwobuhungye parish from shifting their activities from wetlands, 17.4% from kyanguhanda,25% from Rwobuhungye ,16.7% from Katehe parish were not willing to conserve the wetland despite its uses, values and benefits. Wetland reclamation was supported by 15.7% of respondents, 34.3%respondents did not support wetland reclamation while 50% of respondents didn’t mind about reclamation of wetlands. Concerning means through which information about wetland conservation received by people, 76% of respondents heard it on radios, 10% of respondents read it in newspapers, 4.3% of respondents heard it from local leaders, 10% of respondents saw it on televisions The study results show that awareness is still low, attitude is relatively positive though participation is low. The study therefore, concludes that environmental organisations and institutions are not effective since local communities revealed less awareness and there is low mass involvement into wetland conservation activitiesthus the research recommended that sensitization of the people about the wetland legislation, management and sustainable utilization should be undertaken ,alternative land should be looked for to ensure that people carrying out activities like brick laying and agriculture farming may shift from wetlands to these places transforming in wetland conservation as well as public participation should be enforced in order to punish the law breakers all the geared towards wetland conservation and management
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    Development of flavored amaranth juice
    (Makerere University, 2018) Luganda, Dennis Kizito
    Red amaranth is a crop with a rich nutritional profile. It is rich in vitamin C, proteins, iron, folic acid and polyphenols that possess antioxidant activity. Red amaranth plays a big role in preventing cardiovascular diseases, various cancers, iron deficient anemia and also lowers the blood cholesterol levels. However present studies indicate that red amaranth is faced with high postharvest losses (>30%) during the peak season and this is basically attributed to the perishable nature of the crop. The major objective of this study was to develop a vegetable juice from red amaranth. Four products with different flavors were developed namely: unflavored amaranth juice, ginger flavored amaranth juice, vanilla flavored amaranth juice and strawberry amaranth juice. The samples were evaluated for overall consumer acceptability using untrained panelists (n = 40). The nutritional quality (protein, fiber, iron) and antioxidant activity of the most acceptable formulation and that of the control sample were determined using standard methods. Shelf stability was also determined by evaluating changes in sensory acceptability, titratable acidity, pH, color and vitamin C of samples stored at 4 0C for 2 weeks. Ginger flavored amaranth juice was the most liked with an overall acceptability of 7.5 while the unflavored flavored amaranth juice was the least liked with an overall acceptability of 5.4 on a nine point hedonic scale. However, since the overall acceptability of the juices was above 5 (neither like nor dislike) they were both acceptable. The protein, fiber, iron and antioxidant capacity of the amaranth juice ranged between 0.96-1.20%, 1.25-1.37%, 0.19-0.27 mg/100 ml and 44.61-37.61mg/100ml equivalent vitamin C, respectively. Ginger flavored amaranth juice had a significantly (p<0.05) higher antioxidant activity. Ginger flavored amaranth juice had higher total titratable acid (TTA) and pH (0.35%, 4.12) compared to the unflavored amaranth juice (0.25%, 4.14).The vitamin C content (10.32mg/100ml) was the same for both the ginger flavored and unflavored amaranth juice while the colour intensity absorbance varied between 6.32-6.09nm at 538nm reading. There were no significant changes in pH, acidity and color of the juice stored for two weeks and both samples received acceptability scores greater than 5 (neither like nor dislike). It is therefore possible to produce an acceptable antioxidant rich ginger flavored amaranth juice.
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    Determinants of youth participation in tomato production and marketing in Mukono District
    (Makerere University, 2018) Mutumba, Robert Ssebuliba
    This study sought to establish the determinants of youth participation in tomato production and marketing in Mukono district, Uganda. It was guided by the following objectives: To assess the influence of productivity, socio-economic and institutional factors on youth participation in tomato production and marketing in Mukono district. The purpose of the study is therefore to assess and document the most important socio-economic and institutional factors that influence tomato production, and marketing in Mukono district. In addition to this, it would commit the government to fulfilling its national obligations in development of the youth in relation to the National development plan, the Uganda constitution and Vision 2040. This study employed a descriptive survey design, as it is focused on collecting data to explore, find out and explain the determinants of youth participation in tomato production and marketing in Mukono district. The sample size of this study was 50 respondents. Primary data was collected by administering a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data. The study found that economic factors such as inadequate land limited youth participation in tomato production and marketing in Mukono district. Further, majority of the youth indicated that they participated in production due to drop out of school. Access to credit had minimal effects on youth participation. The study recommends that the local government should assist in creating ready markets and facilitating linkages to other markets, for agricultural produce, this will encourage the youth to participate in farming activities since they are assured of making sales and increasing their profits which will contribute to employment, improved income and household food security.
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    A study on maize production and profitability in Buhimba Sub-County Hoima District
    (Makerere University, 2018) Tumwesige, Gilbert
    The study was to assess the productivity and profitability of maize production in Buhimba sub-county Hoima district. Well-designed questionnaires were used to collect data from 80 maize farmers. The respondents were selected by random sampling so as to avoid bias in the study. These data were coded and entered into SPSS (version 16.0) computer software for analysis. Results of this study show that out of the 80 farmers, majority (57.5%) of farmers were males while only 42.5% were females. Analysis of the marital status showed that (70%) of them were married, singles, (21.25%) and only 8.75% were separated. This means that most people who were married engaged themselves maize production probably due to the fact they have responsibilities and families to take care of as compared to single and separated people. The average gross margin is 160,034.98Uganda shillings implying that the profitability in maize enterprises is still low due to the various factors that influence the level of maize production like education level, experience and also extension services maybe lacking hence the low average gross margin between the respondents. Household size, experience, distance to the market, size of land under maize production and access to credit had a significant effect on the quantity of maize produced by farmers. The major problem the farmers are facing during production is the pest and disease prevalence which has a frequency of 47 and 87% of the respondents mentioned it as their first challenge. Then too much sunshine that can possibly lead to scorching of the plants had a frequency of 35 and 64.8% of the respondents saying it’s one of the challenges that is had to control because it’s natural. Based on the results the study recommend the government of Uganda and other relevant authorities targeting agricultural development and food security focusing on smallholder maize production and marketing with the aim of improving the welfare of the farmers out to adopt recommendations such as improving on the maize marketing system especially the pricing to improve the profitability of the crop in the smallholder farmers and ultimately luring more farmers to cultivate the staple crop. The study recommends the government to recapitalize the grain marketing institution, to improve its operations.
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    Contribution and potential for scaling up of private sector involvement in solid waste management in Uganda: a case study of Oribags Innovations Company, Mpigi District
    (Makerere University, 2018) Tushemereirwe, Jovia
    This study was carried out in Buyala to contribute knowledge to the understanding of the contribution and potential for scaling up of private sector involvement in solid waste management and a case study of Oribags Innovations „U‟ limited. Different methods were used which include; Questionnaires, interviews and observation in order to collect the information about research objectives which were: Contribute to understanding influencing factors for the efficiency and contribution to national environmental management effort of private sector innovations, Assess the community acceptance and contribution of the innovation, Examine institutional and operational strengths and determining the potential for scaling up the innovation. The study showed that two machine are used to recycle wastes and get paper out of it while manual labour is used for the rest of the process of making paper products. Agricultural waste (maize straws, sorghum straws, millet straws banana fibre and pineapple crowns), followed by paper wastes and cotton (70%, 25% and 5% respectively) are the wastes recycled and are collected from Kabale, Rukungiri and Mbarara. Cotton plus paper wastes are also collected from supermarkets and tailors around the city and a few from Buyala Mpigi district. Oribags manufactures books, paper bags, gift boxes and envelopes