School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bioengeneering (SFTNB) Collection
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ItemAssessment of run off and soil erosion patterns in the Namatala watershed using SWAT+(Makerere University, 2026)Soil erosion and surface runoff are big problems for farming and water in many highland areas of Uganda, like the Namatala Watershed on the southeastern side of Mount Elgon. This area has become worse with time because more land is being encroached for farming, forests are being cut down, and people aren't managing the land well. In this study, we see how runoff and soil erosion change over time and space in the Namatala Watershed. We used a tool called SWAT+ along with GIS and satellite data. We fed the model data from a 30 m Digital Elevation Model, Sentinel-2 for land use and cover, SoilGrids for soil types, and NASA POWER for climate information. The watershed was divided into smaller areas called HRUs based on their land use, soil, and slope. We then checked how well the model matched real streamflow data and used metrics like NSE, PBIAS, and R² to see how good it was. The model worked well for both calibration and validation. We found that farms made up over half of the watershed's area, with grasslands covering about 37%. The way rainfall was split between different uses, like evaporation and/or becoming runoff, was heavily affected by the land use, soil, and how steep the land was. This study shows that SWAT+ can be useful for understanding runoff and erosion in places where data is scarce. The information collected can help decide where to direct conservation efforts to reduce erosion, improve land productivity, and make the Namatala Watershed more sustainable.
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ItemComparative evaluation of drip irrigation system for optimizing water use and yield of Arabica coffee in Kaliro District.(Makerere University, 2026)Coffee production in Uganda, particularly Arabica coffee, is increasingly threatened by erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged dry spells linked to climate variability (Impact et al., 2022). In Kaliro District, where farming remains largely rain-fed, this variability exposes coffee plants to moisture stress, resulting in reduced growth and lower yields. Drip irrigation has been widely promoted as an efficient method of supplementing rainfall, yet limited locally generated information exists on which type of drip irrigation system, in-line (integrated emitter) or online (button emitter), performs better under local field conditions. This study therefore sought to comparatively evaluate the in-line and on-line drip irrigation systems for optimising water use and yield of Arabica coffee at Buyode Farm in Kaliro District. A quasi-experimental comparative study design was adopted. Both the on-line and in-line drip irrigation systems were designed considering identical or similar agronomic and climatic conditions. The crop water requirement was estimated using the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Penman-Monteith approach, with reference evapotranspiration (ETo) of 3.95 mm/day obtained from CLIMWAT and CROPWAT using Jinja weather station data, and a crop coefficient (Kc) of 1.05 for mid-season, weedy field conditions. This gave a crop evapotranspiration of 4.1475 mm/day and a peak daily water demand of 16.59 litres per plant at a spacing of 2 by 2 meters. Hydraulic design, using the Hazen-Williams equation, established a 16 mm dripline diameter, a 32 mm submain diameter, and a 40 mm mainline diameter as the most suitable pipe sizes, keeping all friction losses within the allowable 1.0 m limit (10% of the 10 m emitter operating head). The resulting Total Dynamic Head of 19.82 m was comfortably met by a 1.2 m³/h solarpowered submersible pump. Each of the five field blocks was designed with an independent submain and control valve, allowing the blocks to be irrigated separately. An economic and financial feasibility analysis compared installation costs, annual operating costs, net benefit, cost per cubic metre of water delivered, and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) for both systems for a single season. The in-line system had a lower installation cost (UGX 11,465,000 versus UGX 14,185,000), a higher net benefit (UGX 7,747,800 versus UGX 5,027,800), a lower cost per cubic metre of water delivered (UGX 30,924 versus UGX 40,922), and a higher BCR (1.68 versus 1.35) compared to the on-line system. The results of the study show that both systems (in-line and online) are technically feasible for Arabica coffee production in Kaliro district. But the in-line drip systems offer better economic xii performance and lower long term maintenance demands compared to the on-line drip systems. Therefore, the study recommends the adoption of the in-line drip irrigation systems in the remaining coffee blocks at Buyode farm in Kaliro district (Eastern Uganda).
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ItemDesign and performance evaluation of a fruit solar dryer for smallholder farmers.(Makerere University, 2026)Uganda experiences post-harvest fruit losses of up to 50% due to inadequate storage facilities, poor handling practices, and limited access to affordable preservation technologies, resulting in economic losses, reduced household incomes, and food insecurity. While many try to dry fruit in the open sun, the process is frustratingly slow and often leaves the food contaminated by dust and insects, although commercially available dryers are often too expensive and energy-intensive for smallholder farmers. To address this, I designed and fabricated a forced -convectional solar dryer that uses low-cost automation to create a controlled drying environment. I built the system specifically to handle 2 kg batches of pineapple focusing on reducing moisture content from 85% (wet basis) to 12% or less. Unlike conventional solar dryers, the proposed design integrates sensor-based automation using an Arduino Uno microcontroller, DHT22 temperature and humidity sensor, PWM-controlled DC fans and a standalone solar photovoltaic power supply enabling automatic regulation of drying conditions without reliance on grid electricity. The dryer was designed using Computer Aided Design modelling and thermal-airflow simulations and fabricated from locally available materials to enhance affordability and replicability. Performance evaluation under Ugandan climatic conditions demonstrated that the system reduced pineapple moisture content from 85% to 12% within 16 hours, representing a 50% reduction in drying time compared to open-sun drying. The dryer maintained an average chamber temperature of 50°C and relative humidity below 60%, achieving a mean thermal efficiency mean thermal efficiency 7.8 ± 2.6%, mean SMER 0.109 ± 0.036 kg/kWh; and water activity 0.52 ± 0.02 (< 0.60 shelf-stability threshold), while producing cleaner, more uniformly dried fruit with improved colour retention and texture. These results demonstrate the potential of the proposed automated forced-convection solar dryer as an affordable, sustainable, and scalable solution for reducing post-harvest fruit losses among smallholder farmers.
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ItemDesign and fabrication of an appropriate seed planter for smallholder farmers in Uganda.(Makerere University, 2026)The agriculture sector plays a vital role in the economy of Uganda; it is responsible for about 24% of the GDP and provides employment opportunities to more than 70% of the country’s population, but the farmers still have difficulties due to use of rudimentary technologies. manual planting, which involves the use of hand hoes, is one of the major constraints because its physically demanding task that leads to high degree of biomechanical load and musculoskeletal injuries. Mechanized commercial planters, although they provide high precision, are not affordable and do not fit for small plots. This research filled this gap by developing a low-cost seed plater that meets Ugandan farmer’s needs. The seed planter has been designed using SolidWorks software and has been fabricated I MUARIK (Makerere University Agricultural Research institute Kabanyolo) using mild steel material. The final device is highly portable, weighing only 3 kg when fully loaded, and due to the vertical position, the mechanism allows an upright operating posture to reduce drudgery. Field testing demonstrated a field efficiency of 75% and successful singulation rates of 80.88% for maize and 82.35% for soya beans. Economically, the planter proved highly viable with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.299 and a payback period of approximately 2.1 years, offering annual labor savings of up to UGX 140,000. The results confirm that this planter is a suitable appropriate technology that enhances planting quality and farmer comfort while supporting Uganda’s agricultural modernization goals. Recommendations include the addition of a fertilizer unit and government subsidies to accelerate adoption.
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ItemAssessment of runoff and soil erosion patterns in the Namatala watershed using SWAT+( 2026-09-14)Soil erosion and surface runoff are big problems for farming and water in many highland areas of Uganda, like the Namatala Watershed on the southeastern side of Mount Elgon. This area has become worse with time because more land is being encroached for farming, forests are being cut down, and people aren't managing the land well. In this study, we see how runoff and soil erosion change over time and space in the Namatala Watershed. We used a tool called SWAT+ along with GIS and satellite data. We fed the model data from a 30 m Digital Elevation Model, Sentinel-2 for land use and cover, SoilGrids for soil types, and NASA POWER for climate information. The watershed was divided into smaller areas called HRUs based on their land use, soil, and slope. We then checked how well the model matched real streamflow data and used metrics like NSE, PBIAS, and R² to see how good it was. The model worked well for both calibration and validation. We found that farms made up over half of the watershed's area, with grasslands covering about 37%. The way rainfall was split between different uses, like evaporation and/or becoming runoff, was heavily affected by the land use, soil, and how steep the land was. This study shows that SWAT+ can be useful for understanding runoff and erosion in places where data is scarce. The information collected can help decide where to direct conservation efforts to reduce erosion, improve land productivity, and make the Namatala Watershed more sustainable.