School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bioengeneering (SFTNB) Collection
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ItemPerformance evaluation of water delivery systems at Ngenge Irrigation Scheme( 2024)Water delivery performance is the degree to which whether the system delivers water at the required rate at the right place and time. This study was carried out for three month on a single irrigation season from November to January 2024. Water delivery performance of the scheme was evaluated by comparing irrigation water demand with actual irrigation water supply by using four (4) indicators classified water delivery indicators. To estimate the crop water requirements and irrigation water requirement of the project, CROPWAT for windows (CROPWAT 8.0) which have five data input modules (climate/ETO, rain, crop, soil and crop pattern) and three calculation modules (crop water requirement, schedule and scheme) was used. The water delivery performance indicators of the canal such as adequacy, efficiency, dependability and equity were computed for the successive months. To estimate these indicators, the values of delivered water (QD) and required (QR) of the irrigation scheme were taken as basic variables. The number of irrigations in one season (T) was considered as the time period; and the number of fields (R) will be taken as the sub-region.
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ItemKnowledge, attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding and dietary patterns of mothers of infants 0 to 6 months in Kitgum Municipality.( 2024)Knowledge, attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding and dietary patterns of mothers of infants 0 to 6 months in Kitgum Municipality. Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended for the first six months of age of and infant by the World Health Organization. The practice of EBF is influenced by maternal knowledge and attitudes as well as socio-demographic factors. Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of infant‟s life is considered as one of the most effective strategies for reducing infant morbidity and mortality in resource limited settings. Every year, optimal breastfeeding practices can prevent about 1.4 million deaths worldwide among children under five. This study explored the knowledge, attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding and dietary patterns of breastfeeding mothers with infants 0 to 6 months in Kitgum municipality. Identifying factors associated with EBF practice and dietary practices of the mothers. Methods. A cross sectional study design was used, where all the data were collected using a structured questionnaire which included questions about the socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge attitude and practices, dietary data were recorded using a 24 hour recall of foods consumed. Data analysis was done using SPSS and Microsoft excel soft wares. Chi square test was done to determine association between socio-demographic characteristics and practicing exclusive breastfeeding. Results: This study indicated that 65.5% (n=72) of the mothers generally had high EBF knowledge with 98.2% being aware of EBF, 73.6% of the mothers had a positive attitude towards EBF, 69.1% of the mothers were practicing exclusive breastfeeding, age of the infant was significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding, P<0.001. The study also indicated that grains, white tubers, roots food group was the most consumed (94.5%) and other vitamin A rich fruits and vegetables food group being the least consumed (3.6%). Conclusion: Generally the mothers had good knowledge and positive attitude but the practice of exclusive breastfeeding was suboptimal, and most of the mothers had diets with high energy dense foods from the grains food group. The dietary pattern showed a gap in intake of vitamin A rich foods, animal source foods. These findings highlight the need to enhanced nutritional education and support programs to improve dietary diversity and sustain optimal EBF practices.
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ItemThe design, setup and evaluation of a vermicomposting system for Imvepi Refugee Camp, Terego District(Makerere University, 2025)This study designed and evaluated the effectiveness of vermicomposting in transforming dewatered fecal sludge (FS) at Imvepi refugee camp into a nutrient-rich, stabilized compost using fruit and vegetable waste as bulking agents. The main objective was to design a sustainable vermicomposting system for efficient dewatered fecal sludge management. It also aimed at assessing the changes in nutrient contents; nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and organic carbon (C) across different treatment combinations: sludge only (F1), sludge with fruit waste (F2), and sludge with vegetable waste (F3) all mixed in the ratio of 50%:50%. The experiment was conducted using triplicated treatments, and nutrient analysis was performed using standard laboratory methods. Results indicated that the incorporation of bulking agents significantly influenced nutrient dynamics and compost maturity. F3 showed the highest nitrogen content (2.36%) and a C:N ratio of 10.89, falling within the ideal range for mature compost (10:115:1), while F2 recorded the highest carbon content (30.54%) but had a higher C:N ratio (17.58) with high microbial activity, indicating incomplete stabilization. ANOVA revealed significant differences in nitrogen and carbon across treatments at 5% level of significance (p < 0.05), but not in phosphorus. Comparisons with traditionally stored sludge (6 months) revealed that vermicomposting substantially improved nutrient retention. The study concludes that vermicomposting, particularly with vegetable waste, is an effective method for managing FS and producing high-quality compost suitable for agricultural application in resource-constrained settings such as refugee settlements.
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ItemEnhancing the operation of the smart irri-kit system with capacitive probe sensor and nRF24 radio technology for efficient irrigation scheduling(Makerere University, 2025)The Smart Irri-Kit system, a solar-powered automated irrigation solution, has shown promise in enhancing water use efficiency and crop yields. However, its effectiveness is restricted by limitations such as corrosion-prone resistive moisture sensors and wired connections, leading to signal losses and potential data corruption. This study generated a scalable solution to improve the Smart Irri-Kit's precision and flexibility by implementing capacitive probe sensors and nRF24L01 wireless transceivers. The redesigned system functions as a low-power wide area network (LPWAN), enabling long-range communication between field sensors and the solenoid valve actuator with minimal power consumption. The nRF24L01 transceivers were selected for their high data rates (up to 2 Mbps), low power usage, and built-in error detection and correction capabilities. The system consists of two main nodes: a sensor node and a valve node. The sensor node, equipped with an Arduino UNO microcontroller, displays sensor data on an LCD after converting it to volumetric water content using a calibration equation derived from the gravimetric method. The valve node, also using an Arduino UNO, controls water flow from an overhead tank to the drip irrigation system via a relay-connected solenoid valve. Both nodes are housed in waterproof acrylic cases with external ports for easy installation and reprogramming. Calibration and validation of the sensor node using the gravimetric method yielded an R² value of 0.8853, with an 87.6% correlation confirmed by a two-tailed t-test. The wireless communication achieved a range of 180 meters in clear line of sight and 150 meters with obstructions, without data loss. This study successfully enhances the Smart Irri-Kit's soil moisture sensing precision and flexibility, simplifying agricultural automation by overcoming the limitations of wired connections and traditional sensors.
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ItemAssessing the consumption of fruits and vegetables among lecturers of Makerere University(Makerere University, 2025)Adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables is widely recognized as a key component of a healthy diet, contributing to the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Despite this, many populations, including academic institution often fall short of the recommended intake levels. The main aim of the study was to establish consumption levels of fruit and vegetables among the lecturers of Makerere University. A cross-sectional study was conducted and data was collected using a structured questionnaire, while frequency of consumption was determined using the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). The factors influencing fruits and vegetable (FV) consumption were mainly availability and high prices which affected access and to a certain extent gender and age. The sample size was one hundred (100) respondents who were analyzed using SPSS to obtain frequencies, means and correlations. The results of the 100 participants show that 61% consumed their meals with ¼ of fruits and vegetables. Marital status was found to be significantly different, with the married lecturers tending to consume more servings of fruits and vegetables (68%) on average compared to the single lecturers (32%). The mean number of servings consumed. Only 12% met the WHO recommendation of 5 servings a day with the average number of servings consumed in a day being 2.7 servings. In conclusion, there is a low consumption of fruits and vegetables by lecturers of Makerere University. Vegetables are more frequently consumed than fruits and the females consume more fruits and vegetables than males. Nutrition advocacy and education are key in improving the dietary patterns of the study population.