NaFORRI calls for financial injection to improve service delivery
“We need about shillings 120 million to inject into the HASS avocado project to meet its high international demand. We also need around 100 new workers, including technical and support staff. Our laboratories are ill-equipped, and the existing ones look desolate,” Dr Adriko noted.
The learners taking kin interest in what is being explained by the NaFORRI specialists during the exhibition. (Photos by Henry Nsubuga)
Henry Nsubuga
Journalist @New Vision
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The director of research at the National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NaFORRI), Dr John Adriko, has appealed to the chairman of the Governing Council of the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Dr William Olaho Mukani, to lobby for financial assistance to address the institute's current limitations in service delivery.
Dr Adriko cited several of NaFORRI's requirements, including an obsolete fleet of vehicles in need of complete replacement, the inability to set up projects for land tax revenue generation, a lack of resources for procuring machinery for a carpentry workshop, and the need for additional human resources, among other issues.
He made the remarks on April 4, 2025, during the belated International Day of Forests celebration, which took place at NaFORRI's headquarters in Namirembe village, Kyampisi sub-county, Mukono district.
The official celebrations for the day, which falls yearly on March 21, were held at the UN headquarters in New York under the theme “Forests and Foods,” which highlighted the role of forests in ensuring global food security, sustaining livelihoods, and promoting biodiversity.
At the Mukono celebrations, guests, including executives from the 16 institutions working under NARO, consultants, researchers, other scientists, learners, and the general public, graced the occasion.
“We need about shillings 120 million to inject into the HASS avocado project to meet its high international demand. We also need around 100 new workers, including technical and support staff. Our laboratories are ill-equipped, and the existing ones look desolate,” he noted.
In response, NARO deputy director general for Africa Rural Technology Promotion, Dr Sadik Kassim, said he had noted Dr Adriko's concerns. Regarding the issue of forest encroachment, he stated he would forward the matter to the relevant authorities for immediate attention and action.
The Director of Research at the National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NaFORRI) Dr. John Adriko delivering his speech.
He also disclosed a proposal for an agroforestry programme, integrating soil conservation, and advised NaFORRI to collaborate with the soil programme at Kawanda.
Learners from various schools in Nama and Kyampisi subcounty, accompanied by their teachers, were given a guided tour by NaFORRI research officer Dr Odoi Juventine Boaz and Dianah Namayanja, an entomologist at the institute.
They were treated to a half-day training session on growing fast-maturing cloned species of eucalyptus trees, known for providing a sustainable supply of quality timber. Other topics included cloned coffee, the chariandra plant (an animal feed supplement and nitrogen-fixing agent), and beekeeping.
During their practical session, the learners demonstrated their skills, including cloning coffee cuttings under Dr Odoi’s guidance. Dianah Namayanja, the entomology researcher, provided tips on beekeeping, including dos and don’ts, a background on the lifestyles of bees, and the best practices for safe honey harvesting.
The learners later joined other NARO and NaFORRI officials to plant fruit trees as a landmark for the day.
In an interview, Namayanja said the day’s guests were a rare class, noting that they usually receive research students and interns on field attachment. She attributed the day’s successful turnout to the unique apiary component at NaFORRI.
Emmanuel Malala, a teacher at Mpoma Royal College, noted that although their school has its own models, they will lobby for more regular visits to NaFORRI to benefit their students in the future.
Drawn by the new hands-on training modules in schools, the learners exhibited great interest in the field session, as evidenced by their numerous questions and eagerness to learn more.
Jamir Muliika of P7 at St Soteri Junior School asked why bees die after stinging people, and was informed that it is because their abdomens are irreparably damaged after injecting their sting into a victim’s body.
Genesis Mulisa of S6 at Mpoma Royal College inquired about how bee venom, known for its medicinal and other values, is collected, and was given an explanation about how bees are enticed into secreting venom on staged surfaces, from where it is collected.
Francis Mawanda of P7 at St Soteri Junior School asked why young plantlets are kept in greenhouses with limited air supply, and was told that at their stage, the plantlets require limited air.
The learners were further engaged by NARO deputy director general Dr Kassim, who asked them to name the five core values of forests.
The adults, among other activities, went on a forest walk and later joined the students for the tree-planting session.