Private sector urged to help incubate agricultural innovations

The private sector has been asked to partner with agriculture students at Makerere University to help them incubate their innovations.

Gorret Nabanoga the deputy principal Makerere College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, says students during their recess term make a lot of innovations but due to shortage of funds, such innovations cannot be advanced.

Nabanoga during the field day to mark end of recess term at Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo, stressed that agriculture students are being taught in a way that enables them start up something, but, most of the time, the ideas die off due to lack of a helping hand to advance them.

"Our students are bright enough and can represent us and the communities where they come from, but we feel bad that some of their knowledge cannot stretch to the communities due to lack of funds for extension," she said.

About 245 undergraduate students undertaking degrees in Agriculture, Horticulture, Agricultural and Rural Innovations as well as Food Science and Technology and Agricultural Engineering, underwent a 10-week competence-based training to equip them with hands-on skills, ranging from production, management and entrepreneurship.

The function which took place at Kabanyolo was attended by Makerere University staff, farmers from different parts of the district, surrounding community members and ministry of agricultural officials among others.

Dr Stephen Lwasa one of the tutors during the recess term, said the field day gives the students a chance to gain practical skills such that when they are done with school, they can replicate what they have learnt in the communities.

"They have been here for the last 10 weeks and they are able to show us what they have learnt in terms of agriculture, livestock, poultry, soils, agriculture economics and others, on top of learning different skills which they will use after school," he said.

He revealed that some students write proposals for funding to advance what they have learnt within the communities where they leave however funding is one of the biggest challenges which incapacitates their efforts in realising their goals.

He said since most of the youths in Uganda are not employed, getting practical skills can help in the transformation of agriculture where they can employ themselves other than being job seekers.

"This is a very good way of giving youth practical skills on top of helping the farmers who would need these skills in the transformation of agriculture process.

Prof. Achileo Kaaya the head of the Department Food Technology and Nutrition at Makerere University, said such field days help students learn how to add value to the various crops.

He observed the need to make such field days public where the communities can come over to interact with the students as they give them knowledge.

Dr Opolot Emmanuel one of the coordinators, said the number of students who participated in the recess term was more compared to last year.

"We brought 2nd and 4^th year students to take them out of classroom setting to give them practical skills. We covered units in crop and soil science, food science and technology, horticulture, rural innovation and extensions, records and accounts, economics of all the enterprises on top of agriculture engineering among others," he said.  

The acting agricultural extension officer in the agriculture ministry, Stephen Mugume, advised the students to always seek for the position of Makerere in agriculture such that support can be increased to realise sector growth.

He said Uganda has only got comparative advantage in agriculture where youth are key in taking part in extension.

"Always consider earning as you work irrespective of the challenges you go through because agriculture in the backbone," he said  

Stella Kabatetsi a bachelor of science in horticulture student said most of the students had not gotten exposure to practical skills yet they are essential in transferring knowledge to others.

"This recess term has helped us a lot, we have gone to real gardens and done real work which will help us after school," she said.