The National Research Repository of Uganda - NRU

Welcome to the National Research Repository of Uganda, abbreviated as "NRU". NRU was established in 2021. NRU is a collection of scholarly output by researchers from the UNCST Community, including scholarly articles and books, electronic theses and dissertations, conference proceedings, journals, technical reports and digitised library collections. It is the official Institutional Archive (IA) of UNCST.

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For information about the publishers' copyright policy on archiving your articles online or in an institutional archive, visit the Sherpa Site at http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo.php The site gives a summary of the permissions normally given as part of each publisher's copyright transfer agreement. If you wish to publish your research findings in the NRU, please contact NRU administrator at admin@uncst.go.ug for details. NRU operates both open access and closed access models. Access to fulltext has been restricted in adherence to the UNCST Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Copyrights policies.

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Africa Portal is an online repository of open access library collection with over 3,000 books, journals, and digital documents on African policy issues. This is an initiative by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Makerere University (MAK), and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Please visit the Africa Portal at http://www.africaportal.org/library.

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 12

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Morphological and genetic characterization of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) in the Kayunga and Luwero districts of Uganda
(BioMed Central, 2024-05-09) Gwokyalya, Racheal;; Nanteza, Ann;; Wagaba, Henry ;; Kayondo, Siraj Ismail;; Kazigaba, Dan;; Nakabonge, Grace
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is an economically valuable fruit tree in Uganda. However, the production of jackfruit in Uganda is low. Additionally, because of deforestation, genetic erosion of the resource is predicted before its exploitation for crop improvement and conservation. As a prerequisite for crop improvement and conservation, 100 A. heterophyllus tree isolates from the Kayunga and Luwero districts in Uganda were characterized using 16 morphological and 10 microsatellite markers. The results from the morphological analysis revealed variations in tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and crown diameter, with coefficient of variation (CV) values of 20%, 41%, and 33%, respectively. Apart from the pulp taste, variation was also observed in qualitative traits, including tree vigor, trunk surface, branching density, tree growth habit, crown shape, leaf blade shape, fruit shape, fruit surface, flake shape, flake color, flake flavor and pulp consistency/texture. Genotyping revealed that the number of alleles amplified per microsatellite locus ranged from 2 to 5, with an average of 2.90 and a total of 29. The mean observed (H.sub.o) and expected (H.sub.e) heterozygosity were 0.71 and 0.57, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that 81% of the variation occurred within individual trees, 19% among trees within populations and 0% between the two populations. The gene flow (Nm) in the two populations was 88.72. The results from the 'partitioning around medoids' (PAM), principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and genetic cluster analysis further revealed no differentiation of the jackfruit populations. The Mantel test revealed a negligible correlation between the morphological and genetic distances. Both morphological and genetic analyses revealed variation in jackfruit within a single interbreeding population. This diversity can be exploited to establish breeding and conservation strategies to increase the production of jackfruit and hence boost farmers' incomes. However, selecting germplasm based on morphology alone may be misleading.
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Understanding Conservation Conflicts in Uganda: A Political Ecology of Memory Approach
(Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd, 2023-07) Akampurira, Emmanuel
Political ecologists have linked conservation conflicts in post-independence Africa to the continuities and legacies of colonial policies that displaced and dispossessed people to create ‘wild places’. This paper introduces a political ecology of vernacular memory to discuss the Basongora people’s vernacular memories of their historical dispossession to create the Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) in Uganda. It explores how these events spurred multidirectional memories of resilience, heroism, victimhood, and resistance that the Basongora pastoralists deploy to reclaim social-political autonomy and agency. Using archival data and historical ethnography, I examine how the Basongora mobilise vernacular memory in contemporary contestations with the state and conservation authorities in QENP. Vernacular memory provides a moral authority that helps subordinated groups contest the hegemonic dominance of conservation authorities. A political ecology approach to vernacular memory reveals how people use memory politics to legitimise their claims in contested environments—an essential fact of contemporary conservation conflicts. This paper is the first to conceptualise how vernacular memories can legitimise the decolonisation of conservation narratives and community resistance against conservation.
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Limitations and opportunities of smallholders’ practical knowledge when dealing with pig health issues in northern Uganda
(Public Library of Science, 2023-06) Arvidsson, Anna;; Fischer, Klara;; Chenais, Erika ;; Kiguli, Juliet;; Sternberg-Lewerin, Susanna;; Ståhl, Karl
Pig production has a short history in Uganda. The majority of pigs are kept by smallholder farmers in rural areas where access to veterinary services is limited, and pig keeping has been suggested as a potential pathway out of poverty for smallholders. Previous research has identified the disease of African swine fever (ASF) as a major threat, causing high mortalities in pigs. With no available cure or vaccine, the only option is to implement biosecurity measures, i.e. strategies that prevent the spread of ASF. This paper draws on data from four months of ethnographic fieldwork in rural northern Uganda. Combining methods of participant observation, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and a survey, the aim was to improve understanding of smallholders’ perceptions and responses to pig health issues such as ASF. Applying the concept of practical knowledge, this paper analyses the potential and limitations of smallholders’ practice-based knowledge as a means of dealing with pig health issues. The results show that while pigs were appreciated locally for providing an income, many informants found it difficult to deal with pig diseases effectively. Consequently, informants commonly expressed a need for other kinds of knowledge in their pig production, indicating that veterinary advice can play an important role in reducing the negative impact of pig health issues. For animal health provision to have relevance in this context, however, veterinary practitioners must pay close attention to smallholders’ priorities and ways of knowing in their livestock keeping. Results further show that pig health issues made some informants abandon pig production altogether. To enhance the potential of pig production as a poverty mitigation strategy in Uganda, research and policy need to focus on ways of bettering general conditions for smallholder pig keeping, including improving the quality of and access to veterinary services in rural areas.
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A stepwise approach to facilitate adoption of climate smart practices for smallholder coffee production in Uganda
(Taylor & Francis group, 2025-07-13) Mukasa, David;; Rusinamhodzi, Leonard;; van Asten, Piet. J. A. ;; Amwonya, David;; Sseguya, Haroon;; Okiror, Faith Akello;; Kirungi, Diana;; Wodada, Wilberforce;; Komakech, Victor;; Margiotta, Sarah;; Jassogne, Laurence
Adoption of Climate-smart Agricultural Practices (CSA) enhances crop productivity and livelihoods. Smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda receive training on good agricultural practices (GAPs) through extension programs, but adoption remains low. Adopting all 'best practices' at once may be unrealistic for resource-limited, risk-averse smallholders. This study tested a Stepwise approach, breaking GAPs into manageable, incremental investments. Field trials were conducted in Luweero (Central) and Sironko (East) districts of Uganda, with 16 demonstration sites using randomized treatments and the control (farmer practice), divided into four steps. Each site served 25-30 farmers through experiential learning. A co-design method ensured farmer involvement in the design, development, and testing for sustainability. Results from two harvests (2018-2019) showed significant cumulative yield gains over the control. Arabica yields increased by 31%, 43%, 54% and 65% across Steps 1-4,. Robusta showed gains of 7%, 22%, 23% and 39% respectively. Marginal rate of returns (MRR) was relatively high for Step 1 (563%), 2 (169%) and 4 (122%) for Robusta coffee , and 221%, 217% and 485% for Step 2, 3 and 4 for Arabica coffee respectively. The Stepwise approach demonstrated improved yield gains and increased farmer income.
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Minding the knowledge-action gap: Results from a mixed-methods study of antimicrobial use among dairy farmers in central Uganda
(Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2026-01-06) Anica Buckel;; Clovice Kankya;; Mark A Caudell ;; Tabitha Kimani;; Alice Namatovu;; Lordrick Alinaitwe;; James Natweta Baguma;; Rogers Musiitwa;; Methodius Tubihemukama;; Junxia Song;; Emmanuel Kabali;; Jorge Pinto Ferreira;; Jeffrey LeJeune
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) presents a growing threat to global health and food security, accelerated by human behaviours such as suboptimal use patterns. While the negative consequences of AMR will be particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries, relatively little is known about the extent and frequency of behaviours that contribute to AMR in these regions. This mixed-methods study, which included a cross-sectional survey, examines knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to antimicrobial use (AMU) among 417 smallholder dairy farmers in Uganda's Wakiso, Kampala, and Mukono districts. We found that (1) farmers' AMU practices were associated with attitudes toward veterinarians and access barriers, with many relying on private veterinarians due to challenges accessing public animal health services; and; and (2) findings support the concept of a 'knowledge-action gap,' as AMR knowledge and belief items were weakly associated with prudent antimicrobial use and related practices in our exploratory models, These findings highlight the need to rethink the current reliance on conventional knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) interventions alone. Instead, behaviour-centred approaches informed by theory-driven behaviour change frameworks, along with interdisciplinary collaboration, may offer more profound insight into the multifaceted factors that shape AMR-associated practices and inform more tailored interventions. Finally, given the prominent role of private veterinary service providers as trusted points of contact for farmers, there is a clear need to foster partnerships that formally recognise and engage these actors in stewardship efforts while ensuring alignment with national policy and regulatory oversight.