Browsing by Author "Haumba, Eric N."

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    Documenting and disseminating agricultural indigenous knowledge for sustainable food security in Uganda
    (Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agricultur, 2016) Haumba, Eric N.; Kaddu, Sarah
    There is a wealth of agricultural indigenous knowledge (AIK) in Uganda, which is useful in livestock keeping, crop management and food processing and storage as well as soil and water management. Unfortunately, this AIK is becoming less visible and irrelevant in some communities because of the adoption of modern methods of farming. In fact, a lot of AIK has remained largely undocumented which threatens its sustained utilisation. One of the bottlenecks of the effective utilisation of AIK is access to relevant and usable indigenous knowledge for the diverse stakeholders in the agricultural sector including farmers. It seems farmers in Uganda are adopting modern methods of agriculture at the expense of the AIK because of the less perceived benefits that AIK promises because crops planted using AIK have often faced pests and diseases and not yielded much. The problem is perhaps compounded because of increasing population growth, land fragmentation as well as migration to urban areas. This phenomenon raises the question of how AIK can be conserved. This paper is based on a study that investigated how Agricultural Indigenous Knowledge (AIK) is documented and disseminated in addition to identifying the challenges faced in its management for sustainable food security in Uganda’s district of Soroti. Data in this study was collected through interviews, focus group discussions, document reviews and participant observation. The study findings revealed that despite the advent of modern farming methods, many small-scale farmers in the Soroti district continue to embrace indigenous knowledge in farming such as in managing soil fertility, controlling pests and diseases, controlling weeds, soil preparation, planting materials, harvesting and storage of indigenous root crops and animals. The study concludes that indigenous knowledge is still widely used but most of it is not documented nor fully understood by some members of the community; and that the Iteso and Kumam cultures have some restrictions on who acquires the knowledge. Thus the study recommends that AIKs be recorded for posterity, AIK should be researched upon further, be thoroughly documented and made freely available to anyone who needs it. On the whole, AIK in Soroti district requires attitudinal, behavioural, and methodological changes to give it a scientific touch. Moreover, small-scale farmers should be involved in agricultural extension services rather than leaving the work to formally trained officers who may have little attachment to specific cultural practices in the areas they operate.
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    Examining Uganda’s Legal and Institutional Framework in Curbing Book Piracy
    (Ghana Library Journal, 2022) Kaddu, Sarah; Chelangat, Jospert; Haumba, Eric N.
    This paper examines the legal framework for curbing book piracy in Uganda. The paper sought to address the following objectives: to establish the forms of book piracy practiced; to establish the existing legal frameworks and efforts to curb book piracy; investigate the level of awareness of the legal framework among book printers and its implications on book piracy; to examine the scope of counter-piracy enforcement powers and the law; to identify the setbacks in the enforcement of the legal framework on book piracy. A case study research design and qualitative research paradigm were adopted. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), unstructured interviews and Document reviews were the data collection methods. The study findings reveal that: duplication, circumventing e-Books and plagiarism are the common forms of book piracy practiced; the legal and institutional frameworks are in place putting in efforts such as awareness and sensitization, engagement with universities, and promotion of the use of holograms; book printers were found to be moderately aware of the legal framework, but they were not deeply knowledgeable of many provisions of the laws; the laws as they are, are ineffective. The setbacks in the enforceability included: the high cost of registration, difficulty in differentiating between genuine and pirated books. The study concludes that different forms of book piracy are practiced in Uganda and that efforts are being undertaken to avert the practice. The study recommends the revision of the existing legal framework; adoption and promotion of security features and restructuring of the copyright registration process among others.
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    Information seeking behaviour patterns of family farmers and house-hold food security in Kisoga B village, Ntenjeru sub county in Mukono district, Uganda
    (Uganda. University of Dar es Salaam Library Journal, 2021) Haumba, Eric N.; Kaddu, Sarah
    The paper examines how information seeking behaviour impacts on household food security of family farmers in Kisoga B village found in Mukono District in Uganda. Data were collected from 25 family farmers who were purposively selected from a total sample population of 178 residents in Kisoga B village. The study employed focus group discussions and unstructured interview method to gather quantitative data, which was analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis respectively. Findings revealed that the major farming occupations practised by farmers in Kisoga B include: animal keeping, courtyard gardening and keeping of local fowls. Animals kept included cows, pigs, goats, sheep and rabbits. The study indicated that farmers need information on weather patterns, good agricultural practices, agricultural seeds and market information and farming technologies. Farmers confirmed that they get information from fellow farmers, neighbours, close friends who are not necessarily neighbours, burial places, over the radios/ televisions while others get information from marketplaces as they go vending. Findings also reveal that information sought by farmers enables them to do timely planting, access improved seeds for planting, improve on land management, pest and diseases control and management, improved storage of seeds and other produce, improve on food processing methods, identify current prices for farm inputs among other needs. The study concludes that information is a key resource for all agricultural activities regardless of their locations, social, economic and cultural status.
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    Role of small-scale farmers in making agricultural market information systems relevant and sustainable in Bugiri district, Uganda
    (University of Dar es Salaam Library Journal, 2020) Kaddu, Sarah; Nanyonga, Doreen; Haumba, Eric N.
    The study aimed at establishing the role of small-scale farmers in making agricultural market information systems relevant and sustainable in Bugiri district. This study employed a case study research design and adopted a qualitative research approach. Purposive sampling method was used to select respondents with in-depth information and knowledge relating to the topic under study. Data was collected using focus group discussions and unstructured interviews methods. Major findings reveal that market information is still largely focused on prices and does not give details about quality and quantities. Small-scale farmers’ access to and utilization of market information is still limited but gradually improving. There is no systematic infrastructure for timely collection and dissemination of information in an appropriate medium to all stakeholders. The study concludes that value chain development is crucial for the success of market information systems and it is therefore imperative that information be provided on different areas along the chain. The study recommends establishment of village/parish information centres and display boards to inform small-scale farmers about up-to-date market information.