Browsing by Author "Luswata, Kizza Charles"

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    Are Ugandan Farmers Using the Right Quality Inorganic Fertilizers?
    (Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), 2015) Mbowa, Swaibu; Luswata, Kizza Charles; Bulegeya, Komayombi
    This brief highlights the quality concerns of inorganic fertilizers on the Ugandan market. The findings reported are an excerpt from a study that analysed the quality of inorganic fertilizers on the Ugandan market1. The analysis was based on 170 samples (in 50 kg bags and small 1-2 kg packs) of the commonly used fertilizers on the Ugandan market i.e. urea, NPK, DAP and CAN were purchased and subjected to a laboratory analysis. Procedures followed in the purchasing of fertilizer samples mimicked a farmer purchasing fertilizers randomly from any input dealer country wide. Analytical results from the fertilizer samples revealed low quality fertilizers with moisture content above acceptable limits of 0.5-1.5 percent; and untruthfulness in both weight and nutrient content. In some instances, the nutrient content quoted on the labels did not match with the analytical content. This has serious consequences because fertilizer recommendations are based on the nutrient content. If the nutrients are not of the right quality, then the end-user (a farmer) will not attain the intended crop response to fertilizer application. The study findings reveal that re-packaging fertiliser into smaller quantities is justifiable to meet the requirements of smallholder farmers, but leads to loss of nutrients (especially nitrogen); and also aggravates the high moisture content problem. Results reveal gaps in the current regulatory system; therefore there is an urgent need for government to approve and operationalize the fertilizer policy, regulations and strategy.
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    A Rapid Assessment of the Existence (or Survival) of Macro Fauna in Different Land Uses in Kween District of Mount Elgon
    (Research Square, 2021) Aggrey, Siya; Kato, Arthur Martin; Egeru, Anthony; Luswata, Kizza Charles
    We explored the effect of different land uses on soil macro fauna species richness, abundance and diversity in Mount Elgon areas of Kween District, Uganda. Results Species richness was higher on the subsurface of the different land uses than belowground. A total of 647 individuals of both subsurface and belowground macro fauna were identified from the different land uses. Macro fauna abundance significantly varied across the five different land uses (H=10.1, d.f.=4, p=0.04). The average diversity of the subsurface was higher (0.71) than that belowground (0.20). The highest diversity of macro fauna was found in the intercrop of maize-beans followed by natural vegetation. Maize monocrop had the least abundance and diversity of both surface crawling and belowground macro fauna. This could be due the diversity of food and living environments as mixed cropping introduces landscape heterogeneity that accommodates diverse organisms across different land use systems. This study recommends extended studies on taxonomy, ecology and management of soil macro fauna with detailed inventories on the functional groups across land use/cover types and evaluations of varied agricultural intensification regimes on abundance and diversity of soil above and below ground macro fauna.