Browsing by Author "Makuma-Massa, Henry"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Factors influencing implementation of bylaws on sustainable crop intensification: Evidence from potatoes in southwestern Uganda
    (Cogent Social Sciences, 2020) Makuma-Massa, Henry; Kibwika, Paul; Nampala, Paul; Manyong, Victor; Yami, Mastewal
    The study examined the factors for the successful implementation of bylaws on sustainable crop intensification. The study used the new institutionalism theory to examine the implementation of bylaws in the potato cropping system in southwestern Uganda. A mixed model featuring both qualitative and quantitative approaches was used in the study. This involved analysis of primary data. The primary sources were key informants, focus group discussions, and face to face interviews with individual farmers, as well as secondary data sources. Factors influencing the effective implementation of bylaws on sustainable crop intensification at community level included awareness of existing bylaws, availability of extension agents to sensitize and train farmers on bylaws, power relations and conflicts among farmers, and availability of financial resources for procurement of agro-inputs. The factors influencing implementation of bylaws on sustainable crop intensification at the individual level included farmers’ knowledge on bylaws (P = 0.03), farmers’ participation in activities organised by government agencies
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    Innovating for Skills Enhancement The centrality of field attachment programs in Agricultural Sciences in Africa
    (International Journal of Community Research and Engagement, 2016) Egeru, Anthony; Nampala, Paul; Makuma-Massa, Henry; Osiru, Moses; Ekwamu, Adipala
    Debate on the centrality of field attachments/work experience to education has gained traction in the recent past, with consensus emerging on the necessity for such experience in order to progress along one’s chosen career path (Essential Skills Ontario 2014; Hillage & Pollard 1998; Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman & Johnson 2005). Thus, work-based learning and apprenticeship–dual training systems now play an important role in facilitating employment and increasing economic competitiveness (Cornford & Gunn 1998; Simmons 2009). Traditionally, African universities, in particular departments of agriculture, embedded within their courses field attachment–apprenticeship programs, but these were generally orientated towards fulfilling the curriculum mandate of undergraduate training (Mugisha & Nkwasibwe 2014), while graduate training in most African universities rarely included such apprenticeships. Yet, research dissertations on graduate training programs continued to pile up on university shelves (Goolam 2014; Sawyerr 2004). The lack of connection between graduate training and research with communities meant that farmers from whom the information was generated lost on three grounds. First, they became simply providers of information to support attainment of higher degrees. Second, their production systems barely improved as there was hardly a functional relationship between farmers, graduate fellows and their knowledge, or between farmer activity and related curricular programs. Third, farmers were denied the valuable partnerships that should come through farm-level research. Despite universities trying to reach farmers, they continued operating within their silos and ivory towers. The university academics were becoming ‘a cyclic burden’, often seeking information from the communities without providing feedback.
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    The Interplay between Informal and Formal Bylaws in Supporting Sustainable Crop Intensification in the Uganda Potato Production System
    (Sustainable Agriculture Research, 2022) Makuma-Massa, Henry; Kibwika, Paul; Nampala, Paul
    The study assessed the interplay between informal and formal bylaws in supporting sustainable crop intensification, using a case of potato crop production in southwestern Uganda. The study used a descriptive case study design to understand and accurately describe the experiences of farmers in the potato crop subsector in the region. This involved mixed study approaches that ensured coded meaning of consistent responses to the study, and descriptive statistics facilitated sequential understanding of findings and how each related to one another in respective themes. The numerical scores enriched the findings by authenticating the qualitative outcomes of the study to minimize bias. The study used review of documents and literature; six Focus Group Discussions; and 22 Key Informant Interviews to gather diverse experiences of respondents patterns of responses, the main factors or categories, and key responses under every category. The Study found that the greatest informal bylaw was eucalyptus growing (50 percent), followed by permission to graze (18 percent), and control damping (18 percent). The widely represented formal bylaws had a comparatively lesser role in supporting SCI, although with greater emphasis on quality seed (22 percent). Formal bylaws were stronger at setting clear boundaries between users and resources (18 percent), users having procedures for making own rules (11 percent), regular monitoring of resources and users (15 percent), issue sanctions (16 percent), conflict resolution (15 percent), and coordinated activities (3 percent) than informal bylaws. The major benefits for operating as institution were the collective strategy for the market (26 percent), which was less to guarantee sustainable livelihoods for farmers. Individual farmers were driven by desire for faster benefits ( and preferred following own rules (12 percent). There was more emphasis on market access, regardless of the nature of produce output (35 percent), whether the market worthy or not, and less on environment sustainability. The informal and formal bylaws are separate but united for a common purpose of intensifying potato crop production. Nonetheless, even when combined, t hey are not strong enough to support SCI. There is a need to strength bylaws on soil and water conservation, improved and quality seed potato and environment sustainability to support SCI, which provide the basis of greater markets and sustainable livelihoods.
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    Piosphere Syndrome and Rangeland Degradation in Karamoja Sub-region, Uganda
    (Resources and Environment, 2015) Egeru, Anthony; Barasa, Bernard; Makuma-Massa, Henry; Nampala, Paul
    Uganda like most African countries is a vast mosaic of diverse and contrasting landscapes. Much of the country is characterized by an equatorial vegetation but with significant dryland areas mostly pronounced in northeastern sub-region of Karamoja. In this sub-region, the pastoral and agro-pastoral population is dependent artificial waterholes. In the locale of these waterholes, the livestock generate areas of altered soils and vegetation known as piospheres. However, since the introduction of these artificial waterholes, limited research has been undertaken to investigate their impact on rangeland degradation in the sub-region. In this study, soil chemical and physical properties were sampled at 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depth, herbaceous and woody species were assessed and a series (1986, 2000, 2013 and 2015) of Landsat imagery were utilized. Standard laboratory procedures were utilized to analyze soil samples while herbaceous and woody species were summarized based on relative abundance. Dark Object Subtraction 1 atmospheric correction method was performed on all the imagery prior to classification. The Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) was used to determine vegetation sensitivity to rangeland degradation. The extent of rangeland degradation from the waterholes was assessed by proximity analysis basing on distance intervals (0.1 km-15 km) from the waterhole. A high soil pH was observed closer to the waterholes, while nitrogen and phosphorus were lower. There was variation in abundance of herbaceous and woody species between the wet and dry seasons with a predominance of perennial hardy herbaceous species closer to the waterholes. Results also revealed that a pronounced inflection point has become established around the piospheres and is expanding outward to 1.5-2 km distance from the piosphere centre; indicating a development of clearer degradation pattern. The piospheric gradient (up to 15 km) has demonstrated pronounced landscape heterogeneity with the existence of potential interaction area between 6.5 and 9 km an area we have called a convergence zone of new higher impact. It is therefore imperative that strategic management of the waterholes is undertaken to stay the inflection zone from further expanding outward. This information generated is relevant to range and water managers in separating the impacts of localized degradation from landscape based rangeland health in Karamoja sub-region.