Browsing by Author "Ssemakula, Edward"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Adoption of Supplementary Feeding in Smallholder Dairy Cattle Production in Mbarara District
    (American Journal of Agriculture, 2022) Twesigye, Gilbert; Ssemakula, Edward; David, Bahame B.
    This study sought to assess the level of adoption of supplementary feeding, associated socioeconomic factors and the relationship between supplementary feeding and dairy cattle production among smallholder dairy farmers in Mbarara District. Methodology: The study adopted a mixed approach to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from 198 smallholder farmers and 12 key informants using a semi-structured interview guide and key informant interview guide respectively. Cluster sampling was used to divide the target population into clusters and then selected elements from each cluster using Simple Random Sampling technique. Collected data was compiled, sorted, and entered into Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSSv26.0) for analysis. Findings: The study revealed that 81.3% of smallholder farmers adopted supplementary feeding. However, the level of supplementary feeding varied among smallholder farmers of different socioeconomic characteristics. Basically, there was low level of adoption of supplementary feeding among farmers with few household members, having little knowledge about supplementary feeding and little funds to finance the costs involved in application of supplementary feeds. In relation to dairy cattle production, there was a positive significant relationship between the level of adoption of supplementary feeding and milk yield. Unique contribution to practice and policy: This study suggests to policy makers and other relevant authorities to formulate polices that emphasize adoption of supplementary feeding among dairy farmers in order to increase milk production in cattle.
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    Adoption of Sustainable Dairy Management Practices and its Effect on Farm Income: A Case of Dairy Farmers in Rubaya Sub-County, Mbarara District
    (East African Nature and Science Organization, 2024-08-27) Muhumuza, Ronnie; Ssemakula, Edward; Kalibwani, Rebecca
    Sustainable dairy management (SDM) practices aim to minimize environmental impact, promote animal welfare, ensure economic viability, and support social responsibility throughout the dairy production chain. The SDM practices that could improve sustainability of dairy farming systems in Uganda include milk management, animal health, feeding and breeding practices. Despite the numerous advantages that scientific literature reports for these dairy management practices, they are not always adopted by farmers because of various factors. The objectives of this study were to examine farmers’ adoption decisions towards Sustainable Diary Management (SDM) practices, as well as the economic impact of this adoption among dairy farmers in Rubaya Subcounty. The cross-sectional research design was applied to collect both quantitative and qualitative data using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were collected using a household survey of 160 randomly selected respondents, from different villages within the study area. R Software Version 4.4.0 was used for data analysis. The results reveal that most of the SDM practices were adopted by over 50% of the dairy farmers. Only Artificial insemination, drying off animals, conservation fodder and concentrate feeding practices were adopted by less than 50% of the dairy farmers. The Multivariate logistic regression model results show that the adoption of SDM practices is significantly associated with varied demographic (Gender, age, household size); socio-economic (land size and household income); and institutional factors (access to agricultural credit, access to extension services, and membership to a farmer association). The study found out that adoption of SDM practices increased their farm income by UGX. 2,930,429/=, highly significant at 5% (p=0.02). The study recognizes two main pathways to increase the adoption of SDM practices: i) utilizing farmers’ knowledge and information sharing platforms; and addressing broader market and institutional failures
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    Assessment of Effects of Adopted Sustainable Soil Fertility Management Practices on Arabica Coffee Yields among Smallholder Farmers in Ibanda Municipality
    (East African Nature and Science Organization, 2024-07-03) Begumisa, Silver Nkwasibwe; Ssemakula, Edward; Tumusiime, Bernard
    This study aimed at assessing the effects of adopted sustainable soil fertility management practices on Arabica Coffee yields and quality among smallholder farmers in Ibanda Municipality. The guiding objectives of the study were to find out the effect of sustainable soil fertility management practices in Arabica Coffee farming, Arabica coffee yields and quality and the relationship between the sustainable soil fertility management practices and Arabica Coffee yields and quality. Data was collected using a farmer questionnaire and interview guide for extension staff and coffee dealers. It was analysed descriptively using frequency counts and percentages while relationships between sustainable soil fertility management practices and Arabica Coffee yields were analysed using Pearson correlation. The findings show that mulching and composting were the most adopted soil fertility management practices among the Arabica coffee farmers in Kagongo division. The study also found that there was a significant relationship between Arabica coffee yields and farmers' adoption of mulching and composting. The study concluded that the adoption of mulching and compositing improved coffee quality and yields. Therefore, the study recommended up-scaling extension services and giving farmers credit so that they adopt sustainable soil fertility management practices for better Arabica coffee yields and quality
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    Contribution of Compassion International to the Livelihood of Smallholder Farmers in Bushenyi District
    (East African Nature and Science Organization, 2022-12-27) Muhumuza, Aryamanya Wycliffe; Ssemakula, Edward; Osiru, David
    The study was to assess the contributions of Compassion International to the livelihood of smallholder farmers in the Bushenyi district of western Uganda. The specific objectives were to; (i) assess the household livelihood changes resulting from smallholder participation in Compassion International programs; (ii) assess the level of beneficiary participation in Compassion programs, (iii) analyse the contribution of Compassion International to food production and security, and (iv) examine the challenges being faced by Compassion International that hinder their operations in rural settings of Uganda. The study adopted a descriptive survey design that applied both quantitative and qualitative approaches for data collection. Data was captured from 206 respondents using both a questionnaire and an interview schedule. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16 to generate both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that smallholder participation in Compassion International programs has resulted in livelihood changes such as; enhanced child education, household economic and spiritual empowerment, increased access to agricultural inputs, income-generating projects, and enhanced household capacities. The study also found that beneficiaries participated in compassion programs by attending organisation outreaches, seminars, and annual meetings, mobilising local resources towards the cause, participating in project activities, paying annual membership fees, and giving feedback on project activities and operations. Compassion International has contributed towards household food production and security of the household across the district by setting up agricultural support projects, mobilising farmers, providing agro-inputs, and facilitating extension service delivery. The study further established that; poor funding, corruption and misuse of funds, competition and poor power relations with the local government are the key challenges hindering Compassion International’s operations in the Bushenyi district. The study concluded that though smallholder farmer participation in compassion programs has resulted in improved livelihood changes for member households, there remains a huge socio-economic gap in the Bushenyi district. The organisations’ operations are still hampered by a number of challenges. The NGO needs to tackle poverty reduction dynamically, strategically, and comprehensively. This is because poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon that needs a multidimensional approach. There is a need to look at other categories of needy people in society such as the elderly, widows, and disabled persons, rather than placing emphasis on a category.
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    Drivers of Urban Agriculture and their Influence on the Socio-Economic Status of the Urban Farmers in Uganda, A Case Study of Kampala and Mbarara Cities
    (International Journal of Clinical Science and Medical Research, 2024-05-04) Ninsheka, Leonard; Ssemakula, Edward; Tiyo, Christopher; Kalibwani, Rebecca; Mulongo, Marius
    The study analyzed the influence of forms and drivers of urban Agriculture on the socio-economic status of the farmers in Kampala and Mbarara Cities. The specific objective of the study was to examine the influence drivers of urban agriculture on the socio-economic status of farmers. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design using multiple data collection methods. A multistage cluster sampling technique involving simple random sampling to get both primary and secondary sampling units, snowball to get target respondents and purposive sampling for key informants and focus group members was used. Data were collected using social survey questionnaires for households, focus group discussions checklist (FGDs), key informant interview guides and observations, from a sample of 384 respondents. The study found a strong association between drivers of UA and the socioeconomic status of the urban farmers in Kampala and Mbarara Cities. Household socio-economic status has substantially correlated with the drivers of the urban farmers and out of 9 items considered only 5 was significant which include access to capital (x2 = 1.175, p< 0.047), access to agriculture extension services (x2 = 3.634, p< 0.026), access to financial grants (x2 = 5.190, p<0.001), access to markets (x2 = 6.993, p< 0.001), value addition(x2 = 3.718, p<0.014). The study confirmed a significant relationship between drivers of urban agriculture and the socio-economic status of urban farmers. Urban agriculture drivers like access to capital and financial grants, nature of market access and value addition had a significant influence on household socio-economic status.
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    Effects of Urban Agriculture on the Socio-Economic Status of Farmers in Cities of Sub-Sahara Africa. A case of Zambia, South Africa, and Nigeria: A Review
    (East African Nature and Science Organization, 2024-01-22) Ninsheka, Leonard; Ssemakula, Edward; Tiyo, Christopher; Kalibwani, Rebecca; Kityo, Ronald; Mugizi, Wilson; Byamukama, Willbroad
    This paper reviews the current literature concerning the effect of urban agriculture on the socio-economic status of urban farmers in Sub-Sahara African Cities. The main objective of this review is to examine the impacts of urban agriculture on the socio-economic status of urban farmers in Sub-Sahara African Cities. Specifically, the paper reviews the impact of urban agriculture on income and food security as well as the benefits and challenges affecting urban Agriculture development in selected cities of sub-Saharan African countries. This paper reviews different articles and papers on urban farming in Sub-Sahara Africa and globally. The review posits that there is scanty information on how urban agriculture affects farmers' socio-economic status in sub-Saharan Africa. How farmers derive their social and economic status by engaging in urban agriculture, and the types and motivations of farmers are not clear. The review suggests that understanding the factors that are crucial for food security, income and related benefits in urban agriculture is essential to developing the right technologies and policies
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    Institutional Factors and Technology Adoption amongst Smallholder Coffee Farmers in Kanungu District South-Western Uganda
    (Preprints, 2022) Nabaasa, Edgar; Kalibwani, Rebecca M.; Ssemakula, Edward; Mujuni, Boaz
    The use of improved agricultural technologies has been reported as the major strategy to increase agricultural production, increased household incomes and addressing poverty. However, adoption of such improved technologies by smallholder coffee farmers has been slow and this has contributed to the low coffee productivity in the country and the poor performance of the coffee sub sector. The study was meant to examine the effect of institutional factors including extension services, access to market and access to credit on technology adoption among smallholder coffee farmers in Kanungu District, Uganda. The study collected both quantitative and qualitative data from 289 smallholder coffee farmers and 8 key informants respectively in major coffee growing sub counties in Kanungu district. The study revealed that access to extension services and access to market have a positive significant influence on agricultural technology adoption while access to market has no significant influence on agricultural technology adoption. The study concluded that there is a positive significant relationship between institutional factors and technology adoption among smallholder coffee farmers in Kanungu district.
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    Prevalence, Risk Factors and Prevention of Depression in the Adult Population in Mbarara District, Uganda
    (Research Square, 2021) Kiconco, Allen; Bright Laban, Waswa; Ssemakula, Edward; Baikirize, Moses; Muhwezi, Talbert
    This study concerns the prevalence, risk factors and prevention of depression in the adult population in three sub-counties in Mbarara district. Depression is a common mental disorder which presents with a wide array of symptoms including loss of energy, poor sleep, poor eating habits, fatigue, irritability and social withdrawal. The main objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with depression and to identify measures that can be implemented to reduce risk factors of the disease among adults in Nyamitanga, Rugando and Rwanyamahembe sub-counties in Mbarara district.