Uganda’s oldest university Makerere has scooped yet another grant to facilitate its research-related activities.
The US dollar 250,000 grant is an equivalent of Uganda Shs 950,000,000 which is expected to help the university enhance its agricultural research capabilities, Campus Bee has learnt.
The grant was offered by OR Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative funded by the South African government, targeting competent scientists that can supervise research on innovations that can help to solve agriculture challenges in Africa.
More details indicate that the OR Tambo Research chair is providing the 250,000 USD for five years renewable twice to make it 15 years.
We have further established that the grant was internationally advertised and Professor Noble Banadda of Makerere University Agriculture and Bio systems was selected for the grant to lead the research on sustainable agriculture.
While talking about the newly secured grant, Prof Banadda confessed that the research will look at sustainable agriculture to solve issues around food security through creating systems that can recycle agricultural wastes.
He further explained that his team will ensure that food productivity increases without using artificial fertilizers by using the wastes from the farm.
Apparently, Makerere is going to advertise internationally for the students across Africa to apply and participate in finding solutions to agriculture in Africa for more productivity, technology and efficiency. Banadda will work with 15 PHD holders, nine Post doctorate and 27 Masters Level researchers.
According to Banadda, farmers are facing challenges of accessing fertilizers yet they have a lot of wastes from their farms. Banadda and the team will use the grant to conduct research on how this waste can be turned into high productive manure.
It is worthy noting that Banadda is also set to receive 100,000 Euros from Wageningen University per year for the next fifteen years. He will use this fund to enhance the work of solving pending problems in agriculture in Africa.
