Bringing the Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) Biofertilizer in Uganda


Published on: March 22, 2019, Submitted by Valerio Graziano on: March 18, 2019, Reporting year: 2018


Sustainable Development Goals Contribution


In Uganda, the biofertilizers available on the market are often imported and economically out of reach for many smallholder farmers. In a joint effort, national and international partners have carried out the first competence transferral training in Uganda to produce arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) biofertilizer for inoculation. Protagonists of this pivotal activity were students and staff of the Makerere University and Uganda NARO, now able to foster the uptake of AM nationally for increased food security.



 

In Uganda, the biofertilizers available on the market are often imported and economically out of reach for many smallholder farmers. This major issue of food security and accessibility can be tackled by fostering the usage of biofertilizers at national level, decreasing the overall costs of food production and reducing the risks presented by climate change and other rampaging biotic and abiotic hazards. Makerere University in collaboration with the National Museum of Kenya (Herbarium Dept.) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), overseen by the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) in the framework of the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals (GLDC), have taken up the challenge.

The partners have worked jointly to transfer the competences for producing arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungal inoculum for biofertilizers hrough the first practical training ever carried out at sub-national level: the "Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) Fungal Inoculum Production". The training has involved Ugandan seniors and youth at university and The Ugandan National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), with the potential to scale up nationally through a second generation of trainings carried out by Ugandan capacity now formed. The training has been conducted by Dr. Joyce Mnyazi Jefwa - of the National Museum of Kenya, and coordinated by Dr. John Baptist Tumuhairwe at Makerere University, and Assoc. Prof. Sigrun Dahlin at SLU. The training was held at the Laboratory of Tropical Crop Improvement of Makerere University, in Kampala, Uganda, from 12th to 17th November 2018.

AM symbiosis can increase the plants' access to water and nutrients, their tolerance to pathogens and toxic compounds, and enhance the crop's growth and overall health. The capacity to produce AM inoculum was previously missing in Uganda. Effective inoculum is purchased in Kenya at a high-cost, out of reach of the general small-holder farmer. The lack of national competence, together with the economic barrier, represented a high wall for the diffusion of AM biofertilizers and a clear obstacle to affordable and nutritious food. Overcoming the impasse, the research team was able to effectively develop staff and student capacity and are now able to transfer their newly acquired knowledge, readily fostering the establishment of inoculum production in Uganda.

The national capacity has predicted that upon successful spreading of the inoculum practice nationally, cheaper local products could be available as soon as 2020!

Stage of Maturity and Sphere of influence

  • Stage of Maturity: Stage 1

  • Contributions in sphere of influence:

Acknowledgement

The outcomes of this activity are the result of the joint efforts of the Makerere University, the National Museum of Kenya (Herbarium Dept.), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) in the framework of the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals (GLDC).

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About the author

Sigrun Dahlin is at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences - SLU.