ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (CAES)
Makerere University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) is one of the 10 Constituent Colleges of Makerere University. The College was formed through a merger of the former: (i) Faculty of Agriculture, (ii) Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation, (iii) Makerere University Institute of Environment and Natural Resources; and (iv) the Department of Geography. The College is made up of three schools: School of Agricultural Sciences (SAS), School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bioengineering (SFTNB), and the School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences (SFEGS), which together have eight Departments. In addition, CAES has two research institutes namely: Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK) and Makerere University Biological Field Station (MUBFS). The College also has 14 centres that serve as a base for knowledge transfer and partnerships, these are complemented by facilities located at Nyabyeya Forest College and Budongo Conservation Field Station that cater for Forestry students. The College human resource consists of 400 employees, 170 Academic staff of whom 140 are PhD holders at ratio of 20% female, with 19 staff at the rank of professor and 31 at the rank of Associate Professor. It has over 2,922 students. Of these 2,758 (94.4%) are undergraduate students and 164 (5.6%) are graduate students (Masters and PhD). CAES is offering 15 undergraduate programmes, 19 master’s programmes, 11 PhD programmes and three post graduate diplomas in the broad areas of agriculture, food science and nutrition, forestry, environmental and geographical sciences. To support its mandate, CAES has eight libraries, 19 research laboratories, six computer laboratories, and one GIS laboratory. The College continues to rank high in excellence in innovative teaching, research and innovations contributing to the realisation of Makerere University’s strategic direction which is oriented on addressing national and global development priorities. Over the years, the faculty at CAES have produced cutting-edge research and innovations that have greatly uplifted the ranking and position of Makerere University. CAES’ publications have grown to 350 per year.
RESEARCH AND INNOVATIONS
CAES continues to undertake basic, strategic and applied research and development in the broader areas of agriculture, food technology and nutrition, forest management and environment and natural resources management.
Focus has mainly been on enhancing farmer-centered approaches, climatesmart agricultural systems, value chain improvement for the achievement of food and nutritional security, livelihood improvement and overall rural development. The college has also pioneered Research and Development (R&D) in biotechnology, integrated pest and disease management, linking producers to markets as well as incubation of innovation for market products as well as informing policy with respect to climate change, disaster risk management and environmental management.
KEY RESEARCH AND INNOVATIONS
The key research innovations generated at CAES that can support government programmes, such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), aimed that transforming societies include;
- Makerere University Soil Test Kit can provide rapid soil assessment which can inform soil requirements to improve soil management, crop yields and incomes for farmers.
- Disease, pest and climate stress tolerant cow peas, and sorghum under the Makerere University Regional Centre for Crop improvement (MaRCCI).
- Drought, disease and high yielding varieties with short maturity periods Mak Soybeans = Maksoy 1N, Maksoy 2N, Maksoy 3N and Namsoy 4M 4Nand 5N and 6N providing an affordable source of protein under the Makerere University Centre for Soybean Improvement and Development (MAKCSID) crop breeding programmes.
- The bio-fertilizer formulations to unlock crop productivity for improved food security.
- Production and promotion of protocols for Banana Tissue Culture for quick multiplication and disease control to improve yields.
- Value addition on Sweet Potato-Sorghum enterprises for improved livelihoods in Uganda.
- Pig artificial insemination and elite genetics to improve farmers’ income.
- Provides alternative source of protein for poultry and fish feeds through rearing blue flies, maggots, and earthworms to supplement silver fish.
- Produced a livestock milk booster from sugarcane industrial wastes to mitigate malnutrition, extreme hunger and poverty through improved milk production, nutrition and improved daily cash flow among farmers.
- Promotion and utilisation of the mobile fruit factory for juice extraction and value addition.
- Developed a three-wheeled multipurpose farmers’ tractor, MV Mulimi- Able to thresh maize, pump water from a depth of 7m to a height of 33m, plough gardens, transport 20 adults and their goods over a reasonable distance, as well as charge a mobile phone.
- Automated the Communal Hand Water Pumps to Eliminate COVID-19 Transmission (Mak-Nayi).
- Green Low-Cost Touch-less Hand wash Technology (TW-20 Kit) for public shared spaces.
- Refractance Window Drying Technology (RWDT) for production of high-quality bio-products. Adapted to common fruits, vegetables and herbs, for example mangoes, pineapple, jackfruit, carrots and moringa.
- Designed and developed an automated spray drier for egg powder production for use in bakery industries of Uganda.
- Testing the KeBERA ICT based solution to detect inorganic contaminants as well as mycotoxins in food.
- Students have been involved in the production of yogurts, value addition to produce snacks from sweet potatoes, bananas and sorghum etc.
- Established a Botanical Garden covering 30 acres at MUARIK. This is one of the College initiatives geared towards the protection, conservation and recreation of ecosystems. The gardens are also used for teaching and research.
- Introduced 24 new sweet potato varieties on the Ugandan Market.
- To improving health service delivery in remote areas of Africa through provision of electricity to health facilities, preservation of medicine, water purification and improvement of hospital room temperatures in remote areas under the Sustainable Off-grid solutions for Pharmacies and Hospitals in Africa (SophiA). Project. .
- Enable implementation of selective breeding of the Black Solder Fly (BSF) for improved livestock feed availability in Kenya and Uganda by generating new knowledge of insect genetics, genomics and phenomics under the FLYGene Project –in partnership with AARHUS University, ICIPE, University of Nairobi, and Marula Proteen Limited, funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Developed a solar-powered cooker – The MakSol Cooker that will greatly increase access to modern zero-emission cooking for off-grid communities. With a battery life of 5 years and 20 years for the solar panels, the cooker comes with seven unique benefits; zero emissions, zero recurring cooking costs, clean cooking, minimal fire outbreak, easy to clean, minimal heat loss to the surrounding and a cool kitchen.
- Promoting consumption of Amaranth (dodo porridge and vegetables) in schools for nutritional security.
- Developed Nutrient-Dense Recipes and Products from Underutilized Crops to Alleviate Malnutrition among HIV/AIDS Infected Persons
- Strengthening the resilience and visibility of peri-urban poultry farmers in Wakiso for better marketing and profitability through feeding, post-harvest handling, value addition and resources recovery.
- Developed a Safe and Efficacious Anti-malarial drug from Traditional medicine.
- CAES is also taking lead in promoting climate smart agriculture as a measure to boost food security.
CAES’S STRATEGIC DIRECTION
In her strategic direction of 2020/2030, Makerere University aspires to become a research-led university and is prioritising graduate training, innovations and entrepreneurship. This means that all activities must be research informed and the training must be learner-centered. It also calls for increased enrolment in graduate programmes. In responding to this aspiration, CAES is transforming its mode of operation in order to stimulate innovativeness and entrepreneurship within learners and faculty. This year, a “Pact” for transformation change at CAES was developed through which we shall be innovative and intentional on transforming into a College, with eff ective and effi cient management systems, adequate supportive infrastructure and highly motivated staff . The staff shall productively engage with stakeholders and produce skilled, entrepreneurial, innovative and work-oriented graduates, able to innovatively respond to challenges, needs and aspirations in the agricultural and environmental sectors. The desired transformation calls for changes in the way we deliver on our mandate. CAES continues to collaborate with national, regional and international partners to support its research and innovation engagements.