African Researchers Magazine (ISSN: 2714-2787) – premier source for latest African research, science and scholarly news

Tag: value chain

  • Sustainable Wood-Based Value Chains in Uganda: FAO and EU Launch €15M Project

    Sustainable Wood-Based Value Chains in Uganda: FAO and EU Launch €15M Project

    The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the European Union (EU), has announced the launch of a new 15 million euro ($16.29 million) project to promote sustainable practices in Uganda’s forestry sector. This five-year initiative, named “Sustainable Wood-Based Value Chains in Uganda,” aims to improve the contribution of Uganda’s forestry sector to both its economy and environment by ensuring a sustainable supply of legal wood raw materials from planted forests. The initiative also seeks to enhance the processing capacity and market demand for wood products and improve access to affordable finance.

    Uganda’s forests face significant threats from encroachment, deforestation, illegal timber logging, and forest degradation. Forested land has been reduced from nearly a quarter of the country’s total area in 1990 to just 13 percent in 2017. The project will address these challenges by promoting better practices and more efficient processing facilities to enhance the quality and value of planted forests.

    The EU’s commitment to supporting Uganda’s forestry sector is evident in the project, which aligns with the goals of the EU-Government of Uganda (GOU) Forest Partnership. This collaboration focuses on enhancing value addition to forestry resources, reducing environmental degradation, mitigating climate change, and improving the sustainable utilization of natural resources for economic growth and livelihood security.

    To achieve economies of scale, the project will work to aggregate smallholder tree farmers and wood processors, facilitating their integration into a cohesive value chain. This approach will also involve providing financial literacy and business management support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the wood sector, while connecting them with the financial sector.

    The initiative also emphasizes the importance of transitioning Uganda towards a carbon-neutral economy by combating illegal timber trade, which causes substantial losses in tax revenue and contributes to deforestation. By supporting sustainable wood-based value chains, the project aims to incentivize the maintenance and expansion of forest assets, promote women’s economic empowerment, and enhance livelihoods.

    Through upgrading value chains, the project will ensure the forestry sector can absorb the anticipated increase in wood production in the coming years, providing additional employment opportunities and income while supporting sustainable practices over illegal logging.

    FAO’s Forestry division oversees more than 200 projects across 80 countries, including the global initiative “Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable World” (SW4SW), which aligns with the goals of the Uganda project. FAO’s expertise in the sector will contribute to the success of the initiative, working alongside the EU, the Government of Uganda, and other partners to support sustainable economic growth and environmental conservation in the region.

  • August 2023: Dr Mirriam Makungwe – African Female Researcher of the Month

    August 2023: Dr Mirriam Makungwe – African Female Researcher of the Month

    African Researchers Award
    August 2023: Dr Mirriam Makungwe – African Female Researcher of the Month

    Mirriam Makungwe is a seasoned professional with a Ph.D. in Integrated Soil Fertility Management from the University of Zambia. Currently serving as a Research Officer at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), she brings over 12 years of hands-on experience in the agricultural sector, specializing in collaborating with smallholder farmers to implement strategic initiatives that tackle challenges within agriculture and food systems.

    Mirriam’s career aspiration revolves around becoming a pivotal figure in enhancing food security. She aims to achieve this by conducting cutting-edge research that centers on the application of spatial modeling of soil fertility data. Her research aims to offer solutions that significantly elevate the quality of life and health of rural communities.

    In 2022, Mirriam Makungwe clinched the coveted 2022 CSC Research Output Stream award. This prestigious recognition was bestowed upon her for her groundbreaking article, “Assessing Land Suitability for Rainfed Paddy Rice Production in Zambia,” published in Geoderma Regional. As a distinguished 2019 Split-site Scholar from Zambia, she successfully attained a Ph.D. in Integrated Soil Fertility Management from both the University of Nottingham and the University of Zambia.

    Mirriam’s research addresses the pressing issue of low agricultural productivity, a critical barrier to achieving food security and fostering rural prosperity in Zambia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Her article fills a crucial gap by evaluating the suitability of Zambia’s land for cultivating rice, specifically rainfed paddy rice. This research not only benefits farmers but also informs policymakers, the private sector, and researchers along the value chain.

    Her study outcomes have led her to delve deeper into researching alternative rice crops, specifically irrigated and upland rice production. Encouragingly, her findings indicate promising potential for irrigated upland rice production in Zambia. These discoveries hold the potential to support Zambia’s National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS) and bolster rice crop production models in the Zambezi region.

    Mirriam’s research endeavors were undertaken during her Commonwealth Split-site Scholarship at the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences and the Future Food Beacon. She actively contributed to the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) under the Sustainability Nexus Research Cluster and Ecosystem Management and Services Program (SNR/ESM).

    In acknowledgment of her research contributions, Mirriam earned recognition as a One Planet Laureate Candidate by African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). This distinction is part of a three-year career development program aimed at cultivating a network of scientific leaders committed to pioneering research that aids Africa’s smallholder farmers in adapting to a changing climate.

    Following the completion of her Ph.D. in April 2022, Mirriam secured an Innovative Metrics and Methods for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Her research for this fellowship entails evaluating Zinc supply in staple crops and soil across diverse soil types in Zambia.

    Currently, Mirriam is a Research Officer at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), specializing in Innovation Scaling. She’s an active member of Zambian Women in Agricultural Research and Development (ZaWARD) and serves as an Africademics Scholarship Ambassador. Her research aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 12, as well as the CSC Development Theme Science and technology for development.

    Mirriam Makungwe, based in Zambia, also contributes her expertise as an Agricultural Water Resource Management and Horticulture Expert at NIRAS International Consulting. Armed with a Ph.D. and Master’s degree in Integrated Soil Fertility Management from the University of Zambia, she has garnered several prestigious scholarships, including the Commonwealth split-site scholarship, the One Planet fellowship by AWARD, and the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) scholarship.