Strengthening Local Institutions
The following are examples of how local institutions are strengthened through CSRL's program in Uganda.
Review of Innovations
Makerere University undertook a state-of-the-art review of innovations project to develop referenced and annotated case studies of social, organization and technological innovations that can serve as starting points for program design and implementation in the Kamuli district and other areas.
Three Makerere graduate students reviewed current research undertaken at universities, national and international research centers in Uganda, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations in Uganda. Each student focused on one of the following areas:
- Agricultural Production, Post-Harvest Storage, Value-Added Processing, and Marketing. Report
- Farmer Field Schools, Farmer Organizations and Associations, and other Participatory Approaches to Development. Report
- Nutrition and Community Health as they relate to Agricultural Production, Post-Harvest Storage, Value-Added Processing, and Marketing. Report
Enhancing the Capabilities of Professionals in Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation
Since Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) is crucial to strengthening the capabilities and assets of rural people, CSRL, Makerere University and VEDCO collaborated to organize annual weeklong PM&E training and field work workshops for VEDCO staff which are facilitated by Makerere and CSRL.
Through the first PM&E workshop, VEDCO staff and the facilitators developed an action plan for the activities in Kamuli district, linked to the objectives of VEDCO's strategic plan for the district. The VEDCO staff also enhanced their existing monitoring and evaluation skills in ways that can benefit their work in districts they serve.
Makerere Lecturers Studying at Iowa State University
Makerere University's (MUK) partnership with CSRL has made it possible for MUK lecturers who are pursuing PhDs to take advantage of the academic resources at Iowa State University in a variety of ways. MUK gives the lecturers the time necessary to complete their studies and then return to their positions at MUK.
The following MUK lecturers in agriculture extension and education are currently studying, or recently studied, at ISU:
- Richard Miiro took a year of advanced studies courses at ISU in 2006 and will complete his PhD at Makerere, with a focus on sustainable and effective farmer organizations.
- Bernard Obaa will begin a PhD in sociology at ISU in January 2007.
- Haroon Sseguya is in the midst of a PhD in sustainable agriculture and sociology from ISU. His dissertation will focus on the effectiveness of farmer groups in livelihood improvement programs.
Willy Ngaka, a lecturer in the Department of Community Education and Extra-Mural Studies, is completing his PhD through the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. He was a visiting scholar at ISU in the spring of 2007 to integrate the sustainable livelihoods approach into his graduate work: "The Role of Literacy in Enhancing Capabilities for Participation in Uganda's Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture: Exploring the Experiences of Rural Subsistence Farmers in Manibe Sub County"
