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498: Integrating Sustainability and Environmental Design in an African Architecture Curriculum:
(Passive and Low Energy Architecture, 2008-10-28) Olweny, Mark R. O.
While the majority of Ugandans live in energy poverty, contemporary architecture in the country is for the most part energy inefficient. Progress and development is shown through the inclusion of air-conditioners, while choices made in the construction of buildings ignore concerns about the wider environmental context in which architecture is situated. Although architects in Uganda are aware of sustainability and environmental issues and the need for strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings, the ability to translate information into built form is limited by the fact that many have not been given the appropriate tools to apply this information in the local context. The introduction to environmental and sustainable issues for many architects in Uganda has been through the traditional mode, in which environmental issues were presented as ‘addon’ courses, delivered by ‘specialists’, in independent lecture sessions, with little if any attempt made to integrate this knowledge into design projects. The design studio viewed as a place for aesthetic exploration, with technical and environmental issues regarded as an impediment to this. Introducing Sustainability and Environmental design into the curriculum as an integrated component in the design studio is an important strategy to enabling graduating architects to make decisions concerning sustainability and environmental design as part of the design process, rather than as an add on extra. Over the past three years, the School of the Built Environment at the Uganda Martyrs University has transformed its curriculum in an effort to make the architecture curriculum more responsive to environmental concerns. The new integrated curriculum sought to make sustainability and environmental design integral to the design studio in an effort to address growing environmental concerns in Uganda. This paper presents outcomes of these studios as well as reporting on feedback from students who have been through the programme.
The African Centre of Agro-Ecology and Livelihood Systems (ACALISE):
(The World Bank, 2016-10-17) Mwine, Julius
Africa in general and East Africa in particular is faced with problems of low production and productivity, little or no value addition to the few products but also lack of ethical values in management of business. These overarching problems have of late been compounded by effects of climate change, all of which have made peoples’ livelihoods a dilemma. It is no doubt therefore that Agricultural research and technology development, which is a component of the agricultural production and productivity enhancement intervention, is fundamental for enhanced agricultural sector growth and performance. To generate high returns of investment, each link in the production and value chains of agricultural enterprises needs to be accompanied by effective agricultural research and technology generation programs. Well-designed innovation systems with a component of climate smart initiative like Agro-ecology and endowed with ethical values will help to generate the desired shift from the present poverty cycle to better livelihoods. This will eventually bring in the aspect of sustainability that has been glaringly lacking in African/small scale enterprises.
Architecture and Urbanism in the Global South
(2012) Olweny, Mark R. O.
As we enter the second decade of the current millennium, we find ourselves in a world where the majority of humanity resides in urban areas. As urbanisation continues, we can pose questions about the future of these urban areas and the decisions that need to be taken to ensure that these centres are sustainable into the future. There is increased interest in urban areas of the Global South. They could, arguably, be viewed as efficient and sustainable, not entirely by design, but by default, brought about by circumstances unique to them. This state of affairs is fast changing as many urban areas take on the architecture and urban infrastructure that changes the way people live and work, and consequently may impact on their future viability as well as their sustainability. The state of architecture and urbanism in the Global South presents us with a unique opportunity to evaluate global challenges related to urban sustainability from a new perspective. Are there lessons for architects, landscape architects and urban designers alike, based not on the ensuing debate revolving around the here and now, but rather, the needs of the next generation, and future of architecture and urbanism? Can there be a productive transfer of best practice principles between different cities across the globe? The ever-increasing number of inter-country exchange programmes, studio projects, and design-build projects set in the Global South, from India, to South America and across Africa, suggest that there are lessons that can be taught and learnt. These projects, set to help urban and rural societies with infrastructure and technological transfer, also aid the transfer of knowledge back to the participants, related to sustainable futures at different scales - from individual buildings to the district and urban-scales. As we think of the nature of urban areas across the globe, how can we ensure they are sustainable into the future? How can the rapid growth of urban areas in the Global South, often erratic and based on unsustainable practices and principles, seek to avoid the inevitable negative consequences of such growth? Further still, what lessons from the Global South would be useful to cities in the Global North?
Architecture as Environment: perceptions on gender and community as determinants of comfort and energy use in buildings
(Network for Comfort and Energy Use in Buildings, 2011-09-23) Ndibwami, Alex
This paper investigates the extent to which notions of gender and community are expressed and promoted through materiality, spatial quality and passive design as a way to promote comfort and efficient energy use. Generally, comfort and efficient energy use may be achieved as a result of: (i) familiarity and ownership; (ii) beauty, security, safety, privacy, autonomy and interactive spaces, and; (iii) appropriate lighting, ventilation and indoor-outdoor links. Contrary to the biased/myopic sentiments that it is about women–their domestic, political, spiritual and societal role, gender is used as a springboard to promote a more community oriented agenda and consequently how the built environment ought to be shaped in that regard.
Assessment of Somali refugees’ wellbeing: The centrality of the human needs
(2015-09) Balyejjusa, Moses Senkosi
There is a substantial body of literature on psychological wellbeing of refugees in psychology, especially in relation to refugee acculturation. However, very little research has been carried out on refugee wellbeing by assessing refugees’ objective conditions of living. This paper seeks to bridge this gap by evaluating the satisfaction of the human needs of Somali refugees in Kampala, Uganda. Drawing on data from thirty-six individual in-depth interviews and seven focus group discussions with seventy Somali refugee and twenty-two Ugandan study participants living in Kisenyi slum, the paper shows that the study participants assessed the satisfaction of seven objective elements. They include peace and security, housing, education, health care, financial security, food and employment. These objective elements can be seen to represent human needs when analysed in relation to Len Doyal and Ian Gough’s (1991) theory of human need formulation. Specifically the objective elements are similar in some respect to Doyal and Gough’s identified intermediate needs of physical security, nutritional food and safe water, economic security, protective housing, appropriate education, appropriate health care and a non-hazardous work environment. Doyal and Gough (1991) maintain that their identified needs equate to functionings such as being nourished, healthy, literate and numerate (educated), sheltered, clothed, etc under the capability approach. The study participants assessed some Somali refugees as having adequate satisfaction of these objective elements while others as having inadequate satisfaction. Further, the Ugandan study participants evaluated the satisfaction of the elements more positively while the Somali refugee participants evaluated the satisfaction more negatively. In this paper I argue that this is the case because of the differences in Somali refugees’ financial resources and social support, a comparison of Somali refugees’ life situation in Kampala vis-à-vis their previous life situation in Somalia, a comparison of Ugandans’ life situation with Somali refugees’ life situation, and the non-discriminatory and accepting host environment. Refugees with more financial resources and stronger social support have their human needs such as housing, food, health care, education, employment and financial security adequately satisfied while refugees with fewer financial resources and weak social support have their needs inadequately satisfied. The financial resources are mainly from the small and medium scale business enterprises owned by Somali refugees in Kisenyi while the social support is mainly in form of financial remittances from relatives and friends from industrialised or developed countries. In addition to financial resources and mutual social support, the non-discriminatory and accepting attitudes and behaviours of Ugandans resulted in the satisfaction of the human needs of housing, education, peace and security, and employment of this category of Somali refugees. The positive evaluation of the satisfaction of Somali refugees’ needs of housing, education, food and financial security by Ugandans is because most Ugandans living in Kisenyi are in a poorer financial position than Somali refugees. On the other hand, Somali refugees’ negative evaluation of the satisfaction of their needs is due to Somali refugees comparing their better conditions of living in Somalia before the outbreak of the civil war with their conditions of living in Kisenyi. The findings of the study suggest that financial resources, social support and a non-discriminatory and accepting host environment are instrumentally important in promoting Somali refugees’ wellbeing since they guarantee adequate satisfaction of the human needs of Somali refugees. I therefore conclude by noting that having means to financial resources and a non-discriminatory and accepting host environment are fundamental in promoting and guaranteeing refugees’ wellbeing in general and Somali refugees in particular.
Best Practice in Environmental and Sustainable Architecture
(2006) Olweny, Mark R. O.; Sebbowa, Shem
Sustainability as a concept has been around for centuries. Writing by Vitruvius over two millennia ago emphasised the need to harmonise architecture with nature. (Vitruvius 1914) Throughout the ancient world – in Africa the Americas, Asia and Europe – it was possible to find evidence of human adaptations to the influence of the sun. In New Mexico we find cave dwellings - hillside shelters utilising the constant ground temperatures to maintain a satisfactory level of thermal comfort, while in the humid tropics of Indonesia, breeze houses are the norm. In Africa we see variations, from the thick walled huts of Southern Africa – a response to the cool temperate climates of the higher latitudes - to the more breezy huts of central Uganda, while the Bedouin of the Arabian Desert use the simplest of elements – a sheet of cloth - to keep cool or warm in the dessert. These responses enabled our ancestors to survive in climates that were in some cases anything but hospitable. The use of the term ‘Sustainability’ in connection with the built environment is more recent; first arising in a publication entitled “World Conservation Strategy”, published in 1980 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (Steele, 2005). It was however not till the publication of a publication “Our Common Future” by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987 that the concept of sustainable development truly came to the forefront. Central to the findings of the Commission was the concept of Sustainability, defined as being development “…that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (World Commission on Environment & Development, 1987, p8). Since the publication of “Our Common Future” report, there had been a concerted effort to engage built environment professionals, policy makers and the public in debate to get sustainability and environmentally responsible principles on the table as a worthy discourse. While for the most part the basis for legislation has been put in place - in Uganda the existence of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is testament to this effort - there are still fundamental problems that prevent the implementation of environmental sustainable principles on the ground. Most important is a general lack of awareness of the pertinent issues, and even more significant is the lack of readily available contextual information. Further, with all the institutional instruments in place – at least on paper, the degree of implementation is and will continue to be extremely low. This is partly because of the fact that it is easy to set down rules governing professional activity, but it is an entirely different matter, making people aware of the issues, and in establishing standards of excellence, put simply codes do not motivate people to act. (Collier, 2005). The purpose of this paper is twofold:- Firstly to shed light on the basic concepts of passive solar architecture, environmental design and sustainability in the context of Uganda. This will be taken from the point of view of ethical, sociocultural, professional and technological issues which highlight the complexities of sustainable architecture, but more importantly putting it in the context of the Ugandan situation; Secondly to showcase examples from Uganda where these practices have or are being implemented with existing technology and resources; - Thirdly, it will highlight some pertinent issues that need to be addressed in order to increase the awareness of passive solar architecture and sustainable design in Uganda.
Beyond Rule of Thumb: Kindling Environmental Design Education in East Africa
(The Architectural Science Association (ANZAScA), Australia, 2013) Olweny, Mark R. O.
Acknowledging the importance and relevance of Environ-mental Sustainable Design (ESD) has kindled a shift in contemporary architecture education, with schools of architecture incorporate ESD as components of programmes: in specific course units; as electives; or in some cases transforming entire programmes, placing ESD at the core of architecture curricula. While this would seem to be a positive development, it is evident that this is not always matched with a change in teaching. This paper looks at the use of Rules-of-Thumb in teaching ESD in architecture education, as a possible problem or hindrance to the application of ESD principles in architectural design. The reliance on Rules-of-Thumb as the basis for teaching (and learn-ing) ESD principles fails to recognise developments in the field and associated complexities associated with this. Going beyond the Rules-of-Thumb approach, may be key to engaging students (and fac-ulty) in discourse on ESD as part of architecture education. It could be a basis for exploring context and engaging students in contextual de-sign as a generator of both ideas and information. Through some examples, some of these opportunities will be explored as a way to go beyond Rules-of-Thumb, to stimulate ESD education in East Africa.
Characterising entrants into the University system in Uganda
(Association for Educational Assessment in Africa, 2011) Nshemereirwe, Connie V.
The Inter-University Council of East Africa, together with the National Higher Education Quality Assurance bodies of the East African countries, has been developing a joint quality assurance framework for Higher Education in the region. Among the objectives of this framework is improved student mobility, as well as bridging the gap between disparate educational systems. A key quality concern for Ugandan Higher Education is the validity of the scores from the high stakes Advanced Level examinations, upon which Universities largely base their admission. The study that I will report on is part of a wider PhD study investigating the predictive validity of the A-Level scores of entrants‟ success at University. I will focus on the preliminary study that seeks to characterise the University entrant in terms of their knowledge and skill base as reflected by their A-Level subject combinations and grades. The study was carried out at two public and six private universities in Uganda, and focused on three study programmes: Development Studies, Information Technology and Business Administration. The major outcome of this study is to identify the subjects that University entrants study at A-Level, and their scores in the final examination. This will form a basis for the follow-up study to determine the predictive validity of entry scores with relation to performance at University; this validity is expected to be variable, and my thesis is that it will depend greatly on the specific teaching and examination practices at the entrants‟ previous high schools; the follow-up study will focus on these schools.
Child Soldiers or War Affected Children? Why the Formerly Abducted Children of Northern Uganda are not Child Soldiers
(2014) Angucia, Margaret
In many places around the globe, over many centuries, adults have forcibly involved children in war. In more recent times, these forcibly involved children have come to be collectively referred to as ‘child soldiers’, in an attempt to address the crises that these children experience within war conditions. However, recent ¢eld experiences from northern Uganda show that children, formerly abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army, as well as the community they return to, do not consider themselves as soldiers. This paper explains the reasons why the children reject this categorization prefer to be regarded as war a¡ected. This paper concludes with the warning that erroneouscategorisation of war a¡ected children mightin£uence, and/or undermine, the electiveness of targeted intervention programmes.
Compliance and Service Delivery Case Study of Local Government Procurement Units in Uganda
(International Public Procurement conference, 2007) Mbabazi, Tadeo; Karuhanga, Bernadette; Mukokoma, Maurice
This study assessed level of compliance to the procurement law, and how it affects road works delivery cost, time, and quality. The World Bank estimates that 10-15 percent (US$ 100 million) of the US $700 Ugandan government channels through the public procurement system, gets wasted due to failure to impose sanctions for violations of the procurement rules. The National Public Procurement Integrity Baseline Survey (2006) estimates an 18 – 24 billion dollars budget loss due to procurement related fraud at LG. Reports by the inspector general of government, and the auditor general for 2007 and 2008 give prominent cases of procurement related fraud. It is these evidences that prompted the researchers to conduct this study. A combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed to collect and analyze the data. Various samples were created using Morgan and Kraije (1970) system. The findings portray a moderate level (70%) of compliance to the law. And a weak relationship between compliance and timeliness (r = .13, p = .57), cost (r = .38, p .63), and quality (r = .18, p = .49)
Conserving 20th century historic places and buildings of Jinja (Uganda) through environmentally sustainable adaptive reuse
(Universidade da Coruña, 2020) Wako, Anthony Kalimungabo
Conserving 20th Century Historic Places and Buildings of Jinja (Uganda) Through Environmentally Sustainable Adaptive Reuse - Dialnet Ayuda ¿En qué podemos ayudarle? × Buscar en la ayuda Buscar Consultar la ayuda ¿En qué podemos ayudarle? × Buscar en la ayuda Buscar Consultar la ayuda Ir al contenido Dialnet Buscar Revistas Tesis Congresos Ayuda Conserving 20th Century Historic Places and Buildings of Jinja (Uganda) Through Environmentally Sustainable Adaptive Reuse Autores: Anthony Kalimungabo Wako Localización: Planning Post Carbon Cities: 35th PLEA Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, A Coruña, 1st-3rd September 2020: Proceedings / Jorge Rodríguez-Álvarez ( ed. lit. ), Joana Carla Soares Goncalves ( ed. lit. ), Vol. 1, 2020 (Technical Articles), ISBN 978-84-9749-794-7, págs. 480-486 Idioma: inglés Enlaces Texto Completo Volumen …
A democratic political order after violence:
(East African Journal of Peace and Human Rights, 2015) Tshimba, David-Ngendo
This article delves into the predicaments of elections after violent armed conflicts as a means to rebuild broken political structures and restore a democratic political order. The article acknowledges that elections are not a guarantee for order and stability in the aftermath of political violence. Many examples of electoral engineering in post-Cold War Africa have fallen short of meaningful political reconstruction. The article proceeds with an analysis of the case of 'electocracy', the quest for a democratic dispensation through the sole path of popular elections, in the post-war Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) based on the 2006 and 2011 general elections. The article suggests that the need to conduct general elections should not take pre-eminence on the political to-do list of priorities facing a post-violence country such as today's DRC. Instead, the article argues for political institutionalization through socially emancipating politics. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract, edited]
Effect of corncob biochar on selected soil chemical properties and performance of maize
(Ecological Organic Agriculture - Growing Sustainability, 2023-03-30) Muli, Gideon; Apori, Samuel
Introduction - A study was conducted to investigate the effect of corncob biochar or its combination with farmyard manure compost or NPK fertilizer on selected soil chemical properties and maize growth and yield on a ferralitic soil in Central Uganda. Methodology - A field experiment was carried out with biochar treatment at 10 tons/ha or co-applied with FYM compost at 10 tons/ha and NPK fertilizer. The test crop was maize variety DH 04. It involved six treatments( Control, Biochar, FYM compost, NPK, Biochar+ FYM compost and Biochar+ NPK) within a period of two seasons and used Complete Randomized Block (CBD) experimental design. Results & Discussion - In season 1, the soil pH was 5.2 at the control and 5.78 after biochar application. Solely applied corncob biochar increased the soil pH by 0.58 units compared with the control. In season 2, the pH ranged between 5.2 at control to 6.05 solely applied biochar. The solely applied biochar increased the soil pH by 0.85 units compared with the control. Biochar combined with farmyard manure compost recorded a soil pH of 5.97 while solely applied biochar recorded a soil pH of 6.05, a difference of 0.08 units. During season one, the soil organic carbon differed significantly (P <0.01) after the treatment application. The SOC varied from 1.58% at the control to 1.91 % at solely applied biochar treatment. In the second season, the SOC ranged between 1.5% at the control to 1.98% at biochar treatment. This means that biochar addition increased the SOC by 0.48 units. Biochar combined with farmyard manure compost recorded a SOC of 2.31 while solely applied biochar recorded a SOC of 1.98. During the first season, the maize yield ranged from 4625 to 9475kg/ha. There was a significant (P<0.01) difference among the recorded average total weights within the treatments. Biochar combined with NPK treatment recorded the highest average total weight of 9475kgs while the control recorded the least average total weight of 4625kgs. During the second cropping season, the maize yield differed significantly (P<0.001) ranging from 3325 to 8550kgs/ha. Biochar combined with NPK treatment recorded the highest average total weight of 8550kgs while the control recorded the least weight of 3325kgs. The maize yield registered an increment in the two cropping seasons. This can be attributed to biochar’s im-provement of base cation retention in the rooting zone (Palansooriya et al., 2019). Biochar also acts as a soil conditioner which improves water holding capacity and enhances soil nutrient retention (Mensah et al., 2018). Conclusion - This study demonstrated that solely applied corncob biochar or in combination with farmyard manure compost or NPK avails the potential to enhance soil pH, soil organic carbon, available phosphorus, soil Nitrogen and exchangeable bases (K+, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Na2+). Moreover, it improves the growth and yield of maize crop. These findings indicate that solely applied corncob biochar or in combination with farmyard manure compost or NPK can be used to improve maize yield which contributes to food security enhancement in the wake of climate change.
Effect of sisal (Agave Sisalana) and sweet thorn (Acacia Karroo) ethno-medicinal extracts on prevalence of selected pests and diseases in assila F1 tomato Variety
(Ecological Organic Agriculture - Growing Sustainability, 2023-03-30) Maganda, Farouk; Acero, Miria; Byalebeka, John; Ssekandi, Joseph; Murongo, Marius Fabian
Introduction - This study compared the efficacy of sisal (Agave sisalana) and sweet thorn (Acacia karroo)ethno-medicinal extracts on prevalence of selected pests and diseases in Assila F1 tomato variety was carried out in order to provide cheap and safe alternative in controlling tomato pests and diseases. Methodology - A 13x13m complete randomized block design with nine replicates was used to determine the prevalence of tomato pests and diseases. The assessment was done at organic demonstration site of Uganda martyrs university using three treatments; sisal extracts, sweet thorn extracts and control. Healthy tender leaves of sisal and sweet thorn were harvested and 10kgs of each treatment were measured and chopped into small piece, crushed then 5litres water was added. The prepared mixtures were then shaken and sprayed uniformly onto the tomato plants in the plots to which they were assigned to at a 4 days interval starting from one to eight weeks 8interval after transplanting for 8 times. Meanwhile control plants were not sprayed. Each replicate had 20 plants and 10 plants were selected for data collection in each replicate. Agronomic traits were evaluated by measuring plant height, stem girth,leaf length,leaf width, leaf length using ametre rule. Final fruit yield was measured by weighing mature tomatoestomatoes. Pests were assessed as follows; whiteflies were assessed by counting the adult white flies. Aphids were assessed using a pest scoring scale of 0-5;African bollow worm is assessed using a scoring scale of 1-5. Disease severity was assessed as below; early blight and late blight severity was assessed using ascale of 1-4 .Bacterial spot severity was scored using the scale of 1-6 and then powdery mildew severity was estimated using a disease scoring scale of 0-5. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) at(P<0.05) was carried and means were compared using LSD. Results & Discussion - The results of the study indicated thet there was significant (P<0.05)diferences recorded between sisal and sweet thorn ethno medicinal extracts for pest prevalence. The lower mean for white flies (0.78), tomato fruit borer (1.3) and aphids (0.86) and red spider mites(0.3) prevalenece score were recorded for sisal ethno medicinal extracts than sweet thorn extracts but lower than the control plots. There was significant differences (P<0.05) observed between of application of sisal and sweet thorn ethno medicinal extracts for disease prevalence. The lower mean for early blight (1.1), late blight (1.6), bacterial spot (1.1)and powedery mildew severity (1.8) severity scores were recorded for sweet thorn ethno-medicinal extracts than sisal extracts but lower than the control plots. The results of the study revealed that application of sisal extracts significantly (P<0.05) increased plant height, stem girth, leaf length, leaf width and final fruit yield. Application of sisal and sweet thorn ethno- medicinal extracts significantly (P<0.05) showed an effect on the yield components and yield of tomatoes. The higher final
Effects of selected concentrations of Bidens pilosa on the production and productivity of the black soldier fly (Hermetiaillucens) larvae
(Ecological Organic Agriculture - Growing Sustainability, 2023-03) Khainza, Jane
Introduction- BSF ( Hermetia illucens) are small harmless insects belonging to the sub family of Hermetiinae. They are native to the American continent but has now spread to the rest of the world. These insects have been found to possess the potential in providing promising solutions to the modern agriculture’s growing problems. Much as it is a good alternative to the use of silver fish as protein animal feed however it’s feeding had remained a threat to food security since most farmers were feeding it on maize bran and left over human foods. This had limited it’s adoption by local farmers living in a developing country like Uganda whose citizens struggle to get what they eat. According to Paz et at., 2015, BSFL are saprophogous at the larval stage and therefore have the ability to feed on various products including vegetables. Meanwhile Bidens pilosa is a notorious weed which when fermented provided an alternative feed to the saprophytic BSF larvae. However the effect different concentrations Bidens pilosa had on the production and productivity of BSF larvae remained questionable thus hence the call for the study. Methodology - The study was carried out in Mpigi district, Nkozi sub county in Central Uganda. The study employed a complete randomised research design which involved an intensive analysis of research variables. Different ratios of feeds and water were used, that is 3kgs of feed substrate mixed with 3litres of water (1:1), 3kgs of feed substrate mixed with 6litres of water (1:2) and 6kgs of substrate mixed with 3litres of water (2:1) as treatments R1, R3 and R2 respectively. The study used used a sample size of 100 BSF larvae from every treatment for every week. The larvae were randomly selected for data collection. The growth parameters were measured each week on the selected larvae, the yield parameter measurements were collected at the end of the four weeks. Results & Discussion - There was a high significant (P<0.05) difference in the growth parameters ( larvae length and larvae circumfer-ence) in the treatments R3 and R1 compared to the R2 treatments. The highest average larvae length and larvae circumference was observed in R3 followed by R1 and then R2 which had the least larvae length. This was so because feed substrate that was originally solid was converted to liquid slurry before ingestion. A high signif-icant (P<0.05) effect was observed in the larvae mass weight for the different feeding ratios where R3 showed the highest mass weight. Conclusion - The study found out that a ratio with more water than the feed substrate is more effective for attraction and breeding of the BSF larvae. It was concluded that the selected concentration of Bidens pilosa had an effect on the production and productivity of the BSF larvae and therefore the amount of water added to Bidens pilosa as a feed substrate should be considered so as to maximize profits. This study provides base line information for future development of Bidens pilosa as a feed substrate to BSF larvae.
Efficacy Of eucalyptus ash (Eucalyptus Globules L) on the tomatoes’ (Solunum Lycoperscum) shelf life under room temperature storage conditions In Central Uganda
(Ecological Organic Agriculture - Growing Sustainability, 2023-03) Tumwizere, Collin; Kalanzi, Keefa; Murongo, Marius Fabian
Introduction - The cultivated tomato, (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the world’s most highly consumed vegetable due to its status as a basic ingredient in a large variety of raw (Wu et al., 2022), cooked or processed foods. It belongs to the family Solanaceae, (Lima et al., 2022) which includes several other commercially important species. Tomato is grown worldwide for local use or as an export crop. In 2014, the global area cultivated with tomato was 5 million hectares with a production of 171 million tons (Camara et al., 2022), the major tomato-producing countries being the People’s Republic of China (hereafter “China”) and India (FAOSTAT, 2017). Tomatoes can be grown in a variety of geographical zones in open fields or greenhouses, and the fruit can be harvested by manual or mechanical means (Masetti et al., 2020). Methodology - he researcher used a Completely Randomized Block Design which was a plan, strategy and investigation structure in a certain element, so this was used as a tool for obtaining the answers to research questions and problems. This was used in obtaining an operational plan in executing a few required steps for completing the research and ensures that the chosen research design was as sufficient and adequate as possible for seeking the authentic findings, answering the objective of the study and pointing sharply on research questions. The treatment which was replicated into three different quantities; this treatment was eucalyptus ash under measurements of 0.5g, 1g and 1.5g and the control where no ash was added to the tomatoes. Results & Discussion - Analysis of variance showed that different quantities of eucalyptus ash based storage media significantly (P<0.05) influenced decay percentage in stored tomatoes (Table 2 and Figure 4). The results indicated that the first two weeks of storage and data collection, tomatoes stored in the different eucalyptus ash based storage media showed no significant differences (P<0.00) in decay percentage. The results also indicated that the different eucalyptus ash based storage media and control gave the same decay percentage of 0.00% in week one and week two. This could be attributed to the fact that in the first two weeks, tomatoes had not fully under gone physiological changes which can lead to rotting. On another hand, in the first two weeks of storage, tomatoes had not yet started losing water to the surrounding which could favor microbial attack. The results indicated that tomatoes stored in 1.5kg of eucalyptus ash gave the lowest significant (P<0.00 and <0.003) decay percentage of 7% and 79% in week three and eleven of data collection respectively. The results further indicated that there were no significant differences in same weeks among tomatoes stored in1.5kg of eucalyptus ash for instance in week three and four which gave a decay percentage of Conclusion - It was concluded that 1.5 kg of eucalyptus ash gave the lowest decay of tomatoes, this further gave the lowest weight loss and also the lowest level of softness of the tomatoes.
Embodied energy of the common wood fired brick.
(The Architectural Science Association, 2017) Olweny, Mark R. O.; Ndibwami, Alex; Ahimbisibwe, Achilles
With calls for environmentally conscious building design and construction on the increase across East Africa, the need to better appreciate the environmental credentials of commonly used materials has become a priority.Lack of in‐depth studies of Embodied Energy (EE) and Green House Gas (GHG) emissions related to the construction industry can be attributed to a variety of factors, most notably, the ad hoc nature of the industry in the region. Of interest for this study is the EE of the most commonly used material for domestic construction, the wood fired brick.Manufactured close to sources of heavy clays or laterite soils, these bricks are fired on site in traditional scove kilns, making use of wood fuel to bake the bricks.Regarded as a cheap material and used in virtually all construction, little is known of their structural integrity, embodied energy values or the emissions stemming from the manufacturing process.Through an investigation of a selection of kilns in the central region of Uganda, the manufacturing process of the bricks was tracked and documented, making use of the inputs‐outputs method to determine the EE of the final brick product. The findings of this study suggest relatively high Embodied Energy value for these bricks with a value of 4.26MJ/kg.While burning wood in this case could be considered carbon neutral, the broader impact from Green House Gas emissions as a result of this method of brick manufacture still needs to be explored.This also raises concerns for the potential growth in materials to support the growing demand for housing over the next few decades.
Embracing values beyond the Financial Value:
(2015-10) Kabiito, Bendicto
The dominant discourse upholds an idea that accumulated financial capital (money) can reliably address climate change challenges. What is often neglected is the fact that since the current trends of climate change is blamable on money-making human enterprises; the ability of the product of such enterprises (liquid capital/money) to address the environmental and climate consequences they create is put in question. The big question to be addressed by this study is; can a bad master (towards climate) be a good servant (towards its re-address)? This study attempts to challenge a dominant modernistic-capitalistic tendency of thinking that money and technology can and will resolve all problems of the world! In this study, climate change is viewed as closely linked to environmental destruction by the modernistic practices of capitalism and consumerism, which seek to indiscriminately convert natural resources into consumable articles. Herewith, ‘capitalistic’ development (in its extremist tone) is viewed as predatory to natural environment, the inventor of consumerism and a master-minder of climate change. In many cultures of the world, environmental conservation is/was communal responsibility and a cultural/ religious requirement. In the current global order, though, money is the driving force, even of climate change redress work! Even tree planting work (a conservation dimension) is largely done as a business endeavour. Africa needs to look beyond the monetary gains for values of vitality; to stop replacing forests and swamps with factories. Industrialists need to learn that increasing the amount of money dedicated to climate change, without decreasing carbon emission and the sacking in raw materials from the environment is no solution. I herewith caution that finances should not be the driving force behind climate change redress, but a desirable companion to uphold higher environmental value.
Environmental Sustainable Design and Energy Efficiency in Architecture Education in East Africa
(2013) Olweny, Mark R. O.
The inclusion of Environmental Sustainable Design (ESD) in architectural education is an important paradigmatic shift for contemporary architecture education, in view of growing concerns for Energy Efficiency (EE) and Green House Gas (GHG) emissions attributed to the building industry. Schools of architecture across the world have undertaken to incorporate ESD as components of programmes: in specific course units; as electives; or in some cases transformed entire programmes to place ESD at the core of the curriculum. For architecture schools seeking recognition and validation through the CAA for instance, it is now essential that they demonstrate inclusion, or at the very least show a move towards incorporating ESD into the curriculum. This paper reports on a study carried out on architectural education in East Africa. It took in all schools of architecture in the region: Kenya (Nairobi University & Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology); Rwanda (Kigali Institute of Science and Technology); Tanzania (Ardhi University), and; Uganda (Makerere University & Uganda Martyrs University). The study sought to review the state of architectural education in the region in order to appreciate how architecture education is responding to the contemporary challenges and opportunities related to ESD and EE in the education of architects. With architectural education viewed as a primary conduit for the transmission of architectural culture, how is architecture education in East Africa responding to these challenges and opportunities?
Establishing the State of Practice about Data Standards in Monitoring Healthcare Interventions for HIV in Uganda’s EMR-based Health Information Systems
(Science and Technology Publications, 2021-01) Kiwanuka, Achilles; Bagyendera, Moses; Wamema, Joseph; Alunyu, Andrew; Amiyo, Mercy; Kambugu, Andrew; Nabukenya, Josephine
Electronic Health Information Systems (EHIS) in Uganda are characterised by inaccessibility to reliable, timely and integrated data for effectively monitoring and tracking continuity of care for people living with HIV, exacerbated by disparate, fragmented EHIS in varying health system levels that are not interoperable and lack common data standards. In order for data to be comparable, there has to be uniformity in terms of standards that are employed in a uniform manner in all data management processes. In this study, we established the state of current practice regarding data and interoperability standards in monitoring and evaluating healthcare interventions for HIV in Uganda’s EMR-based health information systems. The study findings indicate that there are scanty practices and/or implementation of the eHealth standards (data and interoperability), and limited to noncompliance of monitoring these standards in the implementation of the HIV healthcare interventions. Accordingly, our study recommendations point to the need of designing data and interoperability frameworks to provide for the specific set of standards, protocols, procedures, best practices and policies for eHealth standardisation in Uganda’s health system.

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