During his visit to NARO’s research facilities on January 30th, 2024, Owek. Charles Peter Mayiga, the Prime Minister of Buganda Kingdom, expressed his enthusiasm for the innovative agricultural and livestock technologies on display.
Accompanied by Buganda Kingdom’s Minister of Agriculture and the Chief Executive Officer of Buganda Cultural & Development Foundation (BUCADEF), the Premier visited esteemed institutions like the National Coffee Research Institute, Mukono Zonal Agricultural Development Institute, and National Agricultural Research Laboratories. Notably, it was his first visit to NaLIRRI during his tenure.
During his exploration of NaLIRRI’s facilities, the Premier interacted closely with various research activities, including commercial-level intensive zero-grazing practices, the newly established anti-tick vaccine production facility, and the waste value addition platform. He expressed his admiration for the innovative approaches employed.
In his remarks, the Prime Minister articulated the significance of integrating science and technology into agriculture for maximizing yields, especially amidst a burgeoning population and the imperative to boost food production. He emphasized the importance of disseminating such knowledge to empower communities, enabling them to harness their limited resources effectively. He remarked, “Ours must include science and technology to maximize yields. The population has increased and food production must catch up.”
Dr. Yona Baguma, the Director-General of NARO, echoed the sentiment, urging Buganda to embrace and promote integration initiatives such as coffee-banana-livestock farming. He emphasized, “Buganda can take on zero-grazing where every person can afford to keep one cow at home under intensive zero-grazing and benefit from a system called zero-waste.”
Isaac Kibuuka, Buganda’s Minister of Agriculture, commended NARO’s contributions, stating, “NARO is taking us where we’ve never been. NARO has everything that Buganda needs.” His words reflected the admiration for the comprehensive solutions offered by NARO.
As part of the visit, the Prime Minister was presented with value-added products derived from cow dung through the Zero Waste project. This included mobile bio-gas, biomethane, bioelectricity, bio-briquettes, animal feed, fertilizers, pesticides, detergents, and crop growth media. The Prime Minister remarked, “We appreciate the MoU between us and NARO to ensure that this knowledge is disseminated to people in communities.”
Overall, the visit underscored the vital role of modern agricultural techniques and technological innovation in driving sustainable development and prosperity in Buganda and beyond.