Browsing by Author "Walakira, John K."

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    Effect of phosphorus-based fertilizer on groundnut yield and incidence of groundnut rosette disease in West Nile Region of Uganda
    (African Journals Online, 2023) Abaca, Alex; Odama, Emmanuel; Komakech, Alfred; Kassim, Sadik; Walakira, John K.
    The objective of this study was to establish the effects of Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer micro-dosing on yields and the incidence of groundnut rosette disease (GRD) on five groundnut varieties in West Nile region of Uganda. The field experimental design used in this study was 5x2 factorial laid in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates per location across 6 locations. The results indicated that there were significant (p = 0.05) differences in groundnuts yields across locations and varieties (0.554 – 1.742 tons per hectare) with or without micro-dosing with DAP fertilizer. The effects of DAP fertilizer micro-dosing in groundnut production were twofold: increase in yields across locations from 427.27kg/acre with no micro-dosing to 525.73kg/acre with micro-dosing (23.04% increment) and varieties from 420.46kg/acre with no micro-dosing to 529.71kg/acre with micro-dosing (13.77% increment); and a reduction of groundnut rosette virus disease incidence across locations from 15.13% with no micro-dosing to 11.20 with micro-dosing (27.76% reduction) and on varieties from 15.08% with no micro-dosing to 11.82% with micro-dosing (34.62% reduction). This is the first report of a prospective DAP fertilizer micro-dosing alongside other improved agronomic practices which can be integrated fully into groundnut production in West Nile region of Uganda. To manage yields and GRD incidences, micro-dosing of crops should be taken as a climate smart technology as identified by Food and Agricultural Organization.
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    Prospects for aquaculture development in Africa :
    (Center for Development Research (ZEF), 2022-01) Hinrichsen, Etienne; Walakira, John K.; Langi, Sandra; Ibrahim, Nabil Ahmad; Tarus, Victoria; Badmus, Olanrewaju; Baumüller, Heike
    African aquaculture production has gradually increased over the years, but progress is still slow. Given large variations between African countries with regard to the availability of water, the macro-economic context, access to capture fisheries resources and other factors, the performance of African countries in aquaculture cannot be considered only by absolute production levels or contribution to GDP. Additional indicators must be considered that also take into account the role of aquaculture as a source of food supply as well as other macro-economic variables, such as population size and natural resource endowment. To this end, relevant data were collected for 54 African countries covering a range of indicators, drawing on existing data collections of the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The need for development of the sector and its potentials are identified by assessing African countries’ performance with regard to the role of aquaculture as a source of food supply, absolute and per capita production volumes and values (including changes over time), and the economic importance of the sector. The contribution of aquaculture to national fish supply is highest in Egypt. Lesotho features second in this indicator, but much of the production is targeted at the export market as confirmed by the low level of per capita fish supply. The greatest gap between per capita fish supply and average African fish supply was recorded for Ethiopia (followed by Guinea-Bissau and Sudan). Egypt also leads African aquaculture in terms of absolute production volumes and value (followed by Nigeria). In 2018, Egypt’s production was more than twice the total production of all the remaining African countries put together. In terms of production growth rates over the past decade, however, other countries stand out, including Rwanda, Burundi, Lesotho and Benin, albeit starting from a low base. Lesotho, South Africa and Mauritius lead in the value of production per tonne due to the cultivation of a number of high-value species for export. In terms of the economic importance of the aquaculture sector, its contribution to GDP is highest in Egypt, followed somewhat surprisingly by Lesotho, a country in which there was no aquaculture a mere two decades ago and where today the sector is a significant earner of foreign currency. Egypt also leads with regard to output relative to available renewable water resources (followed by Uganda). The study outlines a number of policy and investment priorities to support the growth of a sustainable, climate-resilient and equitable aquaculture sector in Africa as an integral part of food systems. Particular attention should be paid to engaging and building the capacities of small-scale actors in this sector to contribute to local food security, employment and income generation.
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    Scaling aquaculture for food security and employment in Africa – Insights from Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria
    (Center for Development Research, 2023-06) Walakira, John K.; Hinrichsen, Etienne; Tarus, Victoria; Langi, Sandra; Ibrahim, Nabil Ahmad; Badmus, Olanrewaju; Aziz, Andrew; Baumüller, Heike
    Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector in the world and now accounts for more than half of the fish consumed globally. However, the sector in Africa remains in its infancy, with the notable exception of Egypt, one of the world’s largest producers. This paper provides a thorough analysis of the sector in the selected countries of Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria to help identify investment and policy priorities that can sustainably advance aquaculture across Africa to boost income and employment, rural development and food security. The analysis focuses on nine themes to ensure a comprehensive overview of the sector and to better understand the relative strengths and weaknesses in each country: sector trends, national policy frameworks, government institutions, natural resources to support aquaculture, sector-specific innovation, feed and seed, market access, public-private partnerships, and sectoral impacts. With these in mind, the paper provides a series of recommendations for African policymakers and investors aimed at improving sectoral development across the continent. Among other factors, the recommendations highlight the need to not only increase productive capacity but also linkages to markets and consumers, adopt national policies that provide targeted support to high-potential areas, increase local research capacities and scaling of research results, decentralize seed and feed production for improved access, and promote sustainably produced fish as a promising source of animal-derived protein.