Irrigation and composting practices to improve Ugandan school gardens - PowerPoint Presentation

1. Irrigation and composting practices to improve Ugandan school gardensJacob Reemtsma1, Horticulture, Theresa Brehm1, Global Resource Systems, AdaMarie Marquez1, Animal Science and Global Resource Systems. Elizabeth Nabbowa2, Agricultural and Rural Innovation, and Moses Kalyango2, Agricultural EngineeringIntroductionUganda is a developing country in Central Africa. The country has two seasons: a rainy season and a dry season. Figure 1 shows annual rainfall. As seen, half of the year receives substantially less rain than the other half. That is why Iowa State University students are currently working together with Makerere University students to improve soil quality and improve irrigation practices at various primary schools. The bi-national collaboration was created to gain a new perspective on agriculture practices as well as improve the current practices. The team worked on making and rebuilding compost pits in primary schools of Nakanyonyi and Namasagali (Figure 2). The team also designed a prototype drip irrigation system to irrigate the fields. In addition the team cleaned cisterns at Nakanyonyi and Namasagali primary schools and the water from those cisterns was used to irrigate tomatoes and sweet potatoes. Lastly, the team developed a questionnaire to get a baseline idea of what the locals know about agriculture and the effectiveness of their practices. The Iowa State Uganda Program works hard toward developing the status of the current primary schools as well as provide food for the pupils. Materials and MethodsQuestionnaireA questionnaire was developed in order to assess knowledge of pupils and teachers are about compostingThe questionnaire has been developed and is available for distributionCompost PitsLocations of old compost pits were identifiedTrash was removed from the identified sitesLayers of plants (carbon) and manure (nitrogen) was added to pits Water is then applied to the pits to promote decompositionFinished compost then is applied to the crops to improve soilCleaning CisternsCisterns at primary schools of Namasagali and Nakanyonyi were severely contaminatedClean water is paramount to human health as well as growing cropsCisterns were cleaned using African hoes and a mechanical pumpCisterns now are used to provide water for pupils and cropDrip Irrigation PrototypeDrip irrigation is a system that delivers water to the crop in small increments over time A schematic was made for a proposed drip irrigation systemResultsQuestionnaire A draft for a questionnaire was written and proofed by administration but has not yet been administered to any community members, primary school staff or studentsCompost pitsCompost pits were renovated at both primary schools, Namasagali and Nakanyonyi Compost pits provide fertile soil for the gardensGardens are used to provide produce for the pupilsThe team worked in school gardens to tend and harvest the cropsCleaning Cisterns Cisterns were successfully cleaned for irrigation purposesThe crops were irrigated via pump and hose with the water from the cleaned cisternsDrip IrrigationDrip irrigation schematic has not yet been tested due to high up front cost Acknowledgements: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and Iowa State University – Uganda Program Jerry and Karen Kolschowsky and the Kolschowsky Family and Foundation; Rose Boughton; Tom and Terri MillerRecommendationsAlternative hydroponic system for irrigation- replace manual irrigation with low cost, less labor intensive option such as slab and bag hydroponic systemWater storage- increase water storage for primary schools to use for agriculture and communityQuestionnaire implantation- communicate to pupils and staff at primary schools about compost pitsLiterature Cited1. Offices, UNMA's et al. "Latest News." 2018, http://www.unma.go.ug/index.php/media-centre/latest-news.2. "Uganda Weather & Climate (+ Climate Chart)." Safaribookings.Com, 2018, https://www.safaribookings.com/uganda/climate.Irrigation and composting practices to improve Ugandan school gardensJacob Reemtsma1, Theresa Brehm1, Ada Marie Marquez1, Elizabeth Nabbowa2, and Moses Kalyango2, 1Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA 2Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda Figure 1 Annual Rainfall in UgandaFigure 2 Compost pit in primary schoolConclusionIn conclusion, I am proud to say I am apart of a caring and generous program that enables Iowa State students and Makerere students the ability to work together toward a better tomorrow. In the future I hope this great program continues and students gain more interest in service learning. As well as more opportunities like this for students and community members. I am also proud to have had the opportunity to be able to work with the primary school children in the classroom and in the fields, it was quite an honor.