• Login
    View Item 
    •   Mak IR Home
    • Conferences and Workshops
    • Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Development in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
    • View Item
    •   Mak IR Home
    • Conferences and Workshops
    • Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Development in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Positioning rural women agri-entrepreneurs to address short-term hunger and undernutrition in rural primary schools in Uganda

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Working paper (246.4Kb)
    Date
    2016
    Author
    Ongeng, D.
    Mugonola, B.
    Mayanja, C.
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Short-term hunger and under nutrition is a key development challenge that has continued to undermine efforts to improve enrolment, retention and acquisition of basic academic skills by children in primary schools in developing countries, with schools in rural areas worst affected compared to those in urban centres. Poor socioeconomic conditions, lack of proper food handling technologies and the requisite technical know-how in economically disadvantaged rural areas make it impossible for schools in such locations to provide affordable nutritious conventional diets that are accessible to schools in economically advantaged urban centres. This situation provides opportunity for agri-innovations that can offer cheaper alternative nutritious foods tailored to rural schools. In response to this challenge, the Graduate Research Grant project “innovations to enhance rural women agri-entrepreneurs to participate in the cassava value chain in North and North-Eastern Uganda” was conceived and implemented by a consortium composed of Gulu University, rural women groups and primary schools in North and North-Eastern Uganda. Graduate students working with rural women cassava processing groups: (i) improved the protein and mineral content of gari cassava meal to match the protein and micronutrient needs of school children; (ii) evaluated acceptability of the products in rural primary schools; and (iii) assessed preconditions necessary for rural women groups to engage in production of nutritionally-improved gari for rural primary school food market. The nutritionally improved gari products were accepted by school children and teachers thus indicating ready market for the products. Exposure to new processing technologies through training, alternative off-farm income sources, Household size as a proxy for labour, group membership as proxy for social capital and distance to markets were identified as preconditions necessary for rural women to invest in production, processing and marketing of nutritionally improved gari for rural primary school food markets. This study therefore illustrates how participatory action research can be used to tailor agribusiness innovations to address community nutrition problems in developing countries.
    URI
    http://repository.ruforum.org
    http://hdl.handle.net/10570/5733
    Collections
    • Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Development in Agriculture (RUFORUM)

    DSpace 5.8 copyright © Makerere University 
    Contact Us | Send Feedback
    Theme by 
    Atmire NV
     

     

    Browse

    All of Mak IRCommunities & CollectionsTitlesAuthorsBy AdvisorBy Issue DateSubjectsBy TypeThis CollectionTitlesAuthorsBy AdvisorBy Issue DateSubjectsBy Type

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    DSpace 5.8 copyright © Makerere University 
    Contact Us | Send Feedback
    Theme by 
    Atmire NV