A team from the USJA led by the chairperson William Odinga Balikuddembe met the top Management of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) on June 10, 2008 and they discussed among other issues the National Science Week, the President’s Science award and the Uganda Conference for Science Communication 2008. They pledged to promote the events as well as the communication of science in the country.br>
Dr Peter Ndemere, the Executive Secretary of the UNCST said: “Poverty, disease and ignorance were issues of the 1960s but are still high on the agenda. One of the missing links is communication.”
The Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) will hold a Media/Scientist workshop May 30, 2008, at Hotel Equatorial in Kampala.
Workshop objectives include: reinforcing the relationship between the media, scientists and the Academy, examining appropriate and effective approaches to communicating scientific information in Uganda, strengthening the media’s understanding of technical, scientific information, and developing dialogue between scientists and the media.
The entire membership of Uganda Science Journalists Association is saddened with the untimely death of one of its members Samuel Wossita who passed away in a motor accident on Saturday 19, 2008 at Nyendo along the Kampala – Masaka highway.
Until his death, Mr. Wossita, was working with The Daily Monitor newspaper as their education and sports reporter. And was also the General Secretary of USJA.
USJA Chairman Mr. William Odinga Balikudembe expressed grief about the death of Sam as the late was popularly known by USJA members. Mr. Odinga said: "Wossita was full of zeal which is what made him a special person. It is very painful to lose him. He has been a hardworking member of USJA. He has left a big gap in the USJA"
And on his part, USJA patron Mr. Patrick Luganda said: "I have received the devastating news of the death of our brother. My condolences to the media fraternity especially to all science journalists in Uganda."
Wossita was survived by a widow and three children.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
The chairperson of the Uganda Science Journalists Association (USJA), William Odinga Balikuddembe, has announced that the association is organizing a major science communication conference in Uganda to be held in November 2008.
He made the announcement in Doha-Qatar on February 6th, 2008, while addressing a meeting of trainees and trainers in science journalism under the World Federation of Science Journalists’ (WFSJ) Science Journalism Cooperation (SjCOOP) project
The conference, dubbed “the Uganda Conference for Science Communication,” will be the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa and will be held once every two years.
It will bring together journalists, scientists, researchers, communication experts and other stakeholders from different parts of the world to discuss the development of science and science communication in Uganda, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the world in general.
The conference will give scientists an opportunity to exhibit their work and help in fostering the interaction of scientists and journalists.
The conference is being supported by the WFSJ and the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW).
Conference details to follow.
by Henry Lutaaya
Like many things that are rapidly changing in Buganda, the long held tradition of growing and eating matooke (plantain) is on a sure path into oblivion, unless some drastic measures are put in place, researchers have warned.
The declining production of matooke in Uganda’s central region over the past few decades has largely been due to poor farming methods which have depleted soil fertility, according to Dr. Andrew Kiggundu, a senior researcher at Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute.
Dr. Kiggundu, who heads the biotechnology laboratory at Kawanda, said: “People were asking why bananas do not flourish in Buganda the way they used to and instead the western region is now leading in banana production.
“Our research shows that mature and infertile soils can no longer support banana production the way they used to some years ago.” He added that research done by other institutions indicates that soils in tropical areas such as Uganda are fast losing fertility.
Kiggundu warned: “Unless farmers learn to nourish their soils, the country is facing a serious problem of lack of sufficient food.” Agriculture is the bedrock of Uganda’s economy. It employs over 80% of the population, majority of whom are poor and vulnerable subsistence farmers.
But its not that farmers are totally ignorant about the need to nourish their soils, Kiggundu observed. “During our research we found that some people were actually aware that practices such as mulching and application of organic manure were important in ensuring good and sustainable production of bananas. And when we asked them why they were not doing it (mulching), they would not give a convincing answer.”
The researchers also observed that agricultural commercialisation has had a huge toll on the growing of a number of products especially those that are not commercially viable. Farmers, thus, have lost the diversity which used to help ensure good nutrition.
As the soils have matured, pests and weevils have also multiplied to accelerate disappearance of some crops.
In the recent past banana growers have had to battle an avalanche of bacterial and fungal infections such as nematodes and the disastrous Black Sigatoka.
Scientists at Kawanda and other researchers are in laboratories trying to come up with varieties of crops that can withstand diseases, perform better in poor soils, as well as withstand droughts.
On top of its food values, matoke is engrained in the cultures of some communities such as the Baganda. And it could surprise many that the species eaten as food in Uganda are found only in East Africa. These species are known as East African Highland bananas.
The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) -- the umbrella body for all agricultural research work in the country -- has over the past couple of years released varieties of bogoya (banana), cassava, millet, mangoes among several other crops that perform better than traditional varieties.
USJA members Patrick Luganda and Esther Nakkazi have been recognized for their role in the development of an on-line course for science journalists. They received certificates on February 4th, 2008, during the launch of the course in Doha-Qatar.
The course is among the World Federation of Science Journalists’ (WFSJ) activities to develop science journalism around the world.
The first eight lessons are being made public on the WFSJ website www.wfsj.com in English, French and Arabic. Science journalists, trainers and students are invited to make use of the online lessons, and to send feedback to the editors, Julie Clayton (Julie.clayton@scidev.net) or Jan Lublinski (lublinski@aol.com).
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UGANDA'S PIONEER GMs FLOURISHING AT KAWANDA