1. AIM
On the stream of the successful experience of the GULUNAP project between the Faculties of Medicine of the University of Naples Federico II and Gulu University, an agreement was signed in 2007 to extend such collaboration to the Faculties of Science and of Agriculture for a three years period.
The main priority needs of the Faculty of Agriculture at Gulu University in its current teaching and research capabilities are outlined here.
Specific objectives are:
– to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries in the training field;
– to adapt the curricula to the needs of the local communities;
– to apply an innovative formative method focused on the student;
– to develop laboratory activities;
– to develop mutual interests into the field of research and training.
The aspirations animating the project are:
– to favour the basic and advanced scientific culture diffusion;
– to contribute to development by enhancing local human resources;
– to contribute to the building of right thinking;
– to develop mutual interests into the field of research and training;
– to transfer know-how and to contribute to create technical and management skills;
– to encourage the integration between the University and the local territory;
– to support Uganda in entering the international circuit of knowledge;
– to experiment a new form of cooperation finalised to an independent growth of the beneficiary country.
2. ACTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE FACULTY AT GULU UNIVERSITY
The Faculty of Agriculture and Environment at Gulu University, started in 2005, is a key player for the equitable development of Uganda, providing the necessary knowledge and skills to stimulate innovation and advancement in the agricultural sector. The programmes of the Faculty are designed to provide an integrated approach to production with a special attention to post-harvest losses, health and safety of a wide range of agricultural products and reduced environmental degradation. Entrepreneurial skills, processing and marketing are being emphasized so that a graduate able to face the challenges of a potential growing agricultural sector is produced. The Faculty offers two programmes of 4-years duration: Bachelor in Agriculture and in Biosystems Engineering. This latter programme was started with a 4-years competitive grant from the Millenium Science Initiative (MSI) Project, funded by the Government of Uganda and the World Bank. Current student population of the Agriculture Faculty is about 200.
3. PRIORITARY NEEDS AT THE AGRICULTURE AND SCIENCE FACULTIES OF GULU UNIVERSITY
Priority should be given to develop collaboration in the following areas:
1- Exchange of academics staff in line with the teaching needs of the Faculties
2- Exchange of students (graduate students, Msc. & PhD)
3- Professional re-qualification of scientific subjects’ in-service teachers of secondary schools in northern Uganda
4- Development of research facilities and activities
5- Development of infrastructures.
3.1 Exchange of academics staff in line with the teaching needs of the Faculties (B.Sc.; M.Sc.)
Currently the three Bachelor programmes need support in teaching activities in many courses.
Each exchange is organized as a 3-4 week visit of Professors from the University of Naples Federico II to Gulu, holding regular class lectures and providing lab-work activities.
In the near future, the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment is planning to offer a post-graduate programme in Post-Harvest technologies and Food safety, which is not available elsewhere in Uganda, and which could benefit from the exchange of teaching experiences from the University of Napoli.
3.2 Exchange of PhD students
It would be extremely important giving continuity in the PhD enrolment at the Agriculture Faculty of the University of Naples Federico II by the staff of the Faculty, with rotating disciplines. Priority could be given to the following topics:
– Post-Harvest technology
– Rainwater harvesting and small scale irrigation development
– Utilisation and management of agricultural wastes for energy production
– Modelling and optimization of variables for solar energy fruit driers
– Food security and bio-fortification of major starch staples
– Marker-assisted biotechnology for improvement of food crops
– International trade and finance for agricultural development
– Agricultural Economics and rural development
– Animal production.
The first MSc. enrolled in the PhD program of the Agriculture Faculty at Naples University has been Eng. Martine Nyeko. Arrived in Naples in January 2008, he has followed the XXIII cycle of the PhD Course on “Improvements and management of agricultural and forestry resources”, with Prof. Guido D’Urso as Tutor and Dr. Walter Immerzeel of Utrecht University (the Netherlands) as co-Tutor. During his PhD course, Martine Nyeko could attend a short course at Wageningen Agricultural University on distributed hydrological modelling. Martine Nyeko has defended his PhD Thesis at the University of Naples on 28thJanuary 2011. The title of the thesis is: LAND USE CHANGES IN ASWA BASIN-NORTHERN UGANDA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINS TO WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT.
Eng. Collins Okello is the second MSc. from Gulu enrolled in the XXVI cycle of the above mentioned PhD course, from April 2011. His research interests are focused on the utilisation of residual biomasses for energy production. The Tutor of Collins Okello is Prof. Lorenzo Boccia.
In addition to exchange of PhD students, the University of Naples will assist Gulu University to develop suitable curricula for the Bach. and M.Sc. programs.
3.3 Development of research facilities and activities
This activity should include as main actions:
– development of demonstration projects, having a two-fold objective -research and transfer of knowledge;
– technical equipment and instrumentations.
Demonstration agricultural projects can act an important role in technology transfer, aiming at encouraging people to engage in commercial farming. Starting projects have been identified in the following areas:
(i) Development of commercial farming in Northern Uganda;
(ii) Food processing and post-harvest pilot plant;
(iii) Utilisation and management of agricultural wastes for energy production.
Basic technical equipment and scientific instrumentations are then needed for collecting and analyzing field data, supporting teaching activities.
These equipments are also critical for the sustainable development of the proposed demonstration projects. Priority is given to the following instrumentations:
– survey and soil sampling
– basic lab equipments for biology, soil chemistry, physics analysis, biotechnology, including microscopes and electrical measurements in different media.
Extension and training equipments are also needed (digital video camera, projector, etc.) and software for statistical analyses and data processing.