Browsing by Author "Kalule, S.W."

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    Conceptualizing the Student-Centered Outreach Model for experiential learning and community transformation
    (African Journal of Rural Development, 2016-12) Kalule, S.W.; Odongo, W.; Kule, E.; Ndyomugyenyi, E.K.; Omara, P.; Ongeng, D.
    A dominant discourse in higher education has widely called for reviewing, redesigning and alignment of the curricula to suit the current and future skills demands in the labour market. In response, universities have over time been repositioning themselves to develop practical approaches to produce graduates with skills relevant to the job market. One such approach is the Student-Centered Outreach (S-C-O) model conceived and run at Gulu University in Uganda. However, little is known about the S-C-O model and thus this paper sought to develop and present a conceptual framework that underpins the functioning of the model. The structural set-up of the framework shows that students are centrally positioned between the faculty and the community. A key resource connecting the actors in the S-C-O model is knowledge which is gained through learning that takes place from either the top or bottom side of the S-C-O model and integrating feedback to close the learning loop. Examination of the implementation of the S-C-O model reveals that the model realizes three important outcomes: (i) enhancing experiential learning, (ii) promoting university linkage with the community, and (iii) enhancing transformation of the farming practices. The need for further studies as part of a process to develop an empirical methodology for examining the impacts of this outreach model remains apparent.
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    Pig value chain in Uganda: Considering smallholders’ functional upgrading prospects
    (The RUFORUM Sixth Biennial Regional Conference, 2018-10-22) Mugonya, J.; Kalule, S.W.; Ndyomugyenyi, K.E.
    Pig production and marketing have the potential to accelerate Uganda’s economic development through the improvement of the family welfare of smallholder farmers and provision of employment. However, this potential is undermined by systemic market barriers which include limited access to market information, poor market linkages, and inadequate access to inputs and extension services. These challenges notwithstanding, pork consumption has been on the rise in recent decades and Uganda has the highest pork consumption per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa. There have been notable efforts by the Government and development partners to curb constraints in the pig value chain; nonetheless, these interventions are yet to deliver the target development objective. The value chain is still undeveloped with poorly organized informal markets in which most farmers sell live pigs to local butchers or to town-based traders. Farmers hardly engage in slaughtering or processing of pig products or make any off-farm efforts of searching for the best markets. As a result, they are reduced to ‘price takers’ being taken advantage of by middlemen who pay very low prices for the pigs, recline the live weight of animals and sometimes do not pay on time. Value chain functional upgrading has been suggested to be a remedy that would enable farmers to not only capture more value but also spread risks. This review, therefore, sought to evaluate the existing knowledge on pig value chain functional upgrading in Uganda and draw conclusions with a potential to shape policy, civil society advocacy and future research directions. It was established that some farmers are already engaged in pig value chain functional upgrading and demonstrated good attitude towards for improving the pig value chain. The study recommends that farmers engage more in the functional upgrading of the pig value chain so as to realize reduced production costs per unit of output which in turn results in improved farm profitability.
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    University-induced innovations for nurturing farm based micro-enterprises: Experiences from engaging with refugee hosting contexts
    (African Journal of Rural Development,, 2023-03) Odongo, W.; Elolu, S.; Akite, I.; Ongeng, D.; Kalule, S.W.
    ABSTRACT The linear approach of technology transfer is widely criticized for being non-responsive to the development needs of the marginalized and vulnerable communities. As such, universities have been urged to play an active role, within their community engagement mandate, in facilitating inclusive innovation. Accordingly, this papers uses experiences gained while facilitating the development of farm based micro-enterprises in refugee and host communities of West Nile in Uganda to show how university community engagement can be harnessed to facilitate an inclusive innovation system. An analysis in this paper reveals that the interface structures of community engagement models namely: The Student-Centered Outreach and the Student Enterprise Scheme with supervision from faculty-staff, and together with community leadership, facilitate successful university-community interactions, learning and innovation. We highlight that stimulating sustainable innovations in marginalized communities is dependent on how the interventions are packaged. Further, active engagement of marginalized communities in decision-making does not only give beneficiaries opportunity to contribute and own the development process but also enables the University to learn community challenges for appropriate response.