This document provides an outline and background information for a project being conducted by Uganda Christian University. The project aims to improve post-harvest handling and preservation of indigenous vegetables in Uganda to increase their shelf life and consumption. It involves identifying vegetable varieties and technologies to prolong shelf life, analyzing the vegetable value chain, and strengthening capacities of actors to link supply and demand of value-added indigenous vegetables. The project team is conducting research, farmer participatory activities, and trainings to achieve the goals of identifying appropriate varieties, technologies, and delivery pathways.

1. Outline
• Brief Background on Uganda Christian
University
• Afri-Sol network
• The PAEPARD CRFII project
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY www.ucu.ac.ug

2. Map of Uganda
Uganda Christian University
Kampala
Democratic Republic
of Congo
Kenya
Tanzania
Rwanda
Southern
Sudan
For more see http://www.ucu.ac.ug

3. Background
• The Department hosts Afri-SOL (affiliated
to SOLGenomics)
• A network of African researchers/
stakeholders with interest in indigenous
African Solanaceae species
• For more info: www.afri-sol.org
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY www.ucu.ac.ug

4. Research Interests
• Afri-SOL is undertaking whole genome sequencing
(WGS) and assembly of Solanum aethiopicum. S.
aethiopicum is an important vegetable widely
cultivated and utilized in most African countries.
• The African Orphan Crops Consortium
(http://www.mars.com/global/african-orphan-
crops.aspx)
• The resulting data will be added in the global
genomics and later used in molecular breeding
programs.
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY www.ucu.ac.ug

5. Enhancing nutrition security and incomes
through adding value to indigenous
vegetables in East and Central Uganda

6. A typical vegetable value chain
Gilo group
Shum group
S. anguivii
Plate of cooked veges
Typical market scenarios in Uganda
Source: http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au; database.prota.org/PROTAhtml/Solanum%20aethiopicum_En.htm

7. Introduction
• In SSA, the amounts of vegetable
consummed are a meagre 27- 114kg/
person/year1
• Post harvest losses contribute to over 40%
losses in fresh produce
• A reduction in food losses could have an
immediate and significant impact on small
farmers’ livelihoods.
1. WHO. 2005. Patterns and determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption in sub saharan
Africa: a multiple comparison

8. General objective
To improve post harvest handling and
preservation of African indigenous vegetables
(especially Solanaceae sp) in order to
prolong their shelf life and hence increase
their consumption in nutritionally vulnerable
populations while increasing revenue of
those engaged in their production.

9. Specific objectives
1. Better knowledge of indigenous vegetable
varieties with prolonged shelflife.
2. Increased knowledge about technologies
and processes for prolonging shelflife of
indigenous vegetables.
3. Better understanding of efficient delivery
pathways for value added indigenous
vegetables to end-markets.

10. Research Questions & Methods
Question 1: Are there some indigenous
vegetable landraces that have good post-
harvest qualities?
Method: Through a farmer participatory
method, establish a collection and characterize
it for post-harvest deterioration. The collection
will be used to develop on-farm varietal line
purification systems to enhance farmers'
germplasm.

11. Research Questions & Methods
Question 2: Are there technologies that can
prolong shelflife of indigenous vegetables?
Method: Investigate processes and
technologies which slow down the deterioration
of indigenous African vegetables after harvest.

12. Research Questions & Methods
Question 3: Who are the potential actors in the
value chain and how can their capacities be
strengthened to effectively link demand of vegetables
to supply?
Method:
1. Conduct a Value chain analysis to identify potential
actors and assess challenges, opportunities and
intervention points
2. Pilot linkages between suppliers of value added
indigenous vegetables with end markets.

13. Research Questions & Methods
Question 4: Do communities and vegetable
entrepreneurs (farmers, traders, transporters and
processors) have the knowledge, skills and
capacity to prolong shelflife of indigenous
vegetables?
Methods:
1. Production of information products.
2. Awareness campaigns on importance of
indigenous vegetables in diets.
3. Establishment of a network for information
sharing.

14. Proposed project results
Result 1: Varieties of indigenous vegetables with
longer shelflife and processing potential identified
and profiled.
Result 2: Appropriate post harvest handling
mechanisms/technologies and processing for
indigenous vegetables adopted.
Result 3: Appropriate delivery pathways of value-
added indigenous vegetables established.
Result 4: Information sharing mechanisms on
utilisation of indigenous vegetables established.

15. Project team & Workpackages
Name Role in the project
1. Dr Elizabeth
Kizito
(UCU)
 Head of the project
 Leader of collection and characterisation of indigenous
vegetables with desired traits
 Develop seed purification systems
2. Dr Michael
Masanza
(UCU)
 Deputy head of the project
 Characterisation, adaptation and adoption of post-harvest
technologies for prolonging shelflife of indigenous vegetables
3. Dr Agnes
Namutebi
(UCU)
 Lead the process of validation and adaptation of processing
technologies and methods for prolonging shelflife of indigenous
vegetables
4. Dr John Jagwe
(FARMGAIN)
 Lead the supply and demand analyses of value added
indigenous vegetables from potential suppliers to end markets.
5. Dr Apolo
Kasharu
(CHAIN)
 Lead the participation of farmers in validating technologies and
methods for prolonging shelflife of indigenous vegetables
6. Dr Debbie
Rees
(NRI)
 Provide technical support on post-harvest technologies and
strategies to extend the shelflife of indigenous vegetables.

16. Progress

17. RRAs and germplasm collection

18. Characterization of collected
germplasm

19. Other progress
• The twenty farmer groups have been
identified in the 2 regions (east and central
Uganda)
• Baseline studies on livelihoods, production
systems, processing and marketing completed
• Benchmarking visit to the European partner,
NRI in March 2015

20. Other partnering stakeholders
• CABI- development of the seed system
• RUFORUM-Capacity building of a PhD student
• Humidtropics Cluster 4 project

21. Way forward
• Field & Lab research in characterization, post
harvest processes and technologies
• Participatory Selection & testing with farmers
-Vegetables with good post harvest qualities
- Best technologies and practices
• Capacity building: Farmer & value chain
stakeholders trainings

22. SILENT HUNGER
GONE