NARL achievements in Period 1 Activities Conducted, & Perspectives Main Author(s): NOWAKUNDA Kephas, National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) - National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NARL), Uganda Collaborator(s): • IITA, Uganda • CIP • Bioversity International PARTNER Summary During the period November, 2017 to November 2018, NARL participated in project inception and planning meetings in Cameroun, WP1methodology development training in Benin aimed at harmonizing sampling approaches, pretesting tools, role plays for focus groups, data analysis and final report writing. NARL together with Bioversity also completed the review of state of knowledge for WP1 and WP2 (Reports are uploaded on the RTBfoods platform). NARL also successfully hosted and participated in the sensory panel training workshop, led by CIRAD. The training equipped NARL together with Diversity have also completed farm-level end-user preference profiling surveys under WP1( summary table submitted to work package leader) and are in process of scanning and uploading questionnaires and FGD reports to RTBfoods platform). NARL has also recruited a socio-economics Msc student (Ms Moreen Asasira), attached to Makerere University, whose thesis will contribute to the understanding of traits preferred by market and urban based value chain actors such as retail traders, restaurant operators and consumers. The student has completed her research proposal and is currently working on data collection tools. Also, an Msc student (Mr. Nelson Willy Kisenyi) attacked to Kyambogo University will contribute to the laboratory characterization and quantification of consumer preferred traits under WP2. He is shared between NARL and Bioversity International. NARL has successfully coordinated with IITA-Uganda, NaCCRI, Boiversity International and CIP to implement RTBfoods activities, through sharing personnel and equipment such as the NIRS, which has helped us to cope with budget limitations. During the period 2, NARL will continue to work closely with IIT-NARO Breeding better bananas project, Bioversity International, CIP and NaCRRI. All the activities planned for period 1 were completed. PARTNER activities The RTBfoods NARL-Uganda team focuses on cooking banana (matooke) and contributes to activities under WP1,WP2 and WP5. WP1 activities include(1) state of knowledge (SoK) review, (2) participating in joint capacity strengthening and building common methodologies development, (3) generating gendered knowledge of food consumption habits and preferences by user group, (4) community-based RTBfoods processing and/or preparation diagnosis and (5) consumer taste tests in rural and urban market segments. Activities 1 and 2 were completed and activities 3 and 4 are on-going while activity five is planned for next year. In Uganda, CIP, NARL and Bioversity teams operate jointly as one project implementation team. - NARL Synthesis for Period 1 - 1 WP2 activities include (1) constituting sensory panel and conducting sensory characterization of matooke (2) biophysical and chemical analysis of selected components. These activities will be conducted in collaboration with NaCRRI-Uganda, IITA-Uganda and the Melinda and Bill Gates supported Breeding Better bananas project in East Africa. Data generated will be used to calibrate NIRS and tested on ability to screen matooke genotypes (WP5) for end-user acceptable hybrids. WP5 involves on-farm participatory evaluation of promising genotypes using tools developed in above WPs. All the activities under WP5 will be implemented in collaboration with the IITA-NARO Breeding better bananas project and the National Bananas Research Programme. NARL also supports CIP with Food Science expertise in Uganda while CIP supports also supports NARL with gender expertise. The RTBfoods team also serves as the post harvest team for the Melinda and Bill Gates supported Breeding Better bananas project in East Africa. During period 1, NARL organized and hosted the sensory panel training workshop in Uganda. The training workshop was conducted by CIRAD and attended by participants from RTBfoods project partners – CIP, IITA, NRCRI,CNRA, CARBAP, Bowen University, UAC-FSA-Benin, NaCCRI, Bioversity International and NARL-Uganda. The training equipped partners with skills in sensory panels recruitment, training and conducting various types of sensory evaluation experiments. PARTNER geographic implementation / strategy The RTBfoods (cooking banana) activities will be implemented in North (Gulu), Central (Luwero) and Western (Mbarara) regions of Uganda. The sites for implementation were selected to take advantage and link into on-going IITA-NARO, Bioversity International and the National Banana Research Programmes’ activities on breeding, germplasm evaluation and promotion of new hybrids in the county. PARTNER Product Profile participation NARL is involved in matooke and Sweet potatoes product profile. The NARL team provides the food science expertise to both CIP and Bioversity International in Uganda. - NARL Synthesis for Period 1 - 2 PARTNER Personnel involved &Students activities During period 1, the following persons were involved in the meetings and training activities supported under RTBfoods project: Name Activity (1) Moses Matovu, Inception meeting in Cameroun (2) Kenneth Akankwasa (3) Kephas Nowakunda (1) Edgar Tinyiro WP1 Training in Benin (2)Kenneth Akankwasa (1) Edgar Tinyiro Sensory Panel training in Uganda (2) Elizabeth Khakasa (3) Mose Matovu (4) Gloria Aguti (5) Moreen Asasira (1) Kenneth Akankwasa Breeding Better Bananas Collaboration meeting (2) Kephas Nowakunda in Arusha (1) Kephas Nowakunda Collaboration meeting in Moscow: The following persons were involved in various project activities including WP1 tools development, tools pre-testing, data correction, cleaning and entry. A group of scientists and research assistants led by a socio-economist, Dr. Kenneth Akankwasa is implementing WP1 activities in collaboration with Bioversity International and CIP. The CIP team provides gender backstopping to the Bioversity and NARL teams while the NARL teams provide Food science and socio-economic backstopping to the group. The groups includes David Serunjogi, Prossy Namuli, Sarah Kisakye, Marion Byonanebye, Ronald katwaaza, Loyce Twikirize, Jane Bagoya, Lakeris Nabigaba, Mpiriwe Innocent all participating in field data correction. These assistants work in the field together with senior staff and members of the NARL RTBfoods teams including Dr. Kenneth Akankwasa (Socio-economist), Elizabeth Khakasa (Food Scientist) and Gloria Aguti (Post harvest), Kephas Nowakunda (Food Scientist and overall coordinator). The following persons were involved in state of knowledge review for WP1 and WP2. Kenneth Akankwasa, Priscilla Maremo and Moreen Asasira (WP1 SOK), While Kephas Nowakunda reviewed WP2 SOK. - NARL Synthesis for Period 1 - 3 List of Students involved in RTBfoods activities in Period 1: NAME Master Subject Title University Fellowship Fellowship Tutor(s) in Surname Student or of Starting Ending RTBfoods PhD or affiliation Date date project Post-Doc Moureen Master Consumer Makerere September, September, K. Akankwasa Asasira student preference University 2018 2019 K. Nowakunda for cooking banana traits in Uganda. A case of urban consumers. Nelson Master Kyambogo Jan, 2019 Jan, 2020 Kephas Willy Student University Nowakunda Kisenyi Moses matovu Priscilla Maremo PARTNER Travels: Participation to RTBfoods meetings & International Events on RTBfoods budget (For more accuracy you can refer to: Tab “3b) TRAVEL COSTS” of Partner Financial Report) Number of RTBfoods meetings International / Dates People or List of Regional Conferences NAMES 3 Kick-off meeting in 22-28 Jan, 2018 Cameroun 2 WP1 training in Benin 15-26 April, 2018 2 Breeding Better 23-25 April, 2018 Bananas PARTNER Capital Equipment or investment (co-investments) During period 1, NARL purchased a pick truck (delivered) and is currently being used to facilitate field activities under WP1. NARL has also procured a texture analyzer (delivered) and a Fume hood (to be delivered in January, 2019), both key in biophysical and chemical analyses. - NARL Synthesis for Period 1 - 4 PARTNER Training participations (within RTBfoods framework and other trainings) Training Title / Topic WP concerned (if Country Dates List of Participants training within NAMES RTBfoods framework) Field data collection WP1 Benini 15-26 April, 2018 1. Edgar Tinyiro tools and 2. K. Akankwasa methodologies Sensory Panel Training WP 1 and 2 Uganda 16-22 September, 1. E. Khakasa 2019 2. G. Aguti 3. M. Asasira 4. E. Tinyiro 5. M. Matovu PARTNER Sub-awards& Consultants N/A PARTNER Other Sources of Support for RTBfoods activities Breeding Better Bananas supported a WP1 team member to participate in the BBB meeting. PARTNER List of Publications, Conference communications, Manuals, Leaflets, Posters, etc. None yet PARTNER Gaps & Constraints faced The budgets are limited. It is difficult to remain within stipulated budget lines or else activities cannot be implemented to completion. We shall try to cope by linking the RTBfoods activities with the Bill and Melinda Gates supported activities under NARO and IITA plus collaboration with partner institutions, IITA, Bioversity and CIP wherever possible. PARTNER Perspective &Internal organization for Period 2 During period 2, NARL team will continue to work with CIP, Bioversity, IITA and NaCRRI to cope with limited financial resource. The partners try to implement activities together wherever possible. We envisage and recommend more streamed coordination between WPs and product champions. - NARL Synthesis for Period 1 - 5 .