The fuel briquettes manual aims to equip young people and the informal sector in general with knowledge of fuel briquettes making from waste and their marketing. This manual has been tested against communities operating through the structure of communal cooperatives in Uganda – the CBS PEWOSA – where members, including young people,

Studies show that in the past 30 years, only about 5% of investments in agricultural research and education has been directed towards preventing postharvest losses (PHLs) in Africa.

Uganda’s largest employer is the agriculture sector, which provides livelihoods for up to 70% of the country’s working population. The sector contributes up to 22% of GDP and 34% of export earnings. The country’s national development blueprint, the 3rd National Development Plan (NDP3), a derivative of the vision 2040, underscores the agriculture sector as the critical pathway to enhance the productivity of Uganda’s economies to middle-income status.

COVID-19 has become an unprecedented and unpredictable global crisis. On 21st March 2020, Uganda reported its first COVID-19 case and this triggered its first lockdown. According to Daily Monitor on June 18, 2021, President Museveni ordered a 42 day lockdown to reduce the rising cases of COVID-19 as the country experienced the second wave of the pandemic1.

Women constitute approximately 50 percent of the agricultural work force in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet they manage plots that are 20 to 30 percent less productive on average. The country-specific extent and determinants of this gender gap are of major importance as a source of income inequality and aggregate productivity loss1.

Globally more than 2.6 billion people still lack access to clean cooking, and household air pollution, primarily from cooking smoke, is responsible for roughly 2.5 million premature deaths each year1. In the past, progress has been very limited compared to electricity access.

Solar drying is one of the most efficient, and cost-effective, renewable, and sustainable technologies to conserve agricultural products in sub-Saharan African countries including Uganda.

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This manual is intended for use in upscaling application of Ecosystems Based Adaptation (EBA) in a market driven approach in Uganda and many other African countries. As such, four fundamental aspects have guided its development.

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall strategy to help people to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change (Seddon et al., 2016). According to Global EBA Fund, Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EBA) harnesses the power of nature to increase the resilience of communities against the escalating impacts of climate change. 

Solar dryer technology can be utilized in small-scale food processing industries for producing hygienic, high-quality food products. Solar dryers use solar radiation to heat air that is used to remove moisture from material placed inside the enclosure.

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Solar drying technology of agri-produce enhance reduction of post-harvest losses in most developing countries. Therefore, solar dryers reduce moisture contents to a level that prevents deterioration within a period of time regarded as the safe storage period. The main aim of this study is to review the efficiency of solar dryer compared to open sun drying.

Agriculture is the core sector of the Ugandan economy and the primary employer, engaging up to 70% of the working population. The sector contributes up to 22% of GDP and 34% of export earnings. The sector is also tagged as the centre of future growth in the country’s high-level development blueprints.