Her PhD research aimed to identify the organic matter management (OMM) strategies and cropping systems with the underlying socio-economic conditions that can increase food production through a serious improvement in soil fertility on smallholder farms. These smallholder farms are characterized by soil nutrient depletion, which is accelerated by erosion and poor farming practices such as mono-cropping, continuous cropping without nutrient input, and crop residue removal from the field. Moreover, soil nutrient depletion is one of the reasons for the reduction of crop productivity on most smallholder farms in Uganda.
The PhD research addressed this challenge through the application of a multidisciplinary approach that focussed on the production, the economic and social aspects related to OMM on smallholder farms. To holistically address these elements, field experiments were established on 10 smallholder farms in Nyabbani Sub County in Kamwenge district in the Rwenzori Region of Uganda. The experiments included a combination of different organic matter management strategies such as maize- legume rotation system, legume tree (Faidherbia albida) alley cropping system application, forage legume (Mucuna pruriens) integration, farmyard manure application and crop residue incorporation in to the fields over a period of two years in four consecutive crop growing seasons. These experiments involved full participation of farmers in implementing all the field activities. To understand the factors that influence adoption of OMM strategies by smallholder farmers, interviews with farmers who participated in the field experiments and other stakeholders including extension workers and policymakers at district and sub-county levels, universities and the National Agricultural Research Organisation zonal institute in the Rwenzori region as well as focus group discussions with farmers were conducted.
The application of OMM strategies in the field improved soil nutrients and crop yields to levels comparable to the use of inorganic fertilizers. The crop residues and the nutrients within the crop residues in fields with OMM strategies were consistently higher from the second to the fourth season than in those with the inorganic fertilizer application strategy. On the economic dimension, the OMM strategies were less costly than the inorganic fertilizer application strategy. The profits under the OMM strategies were comparable to those obtained through the inorganic fertilizer application strategy. The results also showed that the adoption of OMM strategies can be compromised by a composite of technical, social, cultural, and economic-driven factors. The findings suggest an approach to solving the soil nutrient depletion constraint via the application of OMM strategies as opposed to the application of inorganic fertilisers which is costly to the smallholder farmer. The OMM option is further supported as the most adoptable alternative by the smallholder farmers because it aligns with the culture, availability of inputs, and existing knowledge of application among smallholder farmers. The PhD research provides smallholder farmers with insights on how to improve their livelihood based on locally available resources and the sustainability ecosystem functioning. It also contributes to closing the gap between academia and practical field experiences. In the university system, it brings a sense of holistic understanding in dealing with vulnerable ecosystems.
The PhD research was embedded in the APPEAR project - a collaboration between Mountains of the Moon University (MMU) and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU).
AER was regionally embedded and aimed to address real-life challenges including soil fertility improvement on nutrient depleted smallholder farms. This to a great extent is highly appreciated by MMU, the community and by Deous Mary Ekyaligonza herself, as she reports: “ The knowledge that I obtained through seminars, classwork and research has been applied in the review of different curricula in the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at MMU. On a personal basis, my PhD studies have enabled me to obtain a promotion to a level of a lecturer at MMU. This has in turn elevated me to becoming a role model to many women in my home institution, my colleagues I grew up with and the community I am born. My stay in Austria provided me the opportunity to interact with people from different parts of the world, with different cultures and techniques. Some of these are my potential project partners. Additionally, my stay in Austria enabled me to learn how to organize interesting events, a skill which can be applied at MMU and my country at large in organising workshops and networking events. I am so grateful to the APPEAR programme for the scholarship that has changed my life”.
Deous Mary Ekyaligonza is a female Ugandan with over 10 years of experience in implementing agroecology and natural resources management in Uganda. In 2010, Mary obtained a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Makerere University in Uganda and Master of Science in Natural Resources Management from MMU in 2016. She completed a PhD in Agriculture from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna in April 2023. Her PhD focused on organic matter management and cropping systems for soil fertility improvement on smallholder farms in Uganda. Her doctoral studies were funded by APPEAR in the framework of the project “Strengthening of Higher Education, Research and Community Outreach in Agroecology in the Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda | AER’’. From 2011- 2016, Mary worked as an Advocacy and Natural Resources Management specialist under Joint Effort to Save the Environment, which is a local NGO that operates in the Rwenzori region. She then joined MMU in 2017 at a level of an Assistant Lecturer. In 2022, Mary was confirmed in the MMU public dispensation as a Lecturer. Besides this, she has been responsible for the Master of Science in Agroecology curriculum development and review under the AER and AER Phase II projects at MMU from 2018 to date.
Articles published
1. Ekyaligonza, DM; Tibasiima, TK; Dietrich, P; Kagorora, JP; Friedel, JK; Eder, M; Freyer, B (2022). Short-term trade-offs of organic matter management strategies for smallholder farms. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 6: 1035822. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1035822.
2. Ekyaligonza, DM; Kahigwa, TT; Dietrich, P; Akoraebirungi, B; Kagorora, JP; Friedel, JK; Melcher, A; Freyer, B (2022). Biomass contribution and nutrient recycling of organic matter management practices in tropical smallholder annual farming systems. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science 72(1): 945-956. https://doi.org/10.1080/09064710.2022.2134819.
3. Tibasiima, TK; Ekyaligonza, DM; Kagorora, JPK; Friedel, JK; Melcher, A; Bwambale, B; ... Freyer, B (2023). Impact of Integrating Annual and Perennial Legumes under Coffea arabica on Sloping Land. Sustainability 15: 2453. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032453.
4. Tibasiima, TK; Ekyaligonza, DM; Bwambale, B (2022). Can agroecology provide a panacea for sustaining the adoption of soil erosion control measures? A case of smallholder Coffea arabica production in the Rwenzori mountain region, Uganda. Sustainability 14: 13461. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013461.