BY D SEBUNYA: In a pioneering effort to promote climate-resilient agricultural practices and sustain productivity amidst changing climate conditions, the first-ever competition for climate-resilient innovations in the chicken value chain has successfully concluded.
Dubbed “Greening the Chicken Value Chain,” the competition drew an impressive 52 innovative ideas, predominantly from youth across the country. The core objective was to identify profitable yet climate-resilient innovations. The competition was organized by the University of Burundi, Gudie Leisure Farm, and the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO) Mukono chapter (MUZARDI).
From the 52 entries, ten innovations were shortlisted for the final round. These finalists pitched their ideas to a panel of judges and fellow youth during a chicken value chain symposium at Gudie Leisure Farm in Najjera. The standout innovation, a solar-powered brooder called “Smart Kuku Brooder,” which was created by students from Mbarara University of Science and Technology and emerged as the winner.
Led by Aaron Etyang, a student of electronics engineering, the Smart Kuku Brooder aims to offer an affordable solution for low-income farmers who struggle to pay for traditional energy sources like wood and charcoal. It also alleviates the burden of continuously regulating brooder temperatures. This innovation was developed following a comprehensive field study.
“In our field study, we realized that farmers sleep in the same breeding room with chicks and almost keep awake the whole night trying to regulate temperatures. Additionally, some farmers couldn’t even afford charcoal and wood used in brooders. This idea is indeed a solution to all those farmers that thought of quitting poultry because of hardship in brooding,” Etyang explained.
The Smart Kuku Brooder has been tested with up to seven farmers and has performed exceptionally well. Despite these promising results, the team faces challenges in expanding production due to limited funds.
Prof. Naiga Basaza, Managing Director of Gudie Leisure Farm and one of the judges, praised the participants and expressed her excitement about seeing farmers engaged in environmental conservation through innovative ideas. She called on the government to provide more support to young innovators and highlighted that the top three winners will receive assistance in both scientific development and commercialization of their ideas.
Owen Singura, Research Officer and Project Coordinator for Greening the Chicken Value Chain, encouraged youth with ideas in the chicken value chain to refine their concepts. He assured them of support from prototype stages to becoming fully-fledged companies.
“We think there is a limit to what we can do as NARO, that’s why we can’t limit the projects and innovations from the youth. We want to help them patent their ideas, protect, and develop them well for the market,” Singura noted.
Among the nationwide submissions, 52 innovations meeting the climate resilience criteria were selected, and ten finalists presented their ideas to the judges and peers who participated in a popular vote.
The overall winner received UGX 2 million, the second place winner received UGX 1.5 million, and the third place winner received UGX 1 million for their biogas innovation. All ten finalists will be invited to an incubation boot camp to refine their ideas and connect to further opportunities.
This competition marks a significant step towards fostering climate resilience in agriculture and supporting young innovators in making impactful contributions to sustainable farming practices.