On January 15th, the mentors at the Makerere University Business School Entrepreneurship, Incubation and Innovation Centre led by Remmie Kirunda Katare together with 3 interns from the Technology University Netherlands, delivered a cassava solar drier to the Alwa Community in Kaberamaido.
The Prototype was made by the international students as part of their studies to support local communities in Uganda, based on proven research.
Based on research from the MUBS research teams, dried cassava chips have varied applications by end users that include breweries, confectioneries, starch and flour for food. In Uganda, over 80% of Cassava farmers dry their products by open sun drying and direct passive solar dryers. However, these two drying practices produce varying quality of dried products which may not be good for the various end users. The quality of dried products depends on factors like cassava chip size, drying technology, temperature, air flow and relative humidity. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of cassava sun drying on a raised platform and drying in a direct passive solar dryer.
This research prompted the proposal that the Technology University based on to send its students for a 3-months internship. The students included Charlotte Sickler, Hendrikje Philipse, and Isabella Teeuwen, who pursue life sciences, city modeling and civil engineering respectively.
With the help of 3 mentors at the entrepreneurship incubation and innovation centre, Joanna, Daniel, and Ronald, the students were able to build a prototype that they believe will quicken the drying process for the Alwa community in Kaberamaido.
“In the Netherlands, everything is provided for you, and so you don’t have the opportunity to prove that you can ideate and solve local challenges. This internship has given me the opportunity to deeply appreciate the process of innovating solutions that work” said the students.
Hosted in the outskirts of Kaberamaido town, Alwa subcounty consists of 60 subsistence farmers who grow simsim, millet, cassava, sweet potatoes and sorghum. The area is mostly dry as they experience one rainy season in a year. They therefore struggle with harsh weather like wind and dust.
While Alwa is known to be the food basket of the Teso region, the farmers find it difficult to dry their foodstuffs, and to make quality products for the market. This therefore affects their market price.
Engwenyu Richard, the Agricultural Officer, called upon the farmers to be at the forefront of changing the production narrative so that the products produced in the Alwa sub-county can be seen in the market.
How the Cassava Solar Drier Works
- Cassava is washed, peeled and chipped. The smaller the chips, the quicker the drying process.
- The Chipped Cassava is laid onto a mesh and inserted into the drier.
- The drier has a polythene at the top which enables it to retain heat on the inside which quickly dries the cassava.
- The drier is multi-functional and can be used to dry meat and other foodstuffs too.
The drier will be able to support the farmers to preserve their food for a longer time, help them dry their food in a hygienic manner, and support the production of quality cassava flour.
The farmers were impressed with the demo, and suggested that if a bigger cassava drier were to be considered, it would support a considerably bigger number of farmers in Alwa Sub-county.
While at the Entrepreneurship Centre within the University, the 3 students have made a remarkable contribution by supporting the incubatees to think through their ideation processes. The Interns equally supported the processes of testing out some of the products that the incubatees were building as potential solutions to challenges within the country.
In her closing remarks, Remmie Kirunda, the Incubation Manager at MUBS Entrepreneurship Incubation and Innovation Centre emphasized the importance of nurturing young entrepreneurial minds, and that this is their mandate at the Centre. She shared that this program would not be possible without the supportive administration at the Makerere Business School led by Prof. Dr. Moses Muhwezi, Dr. Charles Olupot and Dr. Diana Ntamu.
Since 2019, the MUBS Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Incubation Centre has so far supported 17 international students in partnership with the Technology University
The MUBS Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Incubation Centre was established in 1998. Over the years, the Centre has transformed its identity and continues to foster entrepreneurship by nurturing innovations and start-ups.