Project meetings and activities
Project launch and first workshop in Uganda, January 2024
From January 16-19, 2024, all the project partners met in Uganda for the official start of the project. Opening remarkds were given by dignitaries from Makerere University and the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), and the project was launched by the honourable VC of Makerere University. During two workshop days at Makerere University in Kampala, the outline and scientific framework for the different workpackages were discussed. On the third day, the project group visited the experimental sites at Rwebitaba ZARDI near Fort Portal to discuss and evaluate the practical set-up of the different experiments. It was a great opportunity for everyone to meet and get to know each other, and to plan collaborations between the different work packages.
Research plans, field experiments and co-creation
Our Danida-funded NbS4Tea project is entering its second year. The team of Danish and Ugandan colleagues met again for the annual workshop from the 21st of January to the 25th January 2025 at the Rwebitaba Research Station in Fort Portal, Uganda, to discuss ongoing research, experiment set-ups and current challenges. The four days included not only updates on the work packages, but also visits of the experimental sites, a co-creation workshop with local stakeholders along the tea value-chain and chances to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of Uganda. It was a perfect opportunity for both MSc and PhD students to present their ongoing research and for everyone to meet, to exchange experiences and to network among partners.
Co-creation workshop in January 2025
A co-creation workshop was held with nine value chain actors such as smallholder tea producers and tea processors. The goal was to generate knowledge about perceived challenges in relation to tea in Uganda, and more specifically what challenges they perceived in relation to the implementation of NbS practices to improve the quality and yield such as the adoption of new tea varieties, agroforestry, biochar and irrigation. The participants were very engaged and passionate about tea, which prompted a lively discussion. The insights gained during the workshop will guide our work in the next stages of the project.
The drones have arrived!
After a long waiting time to get the necessary import permits, the project team was happy to gather at the Rwebitaba research center for the official launch of the research drones on the 19th of June 2025. After a training session by the certified Remote Sensing Drone pilot Timothy Mutungi, the resesarchers and students were able to start the first drone operations, with which they will be able to gather high resolution images of the tea fields. These images will help to assess the irrigation, soil health and plant growth at the different experimental sites.