Vol. 12 Issue. 2-2023

This study explores the participation of 135 married women in agricultural decision- making in a cross-sectional study in central Uganda. Data was collected from nine randomly selected villages in nine parishes utilising a survey tool combining elements from the Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index and the Household Dietary Diversity Score. Rigorous editing and categorisation preceded SPSS analysis, including binary logistic regression to explore factors influencing participation. Results showed that men owned more crucial agricultural assets especially land and equipment than women, but a shift was observed in livestock ownership, with women favoring pigs and chicken. The study showed generally low participation in decision making levels among women, especially in financial decisions, mirroring traditional gender roles. They also had limited engagement in agricultural extension/advisory services (20%) and community groups (45.2%). Women with low decision-making capacity showed limited dietary diversity, relying heavily on staples, falling below the food security threshold. Membership in community groups and access to credit significantly influenced women’s participation in decision-making. Access to credit increased the probability of high participation by 2.212 times, while membership in community groups increased it by 4.015 times. The study recommends that tailored credit services should be instituted to enhance women decision-making power and to foster gender equality. Education and awareness campaigns encouraging involvement of women in community groups and association for better access to services are also recommended.

The study aimed to establish the effect of coffee cropping systems and soil management on the nutrient balances at different elevations in the Mt. Elgon Region (MER) in Uganda to inform sustainable management efforts in the area. Treatments included altitude at 3 levels (1000 - 1310, 1311 - 1800, 1801 - 2300 meters above sea level); five coffee cropping system (coffee pure stand, coffee + annual crop, coffee + banana, coffee + banana + shade trees, and coffee + shade trees), and three soil input practices (organic, inorganic, and no input). The study revealed that soil fertility inputs were rarely used in coffee fields across the MER. Where the fertiliser were applied, very modest amounts (< 300 kg yr-1 for organic fertiliser) were typically applied and at irregular intervals. Elevations and soil input use interacted to influence N balances with farms under inorganic input management posting the highest positive N balances. The
coffee monocrop system had outstanding positive N balances. Where inorganic fertilisers were utilised, there were positive P balances across elevations and cropping systems. Conversely, there were negative K balances across elevations, cropping systems, or soil input practices. Integrating usage of inorganic and organic fertilisers can effectively
sustain nutrient balances in the various coffee cropping systems and at the various elevations in the MER in Uganda.