Seed of prosperity: Tukamuhabwa sees soybean transforming Uganda

More than three decades of work has produced Uganda’s most resilient soybean varieties.

With support from Makerere Research and Innovation Fund, researchers are now getting these varieties to farmers across the country and embarked on value-addition; soybean milk and yoghurt products out of it, writes MUHAMMAD JJUMBA.

In a field where rows of soybean plants stretch toward the horizon at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo, Prof Phinehas Tukamuhabwa does not see crops only.

He sees more than three decades of genetics, thousands of carefully selected crosses, countless failed experiments and perhaps one of the food crops that can shape the future of Uganda’s agricultural economy. Since the early 1990s, Prof Tukamuhabwa, a Makerere University plant breeder, has dedicated his career to improving soybean.

His interest in the crop began while studying for his master’s degree in Europe, where he encountered intensive soybean research and became fascinated by its potential for food, livestock feed, oil production and soil improvement.

“I saw soybean’s potential as a nutritious food for human beings and for livestock. It can also produce oil and improve the soil. When you put all those things together, you realise soybean is a very special crop,” he says.

It is the same time that he discovered just how strategically important soybean had become to major producers such as the United States.

“The United States realised the value of soybean long ago. It became so important to them that they would not support soybean research elsewhere. To me, that showed just how strategic the crop is and convinced me that Uganda also needed to invest in its own soybean research,” he says.

PATIENCE

After more than three decades of research, now conducted under the Makerere Center for Soybean Improvement and Development, Prof Tukamuhabwa’s team recently released what he describes as its highest-yielding soybean variety yet.

The new variety, MakSoy 7N, produces more than a third more grain than existing varieties while resisting one of the crop’s most destructive diseases. The journey to MakSoy 7N was not quick.

Before arriving at the new variety, the team had already developed six others, each contributing to the research that ultimately produced the latest breakthrough. According to Tukamuhabwa, MakSoy 7N yields more than 34 per cent above current varieties, allowing farmers to harvest more grain from the same piece of land.

Because it is highly resistant to soybean rust disease, farmers can also avoid spending money on fungicides, reducing production costs while limiting health and environmental risks associated with chemical use.

Makerere Center for Soybean Improvement and Development has received funding from Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) to operationalise its work, including making sure that these soyabean varieties are already reaching Ugandans.

In addition, it has also supported training of farmers on how to adopt these varieties. The benefits of improved soybean varieties extend beyond the farm. Prof Tukamuhabwa says processors have long demanded varieties with lighter-coloured seed coats because darker hulls leave unwanted flakes in flour and other processed foods.

MakSoy 7N was deliberately bred to meet those industry needs, creating a crop that works better for both farmers and food manufacturers.

“When the farmer earns more, the processor gets better raw materials, and consumers receive better products; everyone benefits from the technology,” he says.

Soybean is primarily grown in Uganda’s Lango sub-region, where it has already supported the growth of several agro-processing businesses. However, the breeding programme has focused on ensuring that new varieties perform consistently across Uganda’s diverse climatic conditions.

VALUE ADDITION CAMPAIGN

The bigger prize, he argues, lies in expanding production while transforming Uganda from an exporter of raw soybeans into a producer of high-value foods. He points to supermarket shelves which are stocked with imported soybean milk from Thailand and Kenya.

In Kenya’s case, some of those products are made from soybeans originally grown in Uganda.

“Something is wrong with us,” he says. “Kenyans buy raw soybean from Uganda, add value to it and export it back to us.”

Thus, his team has begun taking deliberate steps toward value addition. Prof Tukamuhabwa says they are producing soybean milk and soy yoghurt on a pilot scale, but he believes the next frontier is partnering with the private sector to commercialise these products.

Agroprocessing, he argues, will not only reduce imports but also create industries, jobs and wealth while giving farmers a larger share of the crop’s economic value. With Mak-RIF support, the team travelled to Thailand to benchmark its soybean sector.

There, researchers discovered that while Uganda may be ahead in breeding improved varieties, it remains far behind in processing and commercialisation. The experience reinforced the need for incubation centres, small-scale processing enterprises and stronger partnerships with industry. “Mak-RIF acted as a catalyst,” Tukamuhabwa says.

“It has opened the way, but we have only just started.”

He gives the example of imported soybean milk, which can cost around Shs 50,000 per litre. For him, value addition is the dividing line between wealthy and poor nations. Countries that process agricultural products create industries, jobs and wealth, while those that export raw materials allow others to capture those benefits.

“If we continue producing only raw materials,” he warns, “we shall remain poor.”

The soybean milk and yoghurt products developed by his team remain at the pilot stage and are consumed largely within Makerere University community. However, the long-term goal is commercial production through partnerships with private companies.

Such products could reduce dependence on imports while offering alternatives for people who cannot consume dairy milk.

GOVT SUPPORT CRITICAL

Getting there, however, requires more than scientific discoveries. Tukamuhabwa says researchers spend much of their time travelling across Uganda, demonstrating improved varieties, promoting rhizobium biofertiliser and teaching farmers better agronomic practices.

Technology alone, he argues, is not enough if farmers lack the knowledge to use it profitably.

“We go everywhere,” he says. “We don’t remain at the university. Wherever farmers need information, we are there.”

Despite these efforts, he believes government support remains critical. Uganda, he argues, has already developed the scientific capacity to improve soybean production. What is missing is sustained investment in scaling technologies, strengthening value chains and supporting agro-processing industries capable of transforming research into economic growth.

He is particularly keen to see local financing rather than continued dependence on donor funding.

“Foreign aid is not sustainable,” he says, adding that funds such as what they got from Makerere Research and Innovation Fund are vital but its investment from the private sector will quickly bolster agroprocessing.

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