NaFIRRI
National Coffee Research Institute
Started in 1947
Staffing: The institute has 24 scientists
Location: Jinja District
Area of Operation: All water bodies in the country
Profile
1947 is when Naffiri was built by the colonial government and it was established as a center for fisheries research for the East African community. It was called freshwater fisheries has gotten different names over time ic colonial times, East African community time and current govern of Uganda, with only 2 building.
Around 1977, EAC collapsed and it was left to Uganda called fisheries.
Under another ministry it was called the Uganda fisheries research institute then under the NARS act, it was renamed the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute.
Name evolvement over the years
1992 – 2002: FIRI fisheries research institute
2005: Fisheries research resources institute
Vision
Coming soon …
Mision
Coming soon …
Mandate
To conduct basic and applied research of national and strategic importance in Aquaculture, Capture fisheries, Water environment, socioeconomics and Marketing, Information Communication Management, and emerging issues in the fisheries sector.
Location
The National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) is one of the seven public National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) under the policy guidance and coordination of the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) which was established under the National Agriculture Research Act of 2005. NaFIRRI headquarters are located along with plots 39-45, Nile Crescent & Plots 28-32, Oboja road in Jinja opposite the wagon ferry terminal while the Aquaculture Research and Development Centre is located at Kajjansi, 12km along Kampala-Entebbe Highway.
Research in NaFIRRI is conducted through four programs
- Capture Fisheries and Biodiversity Conservation
- Fish Habitat Management
- Fish Bio-science and Aquaculture
- Innovations and post-harvest Fisheries
Areas of Success for NaFIRRI
- Biological control of the water hyacinth: the institute received an award for its contribution towards the control of the water hyacinth. The scientists were able to import insects from West Africa to Uganda after carrying out research that proved that these insects would feed only on the water hyacinth thus destroying it in the process. This was after various trials i.e., ranging from Chemical, mechanical and Naffiri went to the direction of biological control that proved to be a big success with almost 100% success.
- Domestication of the Nile perch: Naffiri scientists were able to introduce the Nile perch into Lake Victoria as part of their research to domesticate it and this has proved to be successful. Tasked to see how the Nile perch would co-exist with other fish species and through this, the slot size was fixed by the scientists with restrictions between 50 – 85 cm mainly to protect the females. Females grow larger than males and their ability to produce many eggs is dependent on their size (148 per gram of body weight).
- Cage fish farming: The institute has been able to carry out extensive research on cage fish farming, documentation of how to manage cage fish farming as well as generation of the technology for fabrication for the cages.
- Use of solar lamps for fish harvesting: there are some ways through which fish farmers have been capturing their fish with some effect on the environment but with research endeavors from scientists in Naffiri, solar lamps have been identified as key in the promotion of fish growth. Mukene fish has now been harvested in big numbers.
- Fish species that are only found in open waters and move in schools, through research, the scientist have been to generate technologies of harvesting such fish were generated to enable these using light and other various techniques.
- Generated technologies in marketing: profitability indices by the social economist.
- Alternative livelihood options for fishermen to leave fishing. Report on this is available.
- Managing water pollution: due to heavy metal pollution (metallic irons in water like iron, and
- Fish feed formulation techniques. – Kajjansi team to provide details.
- State-of-the-art fisheries resource centers are the only ones in the country and region. It’s both in hard and electronic copies are available. International visitors with information from the 1920s. Digitalized, funding is provided. Information arranged according to different lakes and rivers, 160 smaller lakes are also arranged accordingly, historical information and data.
- They only give information and not data. Subscribe to international organizations (marine and aquatic centers) with access to all fisheries information in the world. With 24 hours in which a request will be honored.
- Aquatic commons: How many visitors in a month? Areas of interest? Different lakes, fish species, biology feeding, breeding.
- The international association of aquatic and information science conference in2018, the second time is coming to Africa based on the center and community it serves and its purpose.
- Member of the aquatic sciences fisheries’ association (where all literature produced in Uganda fro the international community to know in areas of marine, aquaculture and
- Linkages with other fish institutions that are interested in fish literature.
- The best research in water hyacinth award was given to the institute at the NARO level.
- NARO paid staff on the payroll are about 75, volunteers 80, both at Jinja and Kajansi.
- Exchange programs with sister institutes such as Mwanzz and Kisumu. Also, Gill University sends students annually on an exchange program and vice-versa.
- The Institute organogram is one of the tools that show the hierarchy and different departments within the institute are one of the tools for management.
- Also, various management committees are in place such as scientific committees, reporting committees.
The libraries are a source of information and the data center, websites, and articles are written in print media, exhibitions, brochures.
- The Biological control played a big role. This was brought into the system and a number of tests were done and it was proved that an insect would not feed on any other crop but water hyacinth. These insects (weevil rearing) were subjected to other crops and tests. These were sent for trial at water sights such as L. Kyoga and Victoria.
- Weevil rearing centers were put up on trial sights along the water body shores.
- There has been improvement in ICT systems, the Internet.
- Expansion of the Library building and a data center.
- There is an award of excellence at the NARO level for conquering the water, Hyacinth.
- The staff numbers have grown with a big number of Ph.D. holders.
- Seminars are carried out especially weekly were presentations by scientists and support staff too.
- Mentoring has been done at all levels and some undergraduates (20), MSc (5), and Ph.D. (2).
- Gender-wise, very few women have attained this training; however, a lot of them are getting interested.
- Exchange programs by universities like United Nations Universities (Ice lands), mark Gill University in Canada.
Research Facilities
- Structures have been improved upon at NaFIRRI and this is through adding more extensions to the already existing building. This was brought about by the high number of staff who join the institute.
- They have new laboratories, especially the Analytical lab that was recently built and other new office buildings. However, there are about 8 laboratories.
- Renovations of the office have been done through painting and tailing the director’s office.
- Various staff houses/institutional houses housing over 50 staff members. These are maintained with the salary that’s deducted from the staff’s salary.
- There are about three conference rooms, new extensions were built for the library and a data center, accounts section, registry, workshops (wood and metal).
- Expensive vessels, about 3 in total
- The trials and demonstrations fields are in Kajansi.
Partnerships and Collaborations
There are various collaborations within and outside the institutes such as World fish center, ASARECA, Auburn in the USA
Teams send expertise to farms and individuals
Mark Gill in Canada
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