BACK GROUND
Soybean is a grain legume crop believed to have been introduced into Uganda between 1918 and 1945, an era marked by the first and second World Wars to combat protein malnutrition among soldiers of the Kings African Rifle(KAR) and kwashiorkor among children and in the interest of crop diversification.
OBJECTIVES OF THE SOLUTION
Improve farmers access to quality improved soybean seed through scailing up seed production.
Equip farmers with the knowldge of soybean agronomic practices through trainings and demonstrations.
Improve nutrition:
Soybean is one of the cheapest source of protein for people, containing essential amino acids not present in other grain legume and other minerals and vitamins the human body needs.
Soybean grain can be processed for multiple uses including Soy-milk, cooking oil and a range of others including infant weaning food and kebabs.
Soybean cake is a good source of animal feed. The crop residues are also rich in protein and are good fodder for livestock or form a good basis for soil organic matter if returned to the soil.
Market:
Market demand for soybean is high but prices fluctuate largely following the world prices even if produced localy
Soybean has the potential to control the parasitic weed striga hermonthica. Therefore farm lands that are avoided as a result of striga are put back into cultivation.
Improve soil fertility and soil organic matter:
Soybean forms root nodules that contain bacteria called Rhizobia. The bacteria can fix nitrogen from the air into a form that soybean can use for growth. This is biological nitrogen fixation.
The soybean residues(falling eaves / stover) and roots contain lots of nitrogen and when incoperated into the soil, the soil fertility and soil organic matter are improved.
For soybean, the amount of free nitrogen brought into the soil is equivelent of 100 kg (2 bags) of urea. This makes soybean a good crop to grow in rotation with other crops.
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