The key issues rural Ugandan schools aspire to address are linked to developing a system that benefits the learners' health by providing nutritious meals and minimising waste while involving the community. The Novo Nordisk Foundation-funded BANS project could provide the silver lining to this predicament in Western Uganda.
Just like the majority of rural Ugandan schools, Ngurwe Primary School grows maize, albeit on a small scale due to inadequate capital and manpower. The farm's main objective is to produce porridge for students in primary three through six. The school located in Nyambogo Village, Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, situated in the Kikuube District in Western Uganda, currently enrols 1,241 learners and 19 teachers.
In March 2025, the school responded to an advert to participate in the Novo Nordisk Foundation-funded Biodigesters for Agriculture and Nutrition in Schools (BANS) project. They were selected and enrolled in April 2025, when the actual implementation commenced.
"At the beginning of 2025, Ngurwe was unable to continue supporting the learners with porridge for their breakfast. The weather changes affected the production of maize, and as a result, we informed the parents, who were frustrated about the change,” says Fatumah Kyeyahura, the school Deputy Headteacher.
In an effort to find a means to support the learners to receive nutritious meals, the Ngurwe school and the project team decided to establish school gardens for crops such as amaranth, cabbage, collard greens, carrots, ‘nakati’, onions, and carrots.
“The initial interaction with the project team was to raise awareness of the scheme, how schools can provide students nutritious meals, how to use biogas to conserve the environment, and the creation of the Biogas Management Committee, from which she was chosen as the focal teacher,” explains Fatumah, 32.
In addition, the project team provided nutrition training to the five members of the Biogas Management Committee. "We learnt how to prepare a balanced meal at home or at school, how to conduct kitchen gardening, and how to instruct the learners on growing crops," explains Fatumah.
In April 2025, the teachers notified the learners about the initiative and the opportunity for them to participate. Sixty learners from primary four to six were enlisted. They worked together with the Biogas Management Committee, began the gardening activity by first establishing four nursery beds of six different vegetables types.
“Subsequently, we took a three-week holiday break from school. The seedlings had somewhat overgrown by the time we got back in late May, which delayed the transplanting process and hampered the ability of the crops to grow properly. We applied several of the lessons from the project, including crop spacing, line planting, using bio-slurry, and watering the crops often, to help them grow better,” states Fatumah.
Fatumah participated in a learning visit to Mukono Boarding Primary School in Central Uganda together with fellow focal teachers from the other five schools selected for the project. They attended sessions led by the project team that covered the construction of the bio-toilet and its sanitation maintenance.
“We witnessed the process of obtaining bio-slurry and bio-gas, and how the biodigesters are connected to the bio-toilet. They highlighted the benefits of slurry, including its ability to increase the production of nutritious foods by serving as manure. We also learnt about the operation of the biodigester system and how gas is used for cooking,” continues Fatumah.
Fatuma and other focal teachers from the selected schools also visited the Companionship of Works Association (COWA) in Kireka Town also in Central Uganda, where they were taught about vegetable growing on a small scale, fish rearing, mushroom growing, poultry farming, and other ventures.
“We visited the Meeting Point International farm in Sonde Village, about ten kilometres away from Kireka Town. The far consisted of agricultural activities, including horticulture, piggery, rabbit rearing, and others,” says Fatumah.
As the focal teacher, Fatumah has since gained knowledge and skills, which she has transferred to the learners, such as horticulture which is ongoing at the school, and making the best use of land, however small it is.
In accordance with the project's objectives, Ngurwe plans to switch from a three-stone stove to biogas for cooking. Through the already-established vegetable gardens, they intend to begin providing nutritious meals to teachers and learners in addition to horticulture and other crops in order to fund its school feeding programme,” declares Fatumah.
About the BANS project
The Biodigesters for Agriculture and Nutrition in Schools is a two-year (December 2024 – November 2026) initiative funded by Novo Nordisk Foundation. The project is implemented by CARE International as the lead, working with Joint Effort to Save the Environment (JESE), Biogas Solutions Uganda Limited (BSUL) and AVSI Foundation.
The initiative works with five schools in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in South Western Uganda, to leverage biogas digesters for the enhancement of food security, strengthening the climate resilience of food systems, and contributing to improved short- and long-term health outcomes for children. By focusing on schools as entry points, the project seeks to explore the untapped potential of biogas digesters and bio-slurry as tools for sustainable agriculture and nutrition.