Abstract
The purpose of this review was to profile the existing innovations in the value addition of agricultural by-products and suggest innovations that could yield more value-added products from the available agricultural by-products in Uganda. These by-products were from crops, livestock, fish and forestry sub-sectors. The review indicated 7.8 million tons from the crops’ subsector, 6.69 million skins and hides, 2280 million tons of cow dung and 390,550 tons of chicken dung from the livestock subsector, 36,000 tons from the fish subsector and 440,000 m3 of sawdust and offcuts from the forestry sub-sector. Current innovations in value-addition of agricultural by-products included the making of briquettes, organic fertilizers, biogas, biochar, pellets and organic pesticides from the crop subsector. Cow dung from the livestock is used for plastering walls of houses, used as fertilizer and used for the production of biogas. Chicken droppings are as well used as fertilizer and for production of biogas. Fish frames and skins are mainly consumed in smoked form whereas trimmings are usually rolled into fish balls and then fried for people to eat while the fats are used for frying the fish balls. Sawdust has been mixed with cement to make wood-cement composite bricks that reduce the overall weight of the building. It is also being used as feed in the Indigenous Micro-Organisms (IMO) technology in the production of pigs. Proposed innovations include the use of bones to produce soft tissue, buttons, knife handles and bone meal. Blood can be used in making adhesives and fertilizers while fish oil is a major dietary source of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and so can be utilized to enrich different food products.
Highlights
Uganda is considered to have an agricultural based economy and a food basket of the East African region, given its ability to produce a variety of foods
Sawdust has been mixed with cement to make wood-cement composite bricks that reduce the overall weight of the building. It is being used as feed in the Indigenous Micro-Organisms (IMO) technology in the production of pigs
This study reviewed innovations in value addition of agricultural by-products in Uganda and found out that even though a number of innovations have been cited, more research needs to be done to get more products from these by-products especially from the fish, animal and the forestry subsector
Summary
Uganda is considered to have an agricultural based economy and a food basket of the East African region, given its ability to produce a variety of foods This agricultural sector comprises crop production, livestock, forestry and fishing sub-sectors. Agricultural by-products are referred as agricultural wastes [2] which in most cases are just disposed-off with no value added Such waste pollutes the environment and its accumulation has negative effects on the humans around it. When the pollutants are released into the atmosphere, they cause the formation of acid rains (nitric acid) and depletion of the ozone This has imposed a risk to human and ecological health. If managed well, these agricultural wastes can be considered an important raw material for making other useful products that are environmentally friendly and of higher economic value.
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