admin | June 4, 2025
News Brief
Researchers at Uganda Martyrs University have developed a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer from leather industry waste to improve soil fertility and support coffee farming. The “smart” fertilizer releases nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus only when needed, helping soil retain moisture during droughts. Coffee farmer Frank Matovu calls it a “big win” for being organic and effective. Mr. Matovu says, “Once you start using chemical fertilizers, the soil can never sustain itself.” Funded by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, the project aims to reduce pollution and strengthen Uganda’s coffee sector, with plans to scale regionally by November.
Ugandan scientists have turned leather industry waste into a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer to boost coffee farming. The innovation addresses two major challenges: managing industrial waste and improving soil fertility in Uganda’s agriculture sector. Simon Peter Musinguzi, lead researcher and senior lecturer at Uganda Martyrs University, explained that leather tanning uses only 20% of the skin, leaving 80% as waste that pollutes the environment and harms communities near tanneries.
The team developed a “smart” fertilizer by extracting collagen from leather waste. This fertilizer releases key nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—only when the soil needs them, and it helps the soil retain moisture to protect coffee crops during droughts, Musinguzi said.
Research began last year with funding of 125 million Ugandan shillings (US$34,000) from the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, through the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI). Uganda is Africa’s second-largest coffee producer, with 1.8 million households relying on the crop. However, poor farming methods and ineffective fertilizers threaten the sector’s future.
Frank Matovu, a coffee farmer in Masaka who tested the fertilizer, said it outperforms others because most fertilizers need repeated applications and are not organic, which lowers market prices since buyers prefer organic coffee. He warned that chemical fertilizers damage soil health, forcing farmers into costly cycles of dependency. He says, “Once you start using them, the soil can never sustain itself, and that means you’ll always need fertilizer. It becomes an economic burden and a threat to future farming.” For Mr. Matovu, this new fertilizer is a “big win” because it is organic and effective.
The European Union, Uganda’s largest coffee market, encourages sustainable farming practices, including organic fertilizers. Geoffrey Seruwu from the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) said many fertilizers create dependency cycles where farmers must keep using them or face lower yields. He believes the new fertilizer could help Uganda strengthen its coffee sector and improve production of other high-value crops, such as Hass avocado, popular in Europe. NARO is ready to work with local researchers to help scale the fertilizer for wider use.
Simon Peter Musinguzi said the team plans to have a market-ready product by November and hopes to expand into Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He added that once the product is ready, they will seek partnerships with government and agricultural stakeholders to determine pricing and scale-up strategies.
This story is adapted from an article written by John Musenze for SciDev.Net, titled “Collagen fertiliser is a smart move for Uganda’s coffee.” To read the full story, go to: https://www.scidev.net/global/supported-content/collagen-fertiliser-is-a-smart-move-for-ugandas-coffee/