By Kali L Kirkendall | Executive Director
The Blue Atlas Project pioneered the creation of the Spirulina Development Institute in 2022 following early meetings, land visits, and feasibility assessments in Uganda. The goal was straightforward: establish a locally run spirulina production site that could address malnutrition in nearby communities while developing a model that could expand across Eastern Africa.
The first phase focused on building two cultivation ponds and a small processing area. At the same time, SDI began outreach to schools and community groups to assess interest in supplementation programs. Baseline health data was gathered through surveys, nurse visits, and consultations with families and educators to understand local nutritional needs and establish monitoring benchmarks. These monitoring efforts continue today.
Over time the team refined production methods, especially milling and drying. The rainy seasons presented early challenges, particularly mold during drying. In response, SDI constructed and improved a dedicated processing shed to better control airflow, humidity, and post-harvest handling.
In 2023, SDI partnered with Masaka Regional Referral Hospital to evaluate spirulina as a nutritional tool for children experiencing malnutrition. Early results were promising. Within the first month, some children showed weight gains of up to 20 percent and an average 14.6 percent increase in mid-upper arm circumference.
Over the past year, additional support allowed SDI to expand its solar installation, improving processing reliability during cloudy and rainy periods and reducing bottlenecks. During this time the team also documented operational lessons and refined approaches for distributing spirulina in ways that are both cost effective and supported by clear nutritional education.
Today the two ponds produce enough spirulina to support supplementation for more than 2,500 children through partnerships with schools, community organizations, and programs serving vulnerable populations, including outreach to refugee communities.
The next phase focuses on turning these lessons into a system others can use. The goal is to develop simple community-scale spirulina gardens that are easy to operate and resistant to common errors. SDI will serve as the regional training hub, seed culture source, and technical resource while local organizations operate their own systems and provide a locally produced, shelf-stable nutritional supplement to combat malnutrition.
A program budget of approximately $18,000 per year for two years ($36,000 total) will support this next stage. Funding will allow us to build a community garden demonstration system, develop a practical training manual covering construction through harvesting and storage, and expand outreach through partner organizations across Uganda, positioning SDI as a regional hub capable of supporting locally led spirulina gardens throughout Eastern Africa. To be able to expand those community gardens to identified areas in Kenya and Zanzibar, an additional $12,000 per year, starting in Q4 of 2026 would provide equipment, travel, initial training and support to be able to expand awareness and supplementation to two additional countries in EA.
By Kali L Kirkendall | Executive Director
By Kali L Kirkendall | Executive Director
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