By Kali L Kirkendall | Project Lead
Over the past 6 months we have made strategic headway in Uganda mapping the path forward as the first spirulina farm in the country.
We are working with the Uganda Standardization Authority to develop safe growing practices, adequate testing for food safety as well as testing for nutrient density to ensure ours and any future farm is producing the highest quality spirulina and delivering on the claims of nutrient density that spirulina is celebrated for.
We have just started on our fall push to increase our drying capacity and decrease the time necessary ensuring the end-stage product is shelf-stable. We are building additional coverings for our ponds to help with evaporation, they will be directly over the ponds and we believe it will also help make it an easier environment to work in, keep free from any contaminants along with water conservation. While we have also been testing the water which we use, we are now also installing a filtration system on the new well.
Nutrient Deficiency: Our work with spirulina is combating nutrient deficiency in children. At capacity we can work with over 5000 students. Meaning 5000 students, ages 3-16 are administered adequate daily nutrition during all operating school days. We are incredibly proud of the institution we have built with locally led and operated leaders.
This is such an interesting topic, with a lot more research and quantifiable data to show what malnutrition does to a young brain, when it comes to the role food system development plays in community and economic development. As they say, you can’t have one without the other.
Where we are with the Spirulina Development Institute is great. And there are always…
Challenges: Harvesting pump quality has been a challenge. It makes for long days and quality issues. We are currently working toward more efficient pumps and microscreens along with covers and increased drying capacity.
Paths for growth: Over the next few months we will streamline the safe guarding process for growing spirulina for the first time in a country. What we are building now is to be able to Increase our solar to adequately handle current and capacity growing needs.
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