Stella Namanji from Uganda has happily travelled 6936 km to be part of the ceremony for new Doctors of Philosophy at NMBU. She is thrilled to return to her academic home and to see her peers and supervisors again. Internationality and interdisciplinarity are concepts that lies close to her heart.
Namanji strides across the floor of the stately lecture hall to receive her diploma.
The doctoral ceremony at NMBU is a momentous occasion, honouring everyone who has completed a doctorate at the university in the past year.
In December 2022, Namanji defended her thesis ’Environmental policy for forest tree biodiversity conservation in Uganda: A holistic approach to the policy process’.
Today, she returned to the campus feeling more confident than ever.
“I love NMBU and it’s so wonderful to be back! Completing a PhD has been a long journey in every single way - but I made it due to a lot of determination, resilience, and hard work! I’m ready to celebrate,” she smiles.
Working to end environmental degradation in Uganda
Focusing on her most burning passion kept her motivated throughout the process.
Namanji’s study area was the village in which she grew up. Over the years, she has witnessed the beautiful nature and rich biodiversity being degraded into monocrop plantations. Where they earlier had food in abundance, the local community now suffers from food shortage.
“I felt bad about this and thought what can be my contribution? Now I know that my contribution is as a scholar. To write and to inform,” says Namanji.
She has already worked as a lecturer of Research in Agroecology at Uganda Martyrs University and the College of Agriculture at King Ceasor University for several years, educating students in sustainable agriculture among other things.
Dreaming of an agroecology farm
After completing her PhD, she established the Centre for Ecosystems Research and Development where she conducts research and policy analysis.
“I want to contribute to my local community, my place of origin, and with a PhD I feel I can do even more. Establishing this centre is one example. My PhD has absolutely given me more weight in what I do,” she says.
Namanji's aims reach even higher. Her dream is to establish an agroecology farm, to serve as a centre for training in agroecology.
“Everything we teach, learn and practice on this farm should be with profound respect for the environment. It should be a place where we can grow healthy food and train children to learn how to grow and produce food in a sustainable way. That is my dream. Now that I’ve come so far, I must aim towards realization,” she says.
Keeping firm ties with NMBU and Norway
Whilst the journey to the PhD ceremony was long, Stella considers her return to NMBU and Norway as a closure of one chapter and the beginning of the next. She hopes her ties to NMBU and Norway will remain strong in the future.
“I will direct a big thanks to my supervisors and the whole Department of Plant Sciences at NMBU. I couldn’t have done this if it wasn’t for them. I hope we will proceed our good collaboration within agriculture in the future.”
She also sends a big thank you to her supportive family in Uganda, with whom she will soon be reunited. First, she has the banquet dinner and further celebrations to look forward to.
Stella Namanji's Multidisciplinary PhD Thesis in Agroecology
Research Focus:
Stella Namanji conducted a comprehensive study within the field of agroecology, combining natural and social sciences. Her research specifically centred around the analysis of Uganda’s National Environment Management Policy.
Key Question:
“We have a policy with guiding principles, but at the same time we have biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. So I was asking myself what is wrong?”
To answer that question, Namanji’s arguments focused on:
- The discrepancy in Policy implementation: Investigated the contradiction between the guiding principles of Uganda’s National Environment Management Policy and the observed issues of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation in the country.
- A holistic Policy Analysis: Studied the entire policy process, including formulation, implementation, and operationalization on the ground
- The need for Multidisciplinarity: Argued for the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach to comprehend the complete ecosystem. Emphasised the importance of diverse stakeholders from various sectors collaborating to integrate different knowledge bases for effective policy implementation.
Researcher’s Insights:
Namanji emphasised the significance of bringing together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to ensure a holistic understanding of the ecosystem. She highlighted the necessity of integrating various forms of knowledge to bridge the gap between policy principles and real-world outcomes.
Namanji emphasised the significance of bringing together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to ensure a holistic understanding of the ecosystem. She highlighted the necessity of integrating various forms of knowledge to bridge the gap between policy principles and real-world outcomes.
This multidisciplinary approach underscores the complexity of environmental issues and the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing challenges related to biodiversity loss and environmental degradation.