PERSONAL INFORMATION
Full Name: Dr. Festo Richard Silungwe (PE, PhD)
Title: Lecturer
Area of specialization: Irrigation, Dams and Crop modelling
School: School of Engineering and Technology
Department: Civil and Water Resources Engineering
Office Location: Edward Moringe Campus – SUA Morogoro 7.
Email address: festosilungwe[at]sua.ac.tz
Eng. Dr. Festo Richard Silungwe is a registered Professional Engineer by Engineers Registration Board of Tanzania (ERB) with a wide solid experience in design, construction and management of irrigation systems, waste management systems, water storage dams and green energy. He is also an expert in crop modeling, climate change, agricultural systems, farm structures and agricultural water management. He is currently a lecturer at the Department of Civil and Water Resources Engineering (Which hosts B.Sc. Irrigation and water resources degree program) at the School of Engineering and Technology of Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). He is a lecturer of subjects related to irrigation system design, construction and management, the design of water detention dams and reservoirs and irrigation engineering courses.
Before joining SUA, he also worked with the Ministry of Agriculture as an Agricultural Engineer until 2013. At the Ministry he worked extensively with farmers to implement multiple agricultural projects including irrigation agronomy, crop management strategies, and design, construction and operation of different irrigation schemes. He has been involved as an expert in multiple engineering and research projects related to water resources management, rainwater harvesting, rainfed and irrigated agriculture, climate change, crop modeling, farm structures, dams design, evaluation of civil works and simulations of agricultural systems. He has published several articles in peer reviewed journals, reports and conferences papers in the mentioned fields.
Academic/Educational Background
PhD Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (2019) (Thesis Tittle: Integrating Crop Upgrading Strategies and Modeling for Improving Food Security in Semiarid Sub-Saharan Africa)
Sc. Irrigation Engineering and Mgt. (2008-2011) Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) (Thesis Tittle: Simulation of Water Productivity for Maize Under Drip Irrigation in Morogoro Tanzania)
Sc. Agric. Engineering (2004-2008), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)
High School (2001-2003), Mkwawa high School
Secondary school (1997-2000), Iyunga Tech. Sec. School
Primary School (1990-1996), Magereza Primary School
Research Interests / Areas
Construction and performance evaluation of irrigation systems and water storage dams.
Waste control and management
Soil-water-plant relationship
Climate change
Agricultural systems
Renewable energy
Crop modeling
Social economics in the value chains
Funded Research Projects
Team member in research project: “Integrating Ecology and Economics in Understanding the Impacts of Land Use Shift from Pine to Avocado
Production in Njombe District of Tanzania” (2021-2022) ii. Co-Consultant: Assessment of Operationalization of Ihemi and Mbarali
Cluster Development Frameworks: Lessons Learnt (2020-2021) iii. Team leader in Rehabilitation design of Mitumbati water detention dam in
Nachingwea (2019) iv. Principal investigator in the project “Unlocking the Potential in Assessing
Cropping Upgrading Strategies for Food Security in Dodoma, Tanzania” (2016-2019).
List of courses
AE 101: Principles of Agricultural Engineering
AE 201: Hydrology and Irrigation
AE 302: Irrigation and drainage,
AE 424: Design of Detention Reservoir and Small Dams
AE 426: Waste control systems and Management
IE: 603: Advance Surface Irrigation Systems
AE: 607: Advance Hydraulics
AE/SS 813: Soil Plant Water Modeling
Student Supervision
Eng. Dr. Festo Richard Silungwe has supervised over 50 students at the undergraduate, Masters and PhD level
Books
Integrating Crop Upgrading Strategies and Modeling for Improving Food Security in Semiarid Sub-Saharan Africa ,Volume 88 of Schriften zur internationalen Agrarentwicklung, ISSN 1431-0163, Author Festo Richard Silungwe, Publisher Verlag Dr. Köster, 2020, ISBN 389574977X, 9783895749773 Length 110 pages.
Journal Articles
Ciza, F. R. Silungwe and N. I. Kihupi. Carrot Productivity under Various Levels of Irrigation and Fertilization. Asian Research Journal of Agriculture (2022), Page 56-68. https://DOI:10.9734/arja/2022/v15i430167
G Aseru, A K P R Tarimo, F R Silungwe and W Mbungu.; Effects of Integrating Deficit irrigation and Carbonate Foliar Fertilizers into the System of Rice Intensification on Growth and Yield: A Case study of Mkindo Irrigation Scheme, Tanzania. International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences 11(2); 2022 ; 26-36. https://DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.19499.92968
FR Silungwe, J Bobert, H Mahoo, JJ Kashaigili. Maize Yield and Water Productivity under Strategic Supplemental Deficit Irrigation During Short Rainy Season. Global scientific journal (2022). 10 (4), 18. https://EOI:10.11216/gsj.2022.04.73702
Kiobia, D.O., Yustas, Y.M., Tarimo, W.M., Mbacho, S.A., Makange, N.R., Kashaija, A.T., Mukama, E.B. and Silungwe, F.R. Classification of Briquettes Selection Criteria Using Principal Components Analysis Approach. Journal of Power and Energy Engineering (2022), 10(6), pp.14-26. https://DOI:10.4236/jpee.2022.106002
Yustas, Yusto Mugisha, Werenfrid Michael Tarimo, Susan Andrew Mbacho, Denis Olgen Kiobia, Nelson Richard Makange, Avitus Titus Kashaija, Erasto Benedict Mukama, Charles Kajanja Mzigo, and Festo Richard Silungwe. Likelihood of Adopting Briquette Technology in Abundance of Competitive Energy Sources: A Case Study of Morogoro Urban and Rural Districts, Tanzania. Journal of Energy Research and Reviews (2022). 11 (2) pp. 11-20. https://DOI:10.9734/JENRR/2022/v11i230272
Yustas, Yusto Mugisha, Werenfrid Michael Tarimo, Susan Andrew Mbacho, Denis Olgen Kiobia, Nelson Richard Makange, Avitus Titus Kashaija, Erasto Benedict Mukama, Charles Kajanja Mzigo, and Festo Richard Silungwe. “Toward Adaptation of Briquettes Making Technology for Green Energy and Youth Employment in Tanzania: A Review.” Journal of Power and Energy Engineering 10, no.4 (2022): 74-93. https://doi.org/10.4236/jpee.2022.104006
Silungwe, F.R.; Graef, F.; Bellingrath-Kimura, S.D.; Tumbo, S.D.; Kahimba, F.C.; Lana, M.A. Crop Upgrading Strategies and Modelling for Rainfed Cereals in a Semi-Arid Climate—A
Review. Water 2018, 10, 356. https://doi.org/10.3390/w10040356 viii. Silungwe, F.R.; Graef, F.; Bellingrath-Kimura, S.D.; Tumbo, S.D.; Kahimba, F.C.; Lana, M.A. Analysis of Intra and Interseasonal Rainfall Variability and Its Effects on Pearl Millet
Yield in a Semiarid Agroclimate: Significance of Scattered Fields and Tied Ridges. Water
2019, 11, 578. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11030578 ix. Silungwe, F.R.; Graef, F.; Bellingrath-Kimura, S.D.; Tumbo, S.D.; Kahimba, F.C.; Lana, M.A.
The Management Strategies of Pearl Millet Farmers to Cope with Seasonal Rainfall Variability in a Semi-Arid Agroclimate. Agronomy 2019, 9, 400. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9070400
Silungwe, F.R.; Graef, F.; Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura, S.; Chilagane, E.A.; Tumbo, S.D.; Kahimba, F.C.; Lana, M.A. Modelling Rainfed Pearl Millet Yield Sensitivity to Abiotic Stresses in Semi-Arid Central Tanzania, Eastern Africa. Sustainability 2019, 11, 4330. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164330
Conference/Workshops/Seminar Papers
Thomas Sahinkuye, Festo Richard Silungwe, Andrew Tarimo, and Japhet Kashaigili. Evaluation of Groundwater Recharge Dynamics using the Wetspass Model in the Usangu Plains, Tanzania. Conference: Proceedings of the 2nd SUA Scientific Conference on Research and Technological Innovations Towards Transformation of Lower Middle-Income Countries held at the SUA Edward Moringe Campus, Morogoro- Tanzania from 25th to 26th May 2021. 193-206.
FR Silungwe, HF Mahoo, JJ kashaigili, E Adipala, G Tusiime JGM Majaliwa. Evaluation of water productivity for maize under drip irrigation (2010). Second RUFORUM Biennial Conference on “Building Capacity for food security in Africa”, Entebbe, Uganda, September 20-24, 2010; pp, 725-728.
Festo R. Silungwe, Frieder Graef , Sonoko Bellingrath-Kimura , Marcos Lana , Siza D. Tumbo , Frederick C. Kahimba , Swai Elirehema (2017). Evaluation of spatio-temporal rainfall variability and its implications on pearl millet production in semi-arid areas. ‘Future Agriculture: Social-ecological transitions and bio-cultural shifts’, Tropentag, Bonn, Germany, October, 20-22, 2017.
Festo R. Silungwe, J Bobert, H Mahoo, J Kashaigili (2011). Simulation of water productivity for maize under drip irrigation. “Development on the margin”, Tropentag, Bonn, Germany, October, 5-7, 2011.
J Bobert, O Dietrich, J Dietz, R Festo, J Kashaigili, K C Kersebaum, S Sieber, K Tscherning (2010). Using Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Models and Downscaled Global Climate Scenarios to Assess the Impact of Climate Change in Morogoro, Tanzania. “World food system – A contribution from Europe” Tropentag, Bonn, Germany, September 14-16, 2010.
Google Scholar
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=JWVVYrMAAAAJ
Research Gate
Currently an acting Head of Department of Civil and Water Engineering since July, 2022 to date.
Chairperson of Quality Assurance Bureau of the School of Engineering and Technology.
Eng. Dr. Festo Richard Silungwe (PhD, PE)
Lecturer of Agricultural and Irrigation Engineering,
Department of Civil and Water Resources Engineering,
School of Engineering and Technology,
Sokoine University of Agriculture [SUA],
P.O. Box 3003, MOROGORO. Tanzania.
Tel. No. +255-767786036, +255 656717536. Email: festosilungwe[at]sua.ac.tz