BY GENEVIEVE APIO ENTEBBE, Uganda: The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) joined regional partners, research institutions and representatives from seven IGAD Member States to advance regional action on soil health and sustainable fertilizer use during a four-day learning event held in Entebbe, Uganda. Held from 14–17...
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT Across Uganda, a unique agricultural and environmental transformation is shaping up. The Black Soldier Fly (BSF) value chain is systematically transforming environmental waste into economic and valuable environmental opportunities. In Eastern and Central Africa, livestock and aquaculture farmers face compounding challenges, especially skyrocketing feed costs consuming 60% to...
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT NAIROBI, Kenya—Imagine a continent that stops spending USD 100 billion annually on food imports and instead feeds itself with home-grown abundance. This is not just an ambitious dream, it is the high-stakes reality steering the newly formulated Kampala CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026–2035). If African nations successfully...
BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI: Across the rolling high-altitude hills of Burundi, the promise of rich, diverse ecosystems is increasingly undercut by urgent environmental pressures. High population growth, intense land fragmentation, severe soil erosion, and climate variability have pushed smallholder farmers to the edge, making basic inputs increasingly expensive and supply chains dangerously...
BY ILAKUT BEN MOSES BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI — In a major effort to build climate resilience and lower farming expenses across Eastern Africa, the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), alongside the Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU), has launched a joint initiative to deploy Azolla...
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT KIGALI, RWANDA—Conventional agriculture alone can no longer withstand the compounding impacts of climate change while maintaining a sustainable food system in Africa. Facing a mounting triple threat of land degradation, soaring synthetic input prices, and acute seasonal animal feed shortages, agricultural leaders from across Eastern and Central...
By Genevieve Apio KOBOKO/PALLISA, Uganda — For farmers confronting the spread of Parthenium hysterophorus, the invasive weed is more than an unwanted plant. Once it establishes itself in a garden, farmers say it competes aggressively with crops, affecting their growth and threatening the productivity of land on which families depend. In Koboko...
Farmers, researchers, extension personnel and government officials at the newly launched Beetle Rearing Facility in Kangulumira. By Genevieve Apio KAYUNGA, Uganda —The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa, in partnership with the National Agricultural Research Organisation and Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), has launched a...
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT NAIROBI, KENYA — Facing a climate clock that is ticking faster than ever, over 70 agricultural experts, researchers, policymakers, and grassroots development partners gathered in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi on June 15–16, 2026 with a clear and urgent task—fundamentally reshape how Africa manages its critical soil, water, and...
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT KAMPALA, UGANDA—In a major push to eliminate non-tariff trade barriers and safeguard agriculture across East Africa (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, DRC, and Somalia), technical experts have finalized critical Pest Risk Analyses (PRAs) and accompanying harmonized Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) targeting high-risk threats to the...
