When an African farmer earns USD8,276 in a year, we call it success: How ASARECA, AICCRA partners and Virtual Irrigation Academy tool are turning-around smallholder irrigated farming in Uganda
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT KASESE, WESTERN UGANDA—United States Dollars (USD) 8,276 in three seasons in one year. When Johny Benet Murangi and his son, Dedan Murangi, both farmers at the Mobuku-1 Irrigation Scheme in Kasese district in Southwestern Uganda, received soil moisture, temperature, nutrients, and salts monitoring tools from ASARECA and partners in October 2024, they were determined to optimize their use to increase crop productivity and income. Bumper harvest The Murangis witnessed...
Game-changing tool to predict crop potential introduced to Uganda by ASARECA and CGIAR partners
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT KAMPALA, UGANDA: The introduction of a tool meant to enhance the capacity of researchers to predict crop performance viz-a-viz climatic conditions has placed Uganda in a favourable position to transform how farmers, policymakers, and agribusinesses respond to increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. Known as the Climate Smart Agriculture Crop Capability Prediction Tool, the noble tool collects long-term seasonal forecast data, to derive very close estimations on the performance of...
Uganda’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Platform Charts Path to Resilience
BY MICHAEL WAKABI & BEN MOSES ILAKUT KAMPALA, UGANDA: The success of Uganda’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Multi-Stakeholder Platform (UG-CSA-MSP) will depend entirely on how far stakeholders are willing to collaborate and coordinate their efforts, Maj. Gen. David Kasura-Kyomukama, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), has said. Speaking through Ms. Mary Aacha Orikiriza, Under Secretary at MAAIF, Maj. Gen. Kasura delivered opening remarks at the Annual Review Meeting...
ASARECA, ICARDA, ILRI, NARO move to boost goat productivity via community breeding of indigenous goats
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT KIBAALE & BULIISA—UGANDA: Goat farmers, agricultural extension officers, value chain actors and local leaders in the districts of Kibale District in Western Uganda and the oil rich Buliisa District also in Western Uganda have received a mindset changing training and sensitization on establishment of Community Based Breeding Programmes (CBBPs) for Small Ruminants. The training which aimed at increasing productivity and profitability for small scale farmers belonging to...
Regional Trainers Empowered to Champion Climate-Smart Agriculture through Agroecology ToT in Uganda
BY GENEVIEVE APIO Kampala, Uganda | July 14–18, 2025 – Over 30 Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) from six ASARECA partner states, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and Cameroon, gathered in Kampala for an intensive 5-day Regional ToT on Integrated Pest and Disease Management and Agroecology. Among the participants were 9 youth, 10 women, and 11 men. The training aimed to strengthen the region’s capacity to implement climate-smart agricultural practices, in line with...
ASARECA Private Sector Dialogue generates critical inputs into the African Conference on Agricultural Technologies discourse
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT KIGALI, RWANDA—"Countries don’t fail because they lack policies to facilitate agricultural productivity and open up access to markets. They fail because they lack strong political will to ensure technologies from research are profitable.” This is one of powerful messages that was delivered during the Private sector Dialogue on Enhancing the Commercialization and Scaling of Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) Technologies and Innovations to the Last Mile in Kigali,...
Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma Appointed Substantive ASARECA Executive Director
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT ENTEBBE, UGANDA—The ASARECA Board of Directors have appointed Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma as the Substantive Executive Director of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA). The full Board of Directors, comprising the Directors General of the National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) of the 15 ASARECA Member States made their declaration today June 24, 2025, in an Extra-Ordinary Board of Directors meeting whose...
ASARECA and CGIAR Deepen Collaboration to Drive Agricultural Transformation in Eastern and Central Africa
BY GENEVIEVE APIO Kampala, Uganda — May 2025 ASARECA continues to play a pivotal role in fostering regional collaboration with CGIAR centers to promote agricultural transformation, resilience, and food security in Eastern and Central Africa. Over the years, ASARECA has built a strong and strategic relationship with CGIAR partners, working together to co-design and implement impactful research-for-development initiatives across the region. This longstanding collaboration was recently reaffirmed during the CGIAR System Board meeting...
ASARECA and National Potato Council of Kenya firm-up collaboration to boost potato value chain
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT KAMPALA, UGANDA—ASARECA and the National Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK) have formalized their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), especially to boost the performance of the potato value chain. Strategically witnessed by an Africa-wide audience attending the 13th Triennial African Potato Association (APA) Conference at the Speke Resort in Munyonyo, Kampala in Uganda, the two organizations inked the MoU during the Policy Dialogue to Review Implementation of...
ASARECA facilitates stakeholder review of Implementation of the East African Community Regional Seed Potato Strategy and Action Plan
BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT KAMPALA, UGANDA—The Minister of State, East African Community Affairs for Uganda, Hon. James Magode Ikuya has extolled the value of ASARECA in supporting its 15 Member States in harmonization of policies, guidelines and procedures for sharing Agricultural technologies and facilitating trade in the East African Community and the COMESA regions, thereby contributing substantially to their economies. In a statement read by the Under Secretary Ministry of the East...