NaSARRI Marks 102 Years with New Crop Varieties Unveiled at World Food Day 2024
By Genevieve Apio The National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI) commemorated its 102nd anniversary by hosting Uganda’s 44th World Food Day in Serere District in Eastern Uganda. This year’s event, under the theme “Right to Food for a Better Life and Better Future,” focused on food security and sustainable agriculture, particularly in Uganda’s semi-arid regions, where farmers face increasing challenges from climate change. A key highlight of the day was the official unveiling of five new crop varieties designed to bolster agricultural...
IITA, MAAIF, NARO, and ASARECA Join Forces to Sensitize Farmers on Combatting BBTV
Farmers from virus-free Districts of Bushenyi, Rubirizi, and Bunyangabu pose for a group photo with experts By Genevieve Apio Kasese District, Uganda – A pivotal two-day farmers’ study tour focusing on tackling the Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) was held in Kasese District, Uganda. The tour, organized by the Ukama Ustawi (UU) Learning Alliance, a CGIAR-led initiative supported by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Services (USDA-FAS) and the Plant...
Communication to ASARECA Stakeholders on Top Management Changes at ASARECA Secretariat
ENTEBBE, UGANDA: The ASARECA Board of Directors would like to inform our esteemed stakeholders and Partners that Dr. Enock Warinda will no longer be serving as the Executive Director of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA). He is therefore not permitted to transact any business on behalf of ASARECA and its constituents. Board of Directors' Statement
Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma Appointed Interim ASARECA Executive Director
By Ben Moses Ilakut ENTEBBE, UGANDA—The ASARECA Board of Directors have appointed Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma as Interim Executive Director of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA). The appointment takes immediate effect starting from October 7, 2024. Dr. Baguma is currently the Director of the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) Bulindi Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (BuZARDI) in western Uganda. He is also a member of...
Twin challenges: Researchers in Central, Eastern and Southern Africa engage in a climate change and soil health forum to propose actionable recommendations
By Ben Moses Ilakut, Genevieve Apio & Brook Makonnen MOMBASA, KENYA: Understanding the impacts of climate change and climate variability, including interpreting shifting rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and increased frequencies of extreme weather events like droughts and flooding is critical in designing climate-smart agriculture practices and technologies, informing decision-making and adaptation strategies, and in climate-related risk management. To adapt to the impacts of climate change on Agriculture, measures urgently need to be...
AICCRA and ICPAC strengthen the capacities of Agricultural experts from ASARECA and CCARDESA member states
By Genevieve Apio, Bridget Kakuwa-Kasongamulilo, and Brook Makonnen Gaborone, Botswana – African institutions CCARDESSA (https://www.ccardesa.org/) and ASARECA (https://www.asareca.org/) have been urged to hasten efforts to leverage the capacity of Africa’s experts and institutions such as the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (https://www.icpac.net/) and national initiatives to jointly work to mitigate the effects of climate change. Addressing participants during a pivotal capacity-building training workshop at The Grand Palm Hotel in Gaborone, on...
Training: Climate Information Services for Ag Experts in East and Southern Africa
WHEN SEP 16 - 20, 2024 CAT WHERE Gaborone, Botswana The South-South knowledge exchange and capacity-building initiative organized by regional partners, including the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), and IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC), aims to empower agricultural experts in Eastern and Southern Africa to utilize climate information services and establish robust...
Regional Training on Climate-Smart Agriculture, Soil Fertility Management, and Soil Health Monitoring in Eastern and Southern Africa
WHEN SEP 23 - 27, 2024 EAT WHERE Mombasa, Kenya AICCRA is partnering with CIFOR-ICRAF and regional development and research organizations - Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) - and the DeSIRA-funded Land Soil Crop Hubs (LSC) project to further build the knowledge capacity of agricultural professionals across Central,...
Training on Genetic Resource Policies for Scientists in Agricultural Research Organizations.
Our partner-Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT through the CGIAR Initiative on Genebanks is launching the second edition of the online training course 'Genetic Resources Policies for Agricultural Research Scientists’ starting from September 25 to 30th November, 2024.This course targets plant researchers and legal advisers working in national and international research and development organizations, including genebank staff, breeders, phytopatologists, bioinformaticians, seed system specialists and legal and policy experts. The course consists...
New report places productivity and access to healthy diets at the core of global food systems
By Ben Moses Ilakut Progress in addressing malnutrition has stalled in many parts of the world due the impacts of climate change and failure by Governments to provide adequate matching investments to operate the global food systems, a recently released report has shown. The report faults compounding crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, rising food prices, natural disasters, and ongoing conflicts around the world for the stagnation. Demonstration of irrigated vegetable farm at...