According to new research from the CGIAR Standing Panel on Impact Assessment, Ugandan farmers are planting more improved crop types these days. The panel worked with Uganda's statistics office, farm research group, World Bank team, and agriculture ministry to learn what farmers actually grow in their fields.
The study checked six main crops - maize, cassava, banana, beans, sweet potato, and groundnut. The report also looked at new livestock practices, tree planting on farms, and farm education services across the country.
Researchers discovered many farmers use open-pollinated maize varieties that don't require buying new seeds every season. Some drought-resistant hybrid types are also catching on. Almost 58% of households growing maize have at least one plot with CGIAR-connected varieties like LONGE 5D.
DNA tests showed something interesting, though - farmers' fields contain very mixed seed types. People save seeds from past harvests (even hybrid seeds meant for one-time use) and often get seeds from neighbors instead of stores. This means the special traits plant scientists worked to create might not show up as planned.
Disease-fighting cassava and better groundnut varieties are widely used throughout Uganda. However, the informal ways farmers share and save seeds limit how much these improved plants help everyone. Around one-third of cassava-growing families use disease-resistant types developed by NaCRRI with help from IITA.
The report found low adoption rates for nutrition-enhanced sweet potatoes and beans. Most banana farmers (71%) grow only traditional matooke types that look very similar genetically. This makes banana crops highly vulnerable if diseases strike since improved disease-resistant banana varieties created by researchers haven't caught on yet.
Bean plots showed great variety between farms because most farmers simply buy regular beans from food markets to use as seeds. Despite efforts to create iron-rich and zinc-rich beans, only about 6% of bean-growing households had these special types in their fields.
Just one in ten sweet potato farmers' plant varieties released by NARO. A mere 3% grow orange-fleshed sweet potatoes despite their proven health benefits and past programs that tried spreading them widely. For groundnuts, more than a third of growers (37%) use varieties released after 1995 with disease-resistant traits.
Dairy farming shows some progress, with artificial insemination services becoming available. About one-third of communities in Central Uganda can access these services compared to just 14% nationwide. This matters greatly because farming provides about 24% of Uganda's GDP and jobs for nearly 70% of workers.
Fast population growth puts pressure on farmland. Farmers face problems like soil losing fertility, more pest and disease attacks, slow progress against hunger, and continued poverty. The study found Uganda's farm innovation system reaches many farmers but with big differences between regions and economic groups.
The findings show both promise and problems. Farm innovations could help build stronger food systems and fight hidden hunger. But clearly farmers aren't getting all possible benefits from these new farming methods. This points to needed improvements in seed systems, farm education, and supporting investments.
As environmental challenges worsen, investing in these areas and renewing plant breeding efforts could bring big rewards for Uganda's farmers and food security. Better support systems might help the country maximize the benefits of its agricultural research investments.
The study checked six main crops - maize, cassava, banana, beans, sweet potato, and groundnut. The report also looked at new livestock practices, tree planting on farms, and farm education services across the country.
Researchers discovered many farmers use open-pollinated maize varieties that don't require buying new seeds every season. Some drought-resistant hybrid types are also catching on. Almost 58% of households growing maize have at least one plot with CGIAR-connected varieties like LONGE 5D.
DNA tests showed something interesting, though - farmers' fields contain very mixed seed types. People save seeds from past harvests (even hybrid seeds meant for one-time use) and often get seeds from neighbors instead of stores. This means the special traits plant scientists worked to create might not show up as planned.
Disease-fighting cassava and better groundnut varieties are widely used throughout Uganda. However, the informal ways farmers share and save seeds limit how much these improved plants help everyone. Around one-third of cassava-growing families use disease-resistant types developed by NaCRRI with help from IITA.
The report found low adoption rates for nutrition-enhanced sweet potatoes and beans. Most banana farmers (71%) grow only traditional matooke types that look very similar genetically. This makes banana crops highly vulnerable if diseases strike since improved disease-resistant banana varieties created by researchers haven't caught on yet.
Bean plots showed great variety between farms because most farmers simply buy regular beans from food markets to use as seeds. Despite efforts to create iron-rich and zinc-rich beans, only about 6% of bean-growing households had these special types in their fields.
Just one in ten sweet potato farmers' plant varieties released by NARO. A mere 3% grow orange-fleshed sweet potatoes despite their proven health benefits and past programs that tried spreading them widely. For groundnuts, more than a third of growers (37%) use varieties released after 1995 with disease-resistant traits.
Dairy farming shows some progress, with artificial insemination services becoming available. About one-third of communities in Central Uganda can access these services compared to just 14% nationwide. This matters greatly because farming provides about 24% of Uganda's GDP and jobs for nearly 70% of workers.
Fast population growth puts pressure on farmland. Farmers face problems like soil losing fertility, more pest and disease attacks, slow progress against hunger, and continued poverty. The study found Uganda's farm innovation system reaches many farmers but with big differences between regions and economic groups.
The findings show both promise and problems. Farm innovations could help build stronger food systems and fight hidden hunger. But clearly farmers aren't getting all possible benefits from these new farming methods. This points to needed improvements in seed systems, farm education, and supporting investments.
As environmental challenges worsen, investing in these areas and renewing plant breeding efforts could bring big rewards for Uganda's farmers and food security. Better support systems might help the country maximize the benefits of its agricultural research investments.
