Research led by NaCRRI has contributed significantly to addressing nutrient deficiencies in Uganda’s population by developing and disseminating beans enriched with Zinc and Iron, vitamin-A-rich sweet potato, and pipeline products of vitamin-A enriched maize and cassava, zinc-rich maize and anthocyanin-rich sweet potato. For example, 7 bean varieties release are rich in micronutrients of iron (>70 ppm) and zinc (>35ppm). Through these bio-fortification efforts, research contributes to providing affordable nutritious foods to curb nutrient deficiency related diseases in children and pregnant mothers and alleviating the country’s health burden attributed to malnutrition. Bio-fortication of major staple food crops could save the country from the health burden caused by malnutrition, mainly micronutrient deficiency (hidden hunger) which has resulted into 29% of children below 5 years stunted, 11% underweight and 3.4% wasted. Uganda is estimated to lose US $899 (5.6% GDP) million annually due to the effects of malnutrition and poor health among the workforce.

There has been a rapid response by development and deployment of integrated management options for pest and disease out breaks that would otherwise have caused billions in crop losses. Examples of these pests and disease include the maize lethal necrosis (MLN), cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and fall armyworm (FAW). Research interventions reduced incidence of CBSD to 20.4% in 2017 from 27.3% in 2011 and Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) occurrence controlled below 20%. NaCRRI supported pest and disease surveillance, farmer and extension training, and validation and recommendation of appropriate chemicals to manage these pests and diseases.

Adoption of improved maize varieties is estimated at > 95% (SPIA, 2020). Cultivation of improved varieties from research has increased production from 2.8 million MT in 2014 to 5 million MT in 2020 while productivity increased from 2.5 MT to 3.7 MT per hectare annually. As a result of increased production, maize export volume increased by 6% from 750,000 MT in 2016 to 278,693 MT in 2019 while the value of exports has increased by 12% from US$ 84.99 million in 2016 to US$ 95.48 million in 2019 (MAAIF, 2019). There is increasing research with product pipelines for specialized maize such as sweet corn, popcorn and waxy maize for industrial purposes.

Development and release of improved 2 improved and early maturing, consumer and market preferred bean varieties has resulted into increased productivity from 0.7 MT/ha (2012) to 1.3 Mt/ha in 2019 and increased production from 444,000 MT in 2006 to over 1,000,000 MT in 2020. This increase in production has contributed to increased bean exports amounting to USD 80M in 2018.

The seed industry was liberalized in 1994, and Uganda Seed Project which had monopoly over the seed sector was privatized in 2005, allowing growth of private sector investment. There has been an increase in the number of seed companies registered from initially 7 in 2005 to currently > 44. The total demand for seed in Uganda is projected at 140,000 MT but the formal seed sector is estimated at 80,000 MT. The compelling varieties and products released have been the major driver in private sector investment in seed business. The institute continues to play a key role in maintenance of these varieties, early-generation seed and routine quality assurance and monitoring of increased quality of seed on the market.

The seed systems have not been well-developed for vegetatively propagated crops such as cassava and sweet potato and horticultural and oil palm crops, stifling delivery and uptake of improved varieties. Efforts have been made for these crops to develop and streamline the seed system of these crops by development of standards, guidelines and business models to build formal seed systems for these major food security crops.

Table 1.  Formal seed sales, 2014 – 2019 

                                                                                                          Source: USTA, 2019

NaCRRI is also harnessing modern biotechnology and other advanced tools to address intractable challenges in agriculture. These new tools are important to improve the quality and efficiency of developing better varieties. Some of the on-going research has been in transgenic technology to combat cassava brown streak and development and testing of drought tolerant and insect resistant maize and nutrient efficient rice varieties. These biotechnology applications have resulted into products ready for commercialization given enabling policy environment. Other ground-breaking innovations have been on use of genome editing for cassava flowering at seedling stage and developing yellow mottle virus-resistant rice.

There has been innovation in development of biological control and biopesticide development to control sweet potato weevils, fall armyworm, bean root rot and Aflatoxin using Aflasafe technology. Research in on-going for seed technologies to improve quality and vigor such as imazapyr resistant maize, Ms44 and male sterility technology for hybrid maize production.

Several research infrastructure has been developed and others in the pipeline, including the Regional Rice Research and Training Center that includes laboratories, office space and training halls, the cassava center of excellence, modern laboratories for nutrition, germplasm conservation, diagnostics and genetic transformation. Other research facilities include irrigation, seed processing and storage, and screen houses.

During the same period, Kiige citrus scheme was revamped with renovation and construction of new office and residential houses, machinery and nurseries. There have been significant efforts in human capacity development by training both staff and students from various universities. On average, a total of 40 graduate students are supported and trained annually.

In the last five years, research from the institute has resulted in 235 publications in peer-reviewed journals and several knowledge products for use by extension and farmer trainings.