The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) is turning to drought-resilient cassava varieties to help Karamoja communities cope with prolonged dry spells and increasing climate variability.
Through the Uganda Climate-Smart Agricultural Transformation Project (UCSATP), NARO has established a 200-acre cassava multiplication and demonstration facility at Nabuin Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (ZARDI) to increase farmers’ access to quality planting materials and promote improved production practices.
Researchers say cassava could provide an important food reserve for households in Karamoja because it withstands dry conditions and stays in the soil for extended periods, allowing farmers to harvest it when they need food.
Dr Walter Odongo, Director of Research at Nabuin ZARDI, said the intervention is intended both to increase cassava production and productivity and to improve farmers’ livelihoods.
“The intention here is about two-fold: one, to increase access to quality planting material, but also to demonstrate cassava production technology to the farmers,” Odongo said.
He said cassava is particularly suitable for Karamoja because of the region’s exposure to climate change and climate variability.“Cassava has proven to be a very resilient crop for the farmers. So, once this technology is adopted, the cassava varieties we are promoting, for instance NAROCAS 1, are very well adapted to the region,” he said.
The multiplication facility is expected to provide planting materials to thousands of farmers across Karamoja.
Dr Damalie Akwango, the UCSATP Coordinator at NARO, said Nabuin ZARDI is working with about 200 farmer groups through the cassava demonstration initiative.
She said the 200-acre block is expected to provide planting materials for about 6,000 farmers.”This is a good move towards the achievement of what is planned in the project,” Akwango said.
NARO is currently promoting three cassava varieties at the demonstration site, NASE 14, NASE 19 and NAROCAS 1, selected for their adaptability, yield potential and maturity characteristics.
Dr Ijara Anthony Raphael, a Senior Research Officer at NARO, said NASE 14 is adaptable to local soils, high-yielding and relatively quick maturing, while NASE 19 also has high-yielding traits.
“NASE 14 is easily adaptable to the soil, and it is high-yielding and quick-maturing. NASE 19 equally has high-yielding traits,” Ijara said.
He said NAROCAS 1, which has performed well in different parts of Uganda, is also being promoted because of its high yield potential.
But NARO’s intervention is also aimed at changing how communities in Karamoja perceive cassava.“In Karamoja, cassava is perceived as a wild crop that grows on its own, so we are trying to stimulate uptake of cassava,” Ijara said.
The demonstration site is therefore being used as both a source of planting materials and a practical learning centre where farmers can see recommended cassava production practices.
Ijara said one of cassava’s biggest advantages in Karamoja is that farmers do not have to harvest the crop all at once.“Cassava can ensure food availability throughout the year because it can be harvested piecemeal and is always available when needed, as opposed to other crops which you harvest once and consume,” he said.
He said cassava can remain in the soil for more than two years, providing households with an additional food reserve during periods of shortage.
This characteristic, researchers say, could be particularly important in Karamoja, where prolonged dry spells regularly disrupt agricultural production.
The 200-acre site is consequently being developed as a strategic “nuclear farm” from which cassava planting materials and production skills can be extended to farmers across the region.
The project is also providing temporary employment to local communities. Ijara said about 50 workers are engaged on average each day in activities including planting, weeding and watering.
Many of the workers are youth and women, who earn about seven thousand shillings per day. “Like now it is dry, you can see they are providing water physically, and they earn a living from doing that,” he said.
The site is also being used to train students pursuing certificate, diploma, degree and postgraduate programmes in practical cassava production.
“This as a nuclear farm for cassava will enable us to achieve and extend cassava farming skills to these young ones,” Ijara said.
For farmers participating in the programme, the improved varieties offer both a potential food source and an income-generating opportunity.
Lugel Patrick, a host farmer in Napak District, said farmers who have received training from NARO are increasingly appreciating the improved varieties.“These cassava varieties are very good. Farmers are very happy about them,” he said.
Lugel said farmers have been trained in how to plant and manage cassava and urged more farmers across Karamoja to take up the crop to help fight hunger.“My call to the farmers in Karamoja is that they should continue planting cassava to fight hunger. We want cassava as a staple food,” he said.
He said cassava can also be combined with other locally produced foods.“After harvest, we dry it and later take it for grinding. We then mix it with sorghum that is already a very good meal,” he said.
Beyond household consumption, Lugel said farmers can sell part of their harvest to generate income.“The money got from selling the cassava can be used for taking children to school, and you can also use it for buying animals that you rear at home,” he said.
With drought and climate variability continuing to threaten agricultural production in Karamoja, NARO and its partners are banking on cassava and other climate-resilient crops to strengthen household food security, increase incomes and help communities withstand climate shocks.
The initiative is ultimately seeking to move cassava from being viewed largely as a crop that grows on its own to one that is deliberately cultivated, productive and commercially useful to households across Karamoja-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
