By Michael Woira

Agriculture is valued as an asset with important social as well as economic significance.

It provides many kinds of security against unforeseen risks and is understood as an important means of meeting eventualities. It is well understood by everyone especially the farmers that improved varieties give better yields and higher economic returns.

Agricultural sector contributes 26% of total GDP and forms the main export to our regional market. In order generate sufficient production volumes to sustain domestic food security and external markets, it is critical that we commercialize agriculture focusing on a number of issues but mainly looking at the type of seeds and other inputs that farmer’s start with.

From the beginning of crop husbandry, seeds have been the key ingredient in the establishment, expansion, diversification, and improvement of crop production all over the world and it’s because of the seeds that agriculture thrives. Seeds are such an integral part of agriculture and yet we tend to discount their importance in agricultural production and crop improvement.

In this century, the process of crop improvement has been tremendously accelerated through systematic collection and preservation of the variability in crop species and exploitation of the science of genetics and this has been done at well set and established institutions managed by experts.

Improved seeds must be recognized both as a key component in the package of inputs required to improve crop production, and as a catalyst for exploitation of other technological improvements in crop production.

The sustainable increase in agricultural productivity needed to achieve food security and inclusive economic growth in Uganda is not possible without a well-established seed sector with professionals.

 Makerere University, under the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES)  at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo (MUARIK) carries out highly specialised seed development and breeding.

Makerere University Regional Center for Crop Improvement (MARCCI) offers a PhD programme in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology as well as an MSC in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems in cooperation with the Department of Agricultural Production, CAES. The Centre's research programme is designed to support the training programme and to cooperate with national and regional breeding efforts.

The Unit currently supports two crops, cowpea and sorghum as model crops to demonstrate best-breeding practices to both students in the PhD and MSC training programmes of MARCCI as well as other scientists in the region. This Unit has a bio-safety level II laboratory with experienced and qualified technologists. The lab hosts several international researchers, including PhDs, MSCS, post-docs, and intern-fellows from different countries.

Dr. Edema, the Director of the centre says that the unit is undergoing an expansion of current activities of the university Regional Graduate Programs in Plant Breeding with the main objective of strengthening the PhD program in Plant Breeding in Biotechnology, the MSc. in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems, applied research in various crops, and outreach activities to improve Ugandan agriculture through enhancing the skills of public and private personnel supporting crop breeding and production activities.

In an engagement with the GCIC team led by its Director Ms Marcella Karekye, Dr Richard Edema said that he observed that sorghum and cowpeas are grown in different parts of the country and can withstand all weather conditions; most importantly drought.

The centre, therefore, decided to focus its research on these two crops. This research leads to the production of several lines or varieties of these crops. When this research is done; it doesn’t just identify what varieties will produce high yields but also what varieties can be turned into raw materials for industries, like food production. This fits right into the value-addition and import-substitution strategy which in turn enhances local industrial sustainability. This is a boost to household income for farmers and the overall economy.

“Agriculture is key; it’s an important issue in terms of food security, not just for us here, but for the entire world. The population not just in Uganda but the entire world is growing. In Uganda now we have about 40m people and in the next 50 years, we might actually be 60m, these are mouths that require to be fed. So we need to make sure that there's enough food, clothing, and energy for all of these people to be able to survive. The government has taken a lot of interest in agriculture, to ensure that Uganda is a healthy nation that is well fed,” Dr. Richard Edema

The institute has invested in the seed sector, many students have been trained at MARCCI through the masters and PhD programs. These graduates are now working with NARO, Ministries, and several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The centre has also been able to train several students because of the available capacity, and currently, it has students from Rwanda, South Sudan, Sierra Leone Namibia, and so on.

Training students from other countries has been done effectively for the last 10 years. So far right now, they have trained, about 200 students and this is so important because it limits government expenditure of sending people abroad to go and get the required knowledge in the field.

Dr. Edema adds that the future of MARCCI is very bright and he thinks that in the near future it’s going to play a great role in supporting NDP III and agricultural programmes, not just for Uganda but at a regional level. In the region, they already started by training breeding experts for Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Sudan.

When these students come at MARCCI and learn something that means that they will take back the expertise that they acquire and make it work in their countries of origin and this is so good since we are in the process of integration.

The writer works at the Government Citizen Interaction Centre (GCIC)-State House