NARO moves to popularise new climate-smart agriculture technology in Bunyoro
Dubbed SKEEPON, the new technology is a climate-smart plant bio-stimulant that was introduced in Uganda by Ac-planta, a venture company certified by the National Research Institute of Japan.
Ian Lawson Davis, British Barrister and Chief Legal Officer at Act-Planta, explains to farmers how the new SKEEPON technology works. (Credit: Peter Abaanabasazi)
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KIKUUBE — As climate change effects continue to bite farmers, the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), in partnership with a Japanese biotechnology firm, has launched a campaign to popularise SKEEPON, a new climate-smart agriculture technology has been introduced to help farmers in Bunyoro sub-region increase production.
Dubbed SKEEPON, the new technology is a climate-smart plant bio-stimulant that was introduced in Uganda by Ac-planta, a venture company certified by the National Research Institute of Japan.
The technology activates a crop's natural defence mechanisms against drought, heat, and high salinity.
Ian Lawson Davis, a British barrister and Chief Legal Officer of Ac-planta, said that in the whole of Africa, this technology has only been introduced in Uganda.
Davis said Nabbanja believed the technology could help farmers in parts of Uganda that are frequently affected by drought, particularly the Karamoja sub-region.
According to Davis, Ac-Planta, working with NARO, had spent four years in Uganda testing the technology, which he said had been proven safe for humans, animals, the soil and environment. The technology was officially launched in Uganda in July 2026.
While sensitising farmers in Bugambe sub-county, Kikuube district, about the technology on August 28, the NARO senior research officer, Dr Idi Ramathan, said farmers were experiencing poor crop growth due to excessive high temperature and dryness, adding that SKEEPON would provide a solution to this problem.
"The technology is so effective, and it works on both perennial and annual crops such as maize, beans, cassava, Irish potatoes, onions, soya beans, cocoa, groundnuts, cabbages, coffee, bananas and sugarcane," he stated.
“Apart from addressing the issue of heat, drought and salt conditions in the soil, it is environmentally friendly, and when you apply it on maize and beans, it adds 30% on the yield. When it comes to tomatoes and onions, the technology adds 50% on the yield and 60% on the coffee yield. Farmers who plant coffee and it dries up, this is a solution for you,” he said.
He added that the product is only sold by NARO, adding that they have not allowed this technology to be sold by Agro-input dealers to avoid adulteration.
“A liter of this product costs sh150,000. The product is expensive because it's being imported from Japan, but there is a future plan to establish a factory in Uganda. Once a factory is established in Uganda, the price of SKEEPON will significantly drop for farmers to access it at a low cost,” Ramathan said.
John Katusabe, a maize and beans farmer, expressed excitement about the new technology, saying its introduction was long overdue.
He noted that several farmers depend on rain yet due to climate change, the rains are no longer reliable. "As a result, farmers make losses every season because of the dry spell."