Promote other non-traditional cash crops
UGANDA is now the leading producer of upland NERICA rice in sub-Saharan Africa. Within a period of about six years, the country’s production of NERICA rice has gone up from 123,000 to 180,000 metric tonnes a year.
UGANDA is now the leading producer of upland NERICA rice in sub-Saharan Africa. Within a period of about six years, the country’s production of NERICA rice has gone up from 123,000 to 180,000 metric tonnes a year.
In 2005 alone, Ugandan rice farmers earned $9m (14.9b) from their crop. As a result of increased local production, rice imports have also dropped, saving the country about $30m (sh50b) in foreign exchange earnings. There is also the environmental benefit, as farmers no longer have to clear wetlands to grow rice, as it was done traditionally.
All these achievements can be attributed to effective mobilisation by political leaders, farmers’ willingness to adopt new technology, and support from the business community.
NERICA, which stands for New Rice for Africa, was developed in West Africa, and introduced in Uganda in 2004 by Vice-President Prof Gilbert Bukenya to fight poverty. NERICA is a cross betweenAfrican rice variety and a high-yielding Asian variety, NERICA combines features of both resistance to drought and pests, higher yields even with little irrigation or fertilisers, and more protein content than other types of rice.
The VP went on a nationwide campaign mobilising farmers to grow the new rice variety, as a way of fighting poverty. His efforts paid off, especially in northern Uganda, where the crop was included in the resettlement package of people returning home after years from the Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps.
The achievement is proof that a lot can be achieved when there is cooperation among stakeholders in the agricultural sector. Endowed with 40% of the arable land in East Africa, and favourable weather, Uganda is capable of feeding the rest of the continent. What is holding us back from becoming Africa’s food basket is lack of planning, poor mobilisation, and lack of support infrastructure like roads, power and storage.
The NERICA rice campaign can be replicated with other non-traditional cash crops, to achieve similar or even better results.
In 2005 alone, Ugandan rice farmers earned $9m (14.9b) from their crop. As a result of increased local production, rice imports have also dropped, saving the country about $30m (sh50b) in foreign exchange earnings. There is also the environmental benefit, as farmers no longer have to clear wetlands to grow rice, as it was done traditionally.
All these achievements can be attributed to effective mobilisation by political leaders, farmers’ willingness to adopt new technology, and support from the business community.
NERICA, which stands for New Rice for Africa, was developed in West Africa, and introduced in Uganda in 2004 by Vice-President Prof Gilbert Bukenya to fight poverty. NERICA is a cross betweenAfrican rice variety and a high-yielding Asian variety, NERICA combines features of both resistance to drought and pests, higher yields even with little irrigation or fertilisers, and more protein content than other types of rice.
The VP went on a nationwide campaign mobilising farmers to grow the new rice variety, as a way of fighting poverty. His efforts paid off, especially in northern Uganda, where the crop was included in the resettlement package of people returning home after years from the Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps.
The achievement is proof that a lot can be achieved when there is cooperation among stakeholders in the agricultural sector. Endowed with 40% of the arable land in East Africa, and favourable weather, Uganda is capable of feeding the rest of the continent. What is holding us back from becoming Africa’s food basket is lack of planning, poor mobilisation, and lack of support infrastructure like roads, power and storage.
The NERICA rice campaign can be replicated with other non-traditional cash crops, to achieve similar or even better results.