Feed the future
FEED THE FUTURE PROJECT
The Feed the Future Uganda Agriculture Research Activity is a research and development initiative that seeks to promote use and commercialization of improved crop and livestock technologies with yield and nutrition enhancing characteristics.
The Activity focuses on the continued improvement of crop genetics, bio-fortification, integrated pest and disease management for eight commodities; root crops (cassava and sweet potatoes), coffee, semi-arid/dryland crops (sorghum, millet and green gram), banana, beans, maize, potato, and livestock (indigenous chicken).
The Activity focuses on the continued improvement of crop genetics, bio-fortification, integrated pest and disease management for eight commodities; root crops (cassava and sweet potatoes), coffee, semi-arid/dryland crops (sorghum, millet and green gram), banana, beans, maize, potato, and livestock (indigenous chicken).
The National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO) under Feed the Future Project (FtF) is promoting the use and commercialization of banana in the Northern region of Uganda especially in the Lango and Acholi sub regions.
This was a result of identified available banana market and market gaps to be exploited in the region. Banana consumption in Acholi and Lango is estimated to be worth Ush25.99billion per year. Most of this is outsourced from other regions and thus presenting a market potential for banana production within the region.
In this activity, NARO has established banana demonstration gardens across parishes in the region, to act as learning sites to surrounding farmers for better banana management in a bid to increase productivity on farm. About 100 demonstration sites were established in 2020 on farmers’ fields in Amach (Lira), Myene (Oyam), Paicho (Gulu) and Alero (Nwoya) sub counties. The objectives of the demos were:
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
• To demonstrate banana management practices prioritizing production constraints faced by farmers and show how they can be practically addressed on-farm in the project sites
• Initiate on-farm action plan on how to increase banana productivity and ultimately farmers’ incomes in the different project sites and dissemination to other famers
• Initiate on-farm action plan on how to increase banana productivity and ultimately farmers’ incomes in the different project sites and dissemination to other famers
Commercialisation
Through the Feed the Future Agriculture research activity, NARO has developed novel technologies, participated in the strengthening of product incubation systems, to take advantage of the emerging research opportunities. Under the banana commodity, NARO has developed 6 prototypes of value-added products which include the Green Resistant Starch, Nano films technology, Industrial ethanol, Natural colorant (Dye), Fibre for textile & a fibre extraction machine.
