Uganda’s 200-acre cassava farm targets a planting-material shortage in Karamoja

For households facing food shortages in Uganda’s Karamoja region, cassava offers an unusual reserve: a crop that researchers say can stay underground for more than two years and be harvested a little at a time. Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) is building that idea into a 200-acre multiplication and demonstration farm in Napak District, designed to widen access to improved planting materials and teach farmers how to grow the crop, according to Nile Post Uganda (direct).

The farm is at Nabuin Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute, known as Nabuin ZARDI. It is being developed under the Uganda Climate-Smart Agricultural Transformation Project, which promotes crops that can better withstand difficult weather and mature relatively early. Prolonged droughts have threatened agricultural production in Karamoja. NARO researchers see cassava’s tolerance of harsh conditions, and its flexible harvesting period, as advantages for households trying to maintain food supplies.

A supply bottleneck, and a skills gap

The block is expected to generate enough planting materials for about 6,000 farmers, according to Damalie Akwango, the project’s coordinator at NARO. She said Nabuin ZARDI is already working with about 200 farmer groups through the demonstration initiative. Walter Odongo, the institute’s director of research, described two linked goals: overcoming a shortage of quality planting materials and showing farmers improved production methods. He said the varieties being promoted, including NAROCAS 1, have adapted well to the region.

Three varieties are being grown at the site: NASE 14, NASE 19 and NAROCAS 1. NARO senior research officer Ijara Anthony Raphael said NASE 14 combines suitability for local soils with high yields and relatively quick maturity. NASE 19 was also selected for its high-yielding characteristics. NAROCAS 1 is being promoted for its yield potential and its performance in different parts of Uganda. The demonstration plots give farmers a place to learn recommended practices alongside access to improved planting stock.

That training also addresses a local perception that cassava needs little deliberate care. Ijara said researchers want to encourage wider adoption while changing how farmers manage the crop. Its ability to remain in the soil means households need not harvest everything within a short window.

“Cassava can ensure food availability throughout the year because it can be harvested piecemeal and is always available when needed,” Ijara said.

Food reserves and local earnings

The farm is also creating casual work. About 50 people are employed on an average day for tasks including planting, weeding and watering, Ijara said. Many are women and young people, earning about 7,000 Ugandan shillings a day. The site also provides practical training for agriculture students, from certificate courses through postgraduate programmes, extending its role beyond crop multiplication.

For Napak host farmer Lugel Patrick, improved cassava offers both food and possible income. He said trained farmers are increasingly taking up the varieties. Harvested cassava can be dried and ground with sorghum for food, while surplus production can be sold. He said those earnings can help pay school costs or buy animals to rear at home.

The next step is to extend planting materials and production skills from the central farm to households across Karamoja. The initiative’s progress will hinge on the access and adoption NARO is seeking: getting improved varieties into farmers’ hands and helping them manage a crop intended to provide food and income through dry spells.