How Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) is developing tailored crop varieties in Uganda

By Godfrey Asea, Lead, Breeder and Seed Systems, National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO)

For over three decades, Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), has led the way in using modern crop breeding methods to accelerate the development of improved varieties specifically designed to address the current challenges and meet the needs of our country.

As climate threats intensify and Uganda’s population grows, the urgency to develop improved and adapted crop varieties quickly, affordably, and with broad appeal to farmers, consumers, and processors has never been greater.

But how can we ensure that the varieties we develop are truly the ones Ugandan farmers and consumers need? Fortunately, we have a strategy at our disposal, crafted in collaboration with CGIAR, global agricultural research organization, and implemented by NARO.

Breeding nusery at NARO Namulonge station, Uganda. Credit: Jjumba Martin, Accelerated Breeding Initiative / CGIAR

Listening to the market and Ugandan farmers

Plant breeders worldwide use the latest crop breeding techniques to develop varieties that are more nutritious, productive, and climate-resilient. To maximize the adoption of these improved crops, they need to ensure new varieties meet the specific needs of their target production environments and market.

Defining market segments and developing Target Product Profiles (TPPs) that document the collection of key traits required for a variety to succeed in a particular market segment, enables breeders to prioritize their efforts and ensure products from their breeding pipelines are tailored to the local environment and have the highest chance of adoption.

In order to define market segments and target product profiles for key food security crops in Uganda such as maize, cassava, yam, bananas, sweet potatoes, and common beans, NARO breeders, together with CGIAR Initiative on Accelerated Breeding and regional crop breeders, conducted a series of crop specific product design team (PDT) meetings. In these meetings, a broad range of stakeholders and value chain actors including farmer groups, processors, seed companies, policy officials and scientists, discuss the current and future needs of crop varieties, define, and formally agree on national market segments, Target Product Profiles and breeding priorities.

Through this process, more than a dozen unique market segments were identified for staple crops in Uganda. For instance, maize segments were primarily aligned with target environments, nutritional traits, and maturity groups, such as early, intermediate (medium), intermediate-late (mid-late), highland, and nutritious maize. In contrast, bean market segments were more complex, incorporating a combination of plant types and consumer preferences for grain size and color.

Each segment has its own specific trait requirements, as detailed in its Target Product Profile. NARO maize breeders now rely on these TPPs to guide their work—choosing parent plants for breeding and selecting varieties to advance based on how well they align with the TPPs. This structured approach is expected to accelerate the development of crop varieties that meet market demands more effectively.

NARO sweet potato breeding team is already using its Target Product Profiles to guide its breeding efforts, focusing on traits prioritised by both farmers for domestic food security and industry for commercial use. Key traits that are critical for food security include disease resistance, high dry matter content and provitamin A. Meanwhile, industrial processors seek varieties suited for bread production or manufacturing products like juices, that cater to consumer preferences. This renewed focus on two distinct market segments has been made possible by organizing inclusive PDT meetings, bringing together both farmers and processors shaping breeding priorities.

Major crops including banana, cassava, yams, beans, rice and groundnuts are now using this design approach to develop new crop varieties.

NARO breeder in a nursery at Namulonge station, Uganda. Credit: Jjumba Martin, Accelerated Breeding Initiative/CGIAR

Refining our breeding methodology, technologies, and progress

With support from CGIAR Accelerated Breeding Initiative and regional CGIAR breeders from International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and International Potato Center (CIP), NARO has undertaken assessments of crop breeding programs. Each NARO breeding program has undergone such an assessment which has led to the development of a customized improvement plan and a tier rating that reflects the current scope of breeding pipelines operations. The customized improvement plans typically include 20 to 30 key recommendations that can be achieved within the short to medium term. These recommendations are aimed at significantly accelerating the improvement of variety traits through breeding, or enhancing the rate of genetic gain.

Recommendations typically cover various aspects of breeding, including use of specialized equipment and tools, capacity building, process management and adoption of modern breeding methodologies. They are intended to enhance our effectiveness and the quality of our breeding efforts, while also assisting us in targeting investment cases to address gaps identified in the process.

NARO have used these assessment reports and improvement plans to secure support for program modernization from the Crops to End Hunger program (CtEH) and increased breeding operation funds from the Accelerated breeding initiative. As part of the CtEH investment in NARO, two major NARO breeding stations are undergoing a major infrastructural upgrade that will significantly enhance lab and field activities through investment in digital equipment, field equipment (for example, tractors), seed storage and processing infrastructure and irrigation.

In addition to infrastructural investment, improvement plans have highlighted the need for human capacity development through training of NARO scientists in new, modern breeding methodologies. NARO scientists have already benefited from training in equipment and breeding operations and anticipate further training in genomic breeding. Ultimately, this will empower NARO to assume greater responsibility in the international breeding effort.

NARO breeder in a trial field at Namulonge station in Uganda. Credit: Jjumba Martin, Accelerated Breeding Initiative/CGIAR

Harnessing the power of collaboration and regional shared facilities

Collaboration across borders is essential in shaping the future of agriculture, ensuring food security, and driving economic prosperity. That is why is it essential to harness the power of regional breeding networks that are being facilitated by Accelerated Breeding Initiative.

One of such networks is the Eastern and Southern African Maize Breeding Network, facilitating knowledge and germplasm exchange, as well as joint resource mobilization. It is a commodity-based network, but also a community of practice and a tribune, where the insights of the Product Design Teams are discussed to align regional breeding strategies, find export markets for our products, etc.

Access to advanced breeding tools and shared facilities at the regional level, like CIMMYT doubled haploids facility, reduces the time required to develop homozygous maize lines to just over one year, instead of three to seven years using more traditional inbreeding methods. At NARO, we aggressively use this technology, located in Kenya, which will expedite variety development, significantly reducing development time and cost.

Conclusion

All in all, our collaboration journey with CGIAR, which began with the Excellence in Breeding (EiB) program in 2019 and later transitioned into the Accelerated Breeding Initiative has been extremely beneficial to NARO. By integrating new tools, technologies, and networks, we’re achieving more with less while increasing adoption rates of new varieties.

Looking ahead, NARO remains committed to advancing breeding operations in Uganda and expanding deployment of new tools and methodologies to other crops. Through training initiatives and strategic partnerships, we aim to further enhance improved crop quality, resilience, and relevance.

These efforts will benefit benefits Ugandan farmers and consumers, and this agricultural development will ultimately also contribute to national economic growth.