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{"metadata":{"id":"004cdeb871d9f20e494764930d403a0e","source":"gardian_index","url":"https://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/ae0be5f9-75b1-4ea4-b111-d60eb955a48a/retrieve"},"pageCount":2,"title":"UGANDAN FARMERS CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION","keywords":[],"chapters":[{"head":"AN AFRICA-LED SOLUTION TO END FOOD AID","index":1,"paragraphs":[{"index":1,"size":233,"text":"Relief agencies of the United Nations and other organizations are buying the resilient seeds released by the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO). Stanley Nkalubo is a Team Leader and Breeder of the Legumes Research Program National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), part of NARO, said: \"Since 2014, a good majority of seed companies in Uganda supply relief and government organizations with improved, drought resilient and higher yielding seed varieties. These bean varieties are developed together with our research partners -like CIAT -and released by us to deliver to partners, who work with relief agencies. The bean breeding lines used are normally obtained from the CIAT gene bank at Kawanda. It also serves as a back-up store of all these improved bean seeds -it's our refuge in case of any calamity.\" Private sector companies like Equator Seeds Ltd., are mass producing them to sell in bulk to relieve communities in refugee camps along the border with South Sudan, where hunger levels are critical. Felix Otim, Sales Manager at Equator Seeds in Gulu said: \"We don't know the future, we can't really anticipate the positives or negativity off the future. But we have to be ready. For livelihoods, there really needs to be well planned and increased production.\" In the background, seeds bound for FAO are being packed and ready for sending to vulnerable populations and refugees, increasing their capacity to sustain themselves, he added."}]},{"head":"A REFUGE FOR BETTER SEEDS TO BUILD ROBUST, RESILIENT AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS","index":2,"paragraphs":[{"index":1,"size":78,"text":"The Kawanda Genebank in Uganda protects and stores around 4,000 thousand types of beans, especially bred using conventional methods. Many of the beans are sourced from CIAT's genebank in Colombia -which houses the largest collection of common beans in the world. Led by a pioneering team of African breeders, this storage facility is a refuge for beans which can be sent across Africa to boost local supplies of bean seeds, with different useful traits, and alleviate food imports."},{"index":2,"size":59,"text":"In recent months, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi have received heat and drought tolerant bean breeding lines. Four micronutrient rich varieties -high in iron and zinc to tackle malnutrition -were released in Kenya. Researchers are also ready to send climbing beans to Rwanda -they can produce more on smaller plots of land, where land availability is a big problem."},{"index":3,"size":86,"text":"Yet this refuge for seeds could be under threat, with dwindling funding and fewer resources to support vulnerable national research programs. For example those in South Sudan -mean that researchers are under more pressure than ever to beat increasing weather extremes: drought and flooding -with fewer resources and less capacity. This could critically affect the supply of nutritious beans, an affordable, major staple and source of protein and income generation for many communities across Africa, enabling them to become self-sufficient. CONTACT Robin Buruchara, PABRA Director [email protected]"}]}],"figures":[{"text":" Ugandan farmers fight famine in South Sudan Earlier this year, South Sudan fell victim to the first famine declared since 2011. Almost six million people are still at risk of starvation. Over 1 million displaced Sudanese are migrating to neighbouring northern Uganda, where they stay in camps for internally displaced people fleeing conflict. Yet, resources to feed the influx of people fleeing South Sudan are scarce. The World Food Programme has reported overwhelming demand for food aid, which has recently been cut due to funding delays. To avoid increasing unrest and migration, a long-term food security solution for the region is urgently needed. \"When we returned from the camp, we were using our traditional planting. We didn't used to get much. Then CIAT and partners came and I went to see a demonstration. We got much knowledge about farming. Now, we have seen a very big change in our lives. farming: with the local varieties it's harder and more expensiveweeding, harvesting can take you a lot of money, but this one is very simple.\" "},{"text":"Eveline Aryemo: \"I like this seed. When we plant it, from 1 seed we get 40 or more than 30 seeds. Now the benefits are if we plant, because I have responsibilities, it helps me for consumption. Others I sell and it pays school fees for the children. Beans like the older ones do not yield much compared to this one we are currently planting. Sometimes we only got around 20 seeds or sometimes rarely we got 30 seeds. I find the benefits are there because if I cultivate, it makes me money. I also feed the children in terms of something to eat. If they are sick it is these things that I have cultivated which I pick and I go and sell to pay for medicine.\" "}],"sieverID":"6edfdcda-bcb2-42fa-a9a4-fb8772b9e228","abstract":"In the Gulu region of Northern Uganda, communities have slowly returned after fleeing the Lord's Resistance Army many years ago. Despite little farming experience, technology and resources, they now have a major task on their hands: supplying food for their own families and communities, and also to those escaping war and hunger-stricken South Sudan.The International Center for Tropical Agriculture known by its Spanish acronym CIAT and Uganda's National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and partners are working to supply farmers with high yielding, drought and disease resilient beans to boost yields and improve nutrition among vulnerable refugees and communities in northern Uganda. Despite persistent drought, farmers are now increasing their bean yields for their own families to eat -and to sell to traders who demand particular types of beans -for example the NABE bean series -which have a wide range of benefits, from being tastier and more resilient to climate stresses, to pest and disease resilience -than local varieties."} |
