Seeds of Hope Transforming Lives In Northern Uganda

Original Story Published by: Africa.com , www.africa.com
Photo Source: Africa.com

(Above) Dorine Akoth

For two decades, most of the population in northern Uganda lived in internally displaced people’s camps and depended on food aid and other relief emergencies for their livelihoods due to the insurgency by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Over the past few years, Gulu, one of the affected districts, has been on a path to recovery. With the prevailing peace, Geoffrey Ochieng’ and his wife can now safely till their 4.5 acres of land to grow maize and other staples to feed their family and sell the produce to meet other household needs.

However, farmers in this northern Uganda region, bordering South Sudan, are facing more erratic rains and uncertain onset of rainfall. Thanks to new drought tolerant and disease resistant maize varieties, the Ochieng’ family can adapt to this variable climate and secure a good maize harvest even in unreliable seasons.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has been working with Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and local seed companies under the Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) project, to develop and disseminate seed of improved stress-tolerant varieties such as  the UH5051 hybrid also locally called Gagawala, meaning “get rich”, Ochieng’ has been planting since 2015.