YUMBE
Refugees and host communities in Yumbe and Madi Okollo districts are reporting improved rice harvests following the introduction of better seed varieties and farming methods under a project funded by the Government of Japan.
The project, which focuses on women’s economic empowerment and peaceful coexistence, is being implemented by Peace Winds Japan in collaboration with UN Women Uganda, the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) and other partners.
Known as the Project for the Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Refugee Settlements and Host Communities, the initiative supports farmers with training in rice production and access to improved seed, particularly the NERICA 4 variety.
During a joint monitoring visit to project sites in Yumbe and Madi Okollo, officials inspected rice demonstration gardens and assessed farmers’ progress, including how crops were performing during the prolonged dry spell.
Natasha Butorac, a Women, Peace and Security Specialist at UN Women, said the project was designed to address some of the challenges facing refugee-hosting communities, including climate change, limited resources and competition for agricultural land.
“Part of the aim of this intervention is to bring in drought-resilient and disease-resilient varieties of rice,” Butorac said.
She explained that improving agricultural production could help families earn an income and reduce tensions arising from competition for resources.
Butorac said the project also supports Uganda’s Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan, which identifies climate-related challenges as a threat to peace and security.
The intervention draws lessons from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-supported Eco-PRiDe Rice project, with greater attention given to women’s participation in farming.
“But by this project, I’m really happy to say that the vast majority of the farmers who are taking part are women,” she said.
In Pitia village, Kululu Sub-county, Yumbe District, farmer Taban Rashid said the training had changed the way he grows rice.
Rashid, who has been receiving training under the MUSHO project since 2025, said he previously planted rice by broadcasting seed across his garden, a practice that required more seed and made weeding difficult.
“I would usually use 50 kilogrammes of seed to plant an acre, and weeding one acre would take me 15 days,” he said.
He also struggled with poor post-harvest handling, which affected the quality of his rice after milling.
Before receiving training, Rashid said he harvested about eight bags of rice per acre, earning approximately Sh800,000.
After adopting line planting and improved crop management practices, his harvest increased to 25 bags per acre, earning him about Sh2.5 million.
“I used to blame the milling machine for breaking my rice. But with the knowledge I got from JICA, I came to learn that the quality is made in the garden, protected in the store, and the machinery only reveals the work you did from planting to storage,” Rashid said.
He now trains other farmers in the community, sharing the methods he has learnt.
Dr Emmanuel Odama, a senior research officer at NARO, said farmers are trained using the Musomesa field school approach, which combines group demonstrations with practical work on individual farms.
Under the arrangement, farmers establish a central demonstration plot, known as the mother garden, where they learn recommended farming practices. Each farmer then applies the same methods in an individual plot, referred to as a baby garden.
“While we are planting in the mother garden, individual farmers should be planting in their baby gardens concurrently. When we are planting in line, you should be planting in line,” Odama explained.
He said farmers participating in the programme are expected to have access to at least half an acre of land.
According to Odama, cooperation between refugees and host communities has enabled some refugees to access additional farmland, with host community members allowing them to use portions of their land.
He said the arrangement has improved relations between the two communities, which depend on the same land and other resources for their livelihoods.
NARO is also monitoring changes in rice yields and the adoption of recommended farming practices to assess the project’s performance.
Despite the prolonged dry spell, farmers said the NERICA 4 rice variety has performed better than the local varieties they previously planted.
Odama said the variety has some tolerance to drought and resistance to certain diseases, making it suitable for the conditions experienced in the area.
“If we had local varieties of rice, we would not be able to see anything here,” he said while inspecting one of the demonstration gardens.
Amaku Shaban, chairperson of the Dongoloto Farmers Group in Kululu Sub-county, said the introduction of NERICA 4 and line planting had helped farmers maintain their crops despite the unfavourable weather.
“We were doing broadcasting; now we sow in line, and they also brought us a new seed variety called NERICA 4. It is disease- and drought-resistant. If it was our ordinary variety, we wouldn’t have any crop to see,” Shaban said.
He said farmers were already applying the knowledge gained from the training to improve production.
Dr Moses Biruma, Director of Research at NARO’s Abi Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute in Arua, said a needs assessment conducted before
