Uganda Archives - Page 2 of 3

Scientists develop effective tool for exploring the genetic diversity of the bacterial wilt pathogen in banana and enset in East and Central Africa

One of the diseases affecting banana in East and Central Africa and threatening the food and income of over 70 million people is Xanthomonas wilt (XW), a disease caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum (Xvm). The disease also attacks enset, an ancient false banana indigenous to Ethiopia, where it was first reported in…

Survey identifies Black Sigatoka banana disease hotspots in Uganda and Tanzania

Survey also finds disease is well established and more widespread than previously thought Both Luwero District in Uganda and Mbarara District, Kagera Region in Tanzania have been identified as the areas most affected by the deadly banana disease, black Sigatoka which is caused by a fungus. The disease, which was found to be more severe…

IITA signs major project agreement with the EU to enhance livelihoods in Northern Uganda

IITA has signed an agreement with the European Union and Uganda Government to start the implementation of a three-year, multidisciplinary program that seeks to enhance food and nutrition security, increase household incomes, and improve maternal and child nutrition and health in Northern Uganda. The project will, among others, promote diversified food (production; commercialization of agriculture;…

IITA Eastern Africa Hub sets out agenda for Institute’s future in the region

The IITA Eastern Africa Hub organized a two and a half-day retreat for its staff in Nairobi, Kenya, with the theme ‘Beyond our vision—shaping our future, together!’ During the event, the hub team with members drawn from Kenya, Madagascar, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, looked at their past achievements, including the development of the first-ever East…

R4D Special: Scientists show which genetic loci are associated with bunch weight in highland banana

Scientists have, for the first time, located major quantitative trait loci associated with bunch weight and its component traits in Matooke, the East African Highland cooking banana. This is an important breakthrough in efforts to speed up breeding of improved high-yielding varieties for both food security and improved household incomes in the region. Increasing banana…

Researchers support district experts and farmers in Climate Risk Profiling

The agriculture sector in Uganda is largely rain fed; this includes Nwoya District located within the Acholi sub-region, Northern Uganda. Drought and floods, exacerbated by climate change, present significant and increasing risks to agricultural production in the district, which according to the five-year district development plan employs 98 percent of the population. The CGIAR Research…

IITA Youth Agripreneurs program wins international award for youth empowerment innovations

In recognition of its commitment to improving both agribusiness opportunities and creditworthiness of youth across Africa, the IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) program has been awarded the 2019 International Innovation Award for Sustainable Food and Agriculture. The award, the first of its kind, is funded by the Government of Switzerland and was presented, in conjuction with…

Picture of display of healthy seedlings.

Seedling exhibition for vegetable farmers held in Uganda

Planting healthy vegetable seeds significantly reduces the use of chemical pesticides on vegetable farms thereby limiting exposure to the associated health and environmental risks.

Picture of Two youth involved in agribusiness in Kamu, Bulambuli District, on the slopes of Mt. Elgon.

Youth agribusiness in Uganda: The importance of engaging youth in agricultural enterprises

Maya Turolla, a PhD candidate at the University of Bologna and Radboud University in Nijmegen, collaborated with IITA in Uganda to study how the drive to engage youth in agriculture is materializing in terms of development projects and the role these projects play in the lives of these youth.

Ugandan journal says IITA’s breeding efforts to benefit no less than 15,000 farmers

Recently, the NEW VISION journal of Uganda, reported that IITA’s laudable efforts breeding banana with desirable characteristics will benefit at least 15,000 smallholder farmers in the country.