Ugandan breeders take the lead in crop innovation through new grant-based model

In Uganda, the need for accelerated agricultural innovation is important and high to achieve increased productivity and national effort on agro-industrial exports. While the population grows rapidly, by close to three percent per year, agricultural productivity lags behind, putting pressure on environment and food security, nutrition, and income for millions. Climate change and shifting food systems add further urgency.

One critical area for intervention is strengthening breeding and development of better adapted and resilient crop varieties, the foundation for improved seeds capable of responding to changing market, environmental, and nutritional demands. In Uganda, national breeding programs are coordinated and implemented by the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), which is modernizing crop breeding approaches with limited resources.

Now, a new grant-based partnership model shows what is possible when targeted funding meets national ownership and expert collaboration, in line with Uganda’s national priorities enshrined in the National Development Plan IV.

Setting the stage: A strong foundation of collaboration

Since 2019, NARO has partnered with CGIAR, working to modernize breeding programs for key staples in Uganda, including maize, beans, cassava, banana, and sweet potato. These strategic crops for food, feed and nutrition security are also a major source of raw materials for agro-based industries. As per CGIAR categorization for prioritisation, Uganda was classified as Level 1 for maize, banana, and cassava – cultivating over 1,000,000 hectares of each crop -, and as Level 2 for beans and sweet potato – growing less than 250,000 hectares of each.

Through in-depth assessments and improvement plans conducted with support from Accelerated Breeding TRANSFORM, NARO breeding programs aligned their efforts with national market segments and developed Target Product Profiles (TPPs), the ideal varieties addressing market segment requirements, to guide variety design, from development to deployment.

Expert consultants supported NARO to implement new approaches such as market-intelligence and advanced breeding tools like marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and the Breeding Management System (BMS).

Infrastructure support, provided via Germany through GIZ, as part of Crops to End Hunger (CtEH), helped enhance breeding infrastructure such as mechanization, irrigation, and seed handling systems at NARO’s Namulonge and Serere sites, major national breeding hubs.

But one challenge remained: how to sustain momentum and scale impact, with both technical and financial backing?

Solar panels of Irrigation facility NARO, Namulonge, Uganda, funded as part of Crops to End Hunger. Credit: Dragan Milic/CGIAR.

A new grant model: fast, flexible, and nationally driven

To accelerate modernization, NARO was supported by CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow and its Area of Work Accelerated Breeding, part of CGIAR Research Portfolio. This effort is a new model that empowers the national programs to take the lead, while effectively collaborating and staying aligned with CGIAR’s strategic breeding objectives.

The support allowed NARO breeding teams to act quickly and decisively, integrating with existing bilateral projects, focusing on practical outcomes, and implementing improvement plans. Across the five target crops, specific objectives were tackled: from genotyping and genetic diversity analysis to on-farm variety testing and breeding program reorganization.

“This project was truly valued by its beneficiaries. With the grant in our hands, we could act fast, align with our national priorities, and deliver measurable results within just six months,” said Dr. Benard Yada, Sweet Potato Breeder and Program Leader, Root Crops, National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI).

Key outcomes across crops

The grant enabled rapid, high-impact progress across Uganda’s five major staple crops:

• For maize, founder lines were defined, genotyped, and better aligned into heterotic pools, while F1 purity was confirmed. New NARO x CIMMYT hybrids were formed, and key germplasm for maize lethal necrosis was sent to CIMMYT for screening. Ten breeding populations were submitted for doubled haploid induction to speed up inbred line development, and Stage 1 hybrid entries were scaled up alongside expanded on-farm testing.
• Diversity analysis using reference genotypes was completed for banana, and the first national impact assessment of released matooke hybrids was conducted. A farmer survey, the first of its kind, identified widely grown varieties and trait preferences for future breeding.
• Bean market segments and Target Product Profiles (TPPs) were clearly defined, and the breeding program was reorganized to incorporate marker-assisted selection. Tricot-based on-farm variety evaluations were scaled up through collaboration with the 1000FARMS platform.
• Resistance to CBSD and PPD was integrated into the cassava breeding pipeline, and molecular markers were deployed for selection. On-farm adoption of improved varieties was also assessed.
• The current rate of genetic gain of sweet potato was established, virus-free planting material was bulked, the purity of released lines was confirmed, and farmer and consumer preferences were documented.

Beyond individual crops, the project also delivered strong cross-cutting outcomes. Founder lines for all pipelines were genotyped with support from CGIAR’s Breeding Resources, breeding schemes were optimized for greater efficiency with support from Accelerated Breeding’s ACCELERATE, on-farm testing was expanded nationwide through Tricot trials, breeding manuals were developed for all crops and are under review, costing studies were completed and training were conducted.

Sendusu water reservoir, IITA- NARO irrigation facility, Uganda, funded as part of Crops to End Hunger. Credit: Dragan Milic, CGIAR.

Conclusion: What makes this work?

This experience proves that when national programs are trusted and resourced directly, they can deliver faster, deeper, and more relevant impact. Within a six-month window, NARO achieved results that would have been difficult under traditional CGIAR-led implementation models.

This grant-based partnership model offers a blueprint for empowering national research systems, supporting them not only as collaborators, but as leaders in delivering the next generation of improved crops.

Resources:

• Learn more about Accelerated Breeding TRANSFORM
• Learn more about NARO
• Kyomugisha, Elizabeth. 2008. Land tenure and agricultural productivity in Uganda. USSP Brief 5.
• Uganda Fourth National Development Plan

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Main image: Group picture: NARO team together with Accelerated Breeding Transform team members in Uganda. Credit: CGIAR. Written with Julie Puech. This work contributes to CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow (B4T) Science Program through its Accelerated Breeding Area of Work.