Poverty levels in the northern Uganda remain the highest in the nation. Rice, a strategic crop in the national agricultural development strategy and a key crop in the multi-annual-strategic plan of the Dutch Embassy in Kampala has very low average yields from farmlands in northern Uganda. In the region, smallholder rice farmlands are cultivated every season with little soil nutrient replenishment. The land is often left un-utilized in between rice crops resulting in reduced land productivity. We propose to introduce greengram in rice cropping system to increase land productivity, improve soil fertility, and enhance farmer’s income and nutrition among women and youth. We will also evaluate use of rhizobia inoculum to inoculate greengram and develop farmer-centred seed production and business. An ICT-enabled knowledge sharing framework will be established to enhance farmers’ information access. Up-to 1,500 smallholder farmers will be assisted to improve their household incomes, food and nutrition security

This project aims to out-scale citizen’s science approaches in testing genetic resources from national gene bank and international collections, for climate change adaptation, and nutrition suitability among communities in Uganda and Ethiopia. A citizen’s science approach engages citizens in the collection and analysis of data. The project will build on existing projects that are already utilizing these and other participatory methodologies to identify, test, select and disseminate climate smart varieties of selected crops from national gene banks and international collections to cater for farmers’ needs and their specific geographical locations, climate related challenges, and nutrition needs. The project aims to build capacity in national plant genetic resources systems and enhance collaborative partnerships and private sector engagement in the dissemination of climate smart nutritionally dense varieties.