Refugees and host communities in Uganda's West Nile sub-region are recording improved rice harvests and incomes following the introduction of improved seed varieties and modern farming techniques under a Japan-funded initiative. The Project for the Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Refugee Settlements and Host Communities is funded by the Government of Japan, with UN Women Uganda as the grant recipient and Peace Winds Japan as an implementing partner. The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) is implementing the project's livelihood component by training farmers in improved rice production and distributing quality seed, particularly the NERICA 4 variety.
The initiative addresses the links between climate change, competition for natural resources and conflict in refugee-hosting communities, according to Natasha Butorac, UN Women's Women, Peace and Security Specialist. She said the project aims to introduce drought-resilient and disease-resilient varieties of rice to improve agricultural productivity, increase household incomes and food security while easing economic pressures that can contribute to conflict. The intervention aligns with Uganda's Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan, which recognises climate-related risks as an emerging threat to peace and security. A significant focus has been placed on women's participation, with Butorac noting that the vast majority of farmers taking part are women, which challenges stereotypes about women's ability to engage effectively in farming.
For participating farmers, the new techniques are already delivering measurable results. Taban Rashid, a farmer from Pitia village in Kululu Sub-county, Yumbe District, said training under the project since 2025 had transformed his rice production approach. Previously, he used broadcasting, a method of scattering seeds across a field that required more seed and made weeding labour-intensive. He would use 50 kilogrammes of seed to plant an acre, with weeding taking 15 days per acre. After adopting the recommended practices, his reported harvest rose to 25 bags per acre, while his earnings increased from approximately Shs800,000 to about Shs2.5 million. He said he learned that quality depends on practices from planting to storage, not on the milling machinery alone.
The project uses the Musomesa field school approach, combining group demonstrations with individual practice, according to Dr Emmanuel Odama, a senior research officer at NARO. Under the model, farmers establish a mother garden for group demonstrations and baby gardens where individual participants apply techniques on their own plots. Participants are required to have access to at least half an acre of land. Cooperation between refugees and host communities has also helped refugees access land beyond what would traditionally be available to them through arrangements involving the Office of the Prime Minister, with some host community members agreeing to share portions of their land with refugees.
Despite a prolonged dry spell, demonstration gardens planted with NERICA 4 have shown encouraging results. Dr Odama said the variety has disease tolerance and some drought tolerance, helping it withstand conditions that affected local rice varieties. Amaku Shaban, chairperson of the Dongoloto Farmers Group in Kululu Sub-county, said line planting and the introduction of NERICA 4 had helped farmers sustain their crops despite unfavourable weather. The improved seed and training have given farmers renewed hope of improving their livelihoods. Dr Moses Biruma, director of research at NARO's Abi Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute in Arua, said a needs assessment conducted before the project began identified rice growing as the preferred agricultural enterprise among the target farmers.
For women in Bidi Bidi and neighbouring host communities, the project aims to deliver benefits beyond increased harvests. By strengthening farming skills, improving prospects for household income and encouraging cooperation between refugees and host communities, it seeks to use women's economic empowerment to build resilience and promote peace. NARO is tracking the intervention against baseline data collected before implementation, with adoption of recommended farming practices and improvements in yields among the indicators used to assess progress.