Abstract:
Rice is an important food crop with high commercial value along its value chain in Uganda. Over 80% of rice produced is marketed outside the production areas at competitive prices when compared with other crop commodities. Production is mainly under rainfed upland, rainfed lowland and irrigated production conditions. Currently, Uganda produces up to 320,000MT of rice annually which is equivalent to import substitution of about 104M USD per year (FAO, 2015). The sector targets to produce 680,000 MT by 2020 and generate at least US$73 million worth of exports (UBOS, 2015). Northern and Eastern parts of the country produce 90% of the total rice produced in the country with the north producing 23%. The northern parts produce mainly upland rice and the area is largely suitable for upland rice production based on agro-climatic parameters and potential for expansion (0jara et al 2017). The potential for upland rice production in Northern Uganda is undermined by several constraints