Abstract:
From the late 80’s to the early 1990’s, Uganda’s agriculture sector grappled with emerging and destructive pests and diseases that threatened to decimate most of the country’s strategic crops. Case in point is cassava; due to the African Cassava Mosaic Virus Disease, almost all the cassava land races were wiped out. Similarly, coffee that formed the major backbone of Uganda’s agricultural export succumbed to Coffee Wilt Disease resulting into losses of more than 50% of the coffee tree population in the country. In totality, the resultant effects of those militating factors included food and nutrition insecurity, joblessness and reduced incomes at both household and national levels. This was unsettling to say the least but no hope was lost following the establishment of the National Agricultural Research Organisation also known as NARO as a premier institute for Research and Development.