Brig Gen Muwanguzi Commends NaSARRI’s Role In Transforming Agriculture

Brigadier General Godfrey Muwanguzi, Acting Deputy Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), has lauded the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI) for its instrumental role in advancing food research and innovation in Uganda.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the institute, Brig Gen Muwanguzi praised NaSARRI’s leadership for developing technologies that enhance food crop varieties and quality across Uganda’s varied ecological zones. “Such research initiatives are beneficial to the nation. They equip farmers with the knowledge to make informed, science-based decisions throughout the farming seasons,” he said.

He highlighted that NaSARRI’s efforts are in line with Pillar One of the Parish Development Model, which aims to strengthen Uganda’s agricultural value chain as a foundation for rural economic transformation.

NaSARRI is one of 16 public agricultural research institutes under the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), with a mandate to support crop production in semi-arid regions. Its reach spans beyond the cattle corridor to include the Eastern Savanna (Teso), Karamoja drylands, and the Lango, Acholi, and West Nile sub-regions.

The institute’s mission is to develop and share agricultural technologies and information that support sustainable crop and resource management, working in collaboration with partners to increase national agricultural productivity.

NaSARRI also offers specialised services such as access to scientific and patent databases, intellectual property support, and guidance on patent drafting, prosecution, and novelty searches to promote the commercialisation of agricultural innovations.

Brig Gen Muwanguzi’s visit forms part of a four-day tour of the eastern region, aimed at assessing the impact of government wealth creation efforts and ensuring that ongoing agricultural innovations contribute effectively to national development objectives.