Do you know that maize production in Uganda increased significantly despite fatal challenges like drought and climate change? And the magic becomes reality by cultivating drought-tolerant maize. If you’re having second thoughts about investing in maize production in Uganda, let me assure you of no risk and good ROI. Let me guide you through the whole scene of drought-tolerant maize.

The adoption of drought-tolerant maize was a catalyst in increasing food security for many African countries. When you think about food security detriments, climate change naturally stays in the number one spot. Weather patterns have been less predictable for some time in Uganda. Farmers are becoming increasingly worried about damage to their crops and produce. As a staple crop in the country drought-tolerant maize became a promising solution in tackling weather damage.

The future of Uganda’s economy and food security relies on its agricultural products. And for crops to survive in harsh conditions they need to be innovative in using crop varieties that are sustainable in those conditions.

The current adoption rate of drought-tolerant maize is way low compared to what they are supposed to be.

 DTMs have higher yields in different weather conditions and this becomes clear when compared to local varieties.

 Serious barriers are keeping these seeds away from wider adoption.

 The future of adoption looks promising as government and other organizations push these varieties for adoption.

The adoption of drought-tolerant maize in Uganda has seen promising growth. But there is still room for improvement. Only around half the total number of farmers know about these varieties. Most people in the West and South are either unaware or unwilling to try new technology. This is a major barrier to the adoption of these varieties.

Lack of awareness is also a big concern going forward. Once farmers start to know and understand these varieties they mostly tend to switch over from regular ones. A study suggests that 77% of the respondents were growing modern maize varieties in a sample and 24% were using drought-tolerate ones specifically.

Availability is another serious issue. Less than half the farmers, mainly smallholder ones don’t have access to quality seeds of different varieties. Credit discrepancies are running wild in the country Even if they have access most of them don’t have the capacity or income to afford them. Another critical point for adoption is research centers. Farmers who live outside of the range of these institutes are less likely to learn or adopt new technology.

So, the adoption rate is not where it is supposed to be in almost half the country. There are possibilities for extension programs to help farmers learn and adopt DTMs.

For a country relying mostly on agriculture crop protection comes first and foremost. And crop safety’s biggest natural threat is a drought situation. Drought-tolerant maize is an advantage against this serious weather condition. Even more so particularly in the face of the changing climate. But there are other adoption benefits as well. Let’s talk about them.

As the name suggests the crop is resilient against droughts. But more interesting than that is the produce stays stable in different rainfall conditions. This makes them viable even when there is rainfall. The benefits become clearer once you move to a dryer area.

The yield from drought-tolerant maize crops is higher than other hybrid or local varieties. According to Frontiersin, the yield is around 30% higher with drought-tolerant seeds. This increases the food safety of growing them. The variance is even higher when they compared it to the local maize varieties.

There are long-term economic benefits as well. The surplus yield can offer farmers better incomes and selling opportunities. The overall stability of using these seeds reduces future economic risks. They can improve the overall maize farming systems.

So, why are corn crops that can survive droughts not widely adopted? Well, there are certain barriers that it needs to break before farmers of all stature can accept them. 

The first challenge for these varieties is the information gap among farmers. Uganda has seen progress in so many crop varieties in a short period. Since agriculture became privatized, multi-national organizations took the agriculture sector through a revolution. There are certain parts of the country where technology is not as sophisticated. But they are working to extend their services to these remote areas.

Another lingering problem that is plaguing the whole sector, is access to these seeds. The market policies in the country are down in the dumps. The majority of the farmers go through trouble to buy them and the rest just don’t want the hassle. Extension services need to work vigorously in local markets.

The seed distribution system is also bad. There are reports of counterfeit seeds circling the markets frequently. 30 to 40% of the seeds sold are fakes. Affordability takes another toll on farmers in buying these improved varieties. The main victims of high switching costs are the smallholders who lack cash and ways to get these seeds.

No doubt the drought-tolerant varieties are some of the best in terms of yield, food safety, and stable income. However, these seeds need to be available to all the farmers to make sure the yield potential is maximized.

With rapid climate change and the effect of greenhouse gases, the future of drought-tolerant maize varieties is clear. Maize is a staple crop in the country. With that in mind, it needs to be preserved throughout the ages. The DTM varieties currently available in the country are Longe 4, longe 5, longe 5D, and MM3. The MM3 and Longe 4 varieties are the most popular among the farmers who went ahead and adopted them. These two varieties mature early giving farmers options to practice crop rotation.

 The farmers that adopted these variants are mostly those who have large amounts of farmland. Their success stories need to be advertised for other farmers to come forward and organizations to make these seeds available to the smallholders and less knowledgeable farmers.

This knowledge gap is more noticeable in farms where women are in charge. Unless their farm is part of research or understanding, they tend to neglect new technology. With this comes ignorance towards DTMs.

Male farmers are more likely to adopt the improved varieties. This distinction alone creates a gap in adoption as more and more women have entered farming in recent years.

Drought-tolerant improved maize varieties are the go to if we want to increase food security in the world. This was the long-term vision behind the engineering of these varieties. The extra yield is an added bonus. So, there will be no future to speak of if we stop considering these varieties. Drought-Resistant crops are the future

Irrigation systems can make life easier when droughts or dry spells hit. But why wait 10-12 years to have the system pay for itself when you can just use these varieties to fight drought. Irrigation is not a solution smallholder or backyard farmers can afford to get. Increasing the availability and affordability of DTMs should be the main concern for the authorities.

Even the governments in many African countries like Uganda and Rwanda have taken steps to make DTM varieties compulsory. There is no doubt that these varieties will become seeds of gold in the future.