Posted on March, 24, 2025 at 09:35 am
For years, wetlands across Eastern Uganda have been a lifeline for thousands of farmers like Josephine Akiror from Pallisa District.
Driven by poverty and limited land, many families encroached on these fragile ecosystems in search of fertile ground to grow rice — a crop that fetches quick cash.
But the cost has been heavy. Wetland degradation, loss of biodiversity, and dwindling rice yields are now forcing farmers to rethink their survival strategies.
"We came to the wetlands because we had no choice. The uplands were no longer productive, and we needed to feed our families," Akiror explains.
"Now the wetlands are also failing us."
Faced with growing pressure to vacate wetlands and the environmental impact of their activities, farmers are finding hope in a new alternatives. It's a rice revolution - or call it a rice-lution.
The government’s climate resilience programs, supported by the Green Climate Fund, are also targeting such initiatives, injecting billions into irrigation, livestock and fish farming in persuasion of farmers to stop wetlands degradation through rice production.
With rice now a staple food in East Africa, the challenge is balancing growing demand with environmental sustainability.
Uganda has seen a dramatic 50% rise in rice consumption since 2019, driven by rapid urbanisation and shifting consumer preferences.
However, most of the country’s rice is grown in wetlands, intensifying environmental degradation, threatening biodiversity, and accelerating wetland depletion.
In contrast, Kenya, which faces a rice production-consumption deficit of nearly 13% per annum, has invested heavily in irrigation systems but also grapples with environmental risks from conventional farming methods.
Experts, researchers, policymakers, and farmers from Uganda and Kenya under the umbrella project Reduce-Reuse-Recycle Rice Initiative for Climate-Smart Agriculture (R4iCSA) have developed technologies and approaches of transforming rice production into an environmentally sustainable and climate-smart enterprise aiming to address the mounting environmental challenges posed by traditional rice farming, especially in Uganda’s wetland areas.
“We are testing climate-smart technologies and models that can be easily adopted by farmers with minimal costs, ensuring better yields and environmental conservation,” said Dr. Birungi Korutaro, CEO of Kilimo Trust, an agricultural development organization.
A major thrust of the initiative is promoting upland rice farming to reduce pressure on wetlands.
Rembo Patrick, an agriculturalist working with small holder farmers from Tororo, noted that farmers in the region are gradually embracing upland rice varieties, particularly Namche 4 and 5, across the sub-counties of Nagongera, Magola, Yolwa, Mulanda, Sopsop, and Nabiyoga.
These varieties are not only high-yielding but also bird-resistant due to their hard grain cover — a critical advantage for farmers who often battle bird invasions.
“In the previous season, we demonstrated upland rice growing on just an acre in Segere village, Magola Sub-county, and harvested 1,450 kilograms compared to the 600 to 700 kilograms typically harvested from wetlands,” Rembo shared.
Jimmy Lamwo, a rice breeder at Uganda’s National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) revealed that demand for upland rice seed has steadily increased a sign that farmers are gradually embracing the technology with codename “new supper”
NaCRRI is also testing perennial rice varieties — capable of being harvested multiple times — to reduce the frequency of plaughing, which damages soil structure and releases harmful gases. This intervention is timely as Uganda shifts away from wetland-based farming.
“These perennial varieties can be harvested three times from a single planting, maintaining soil health and reducing production costs,” Lamwo said.
He noted that previous funding limitations had hindered such advanced research, but partnerships under R4iCSA are now enabling comprehensive testing — from taste, adaptability, aroma, to profitability — while involving farmers in validating the models.
Through evidence-based research, experts are also exploring integrating legumes and rotational farming to maintain soil fertility, alongside water-efficient methods like intermittent irrigation.
Central to this initiative is the shift towards a circular biomass economy model. This approach promotes the use of every rice by-product — from grain to husks and straw — ensuring nothing goes to waste.
Burning rice waste, especially straw, is a common practice but a major contributor to global warming through carbon emissions — a potent greenhouse gas.
According to Anthony Mugambi, Kilimo Trust Kenya’s team leader, rice husks can produce biochar — an organic fertilizer — while straw is used for compost manure or animal feed.
“We’re advocating recycling these by-products — feeding animals, generating biogas, and producing organic manure — to create a complete cycle that returns nutrients to the soil,” Mugambi explained.
Mugambi explained that, integrating rice by-products into other value chains such as livestock feed or bioenergy is key to reducing this environmental footprint.
“The circular biomass economy model we’re promoting is not only about environmental protection but also about improving farmers’ livelihoods by opening up new income streams from by-products. It’s a win-win,” Mugambi said.
The partners are hopeful that findings will influence national policies and inspire large-scale adoption of sustainable rice farming practices.
As rice continues to shape East Africa’s food systems, initiatives like R4iCSA offer a pathway to a future where agriculture feeds the population without destroying the environment.
Source: Nile Post