A Japan-funded agricultural initiative led by UN Women Uganda, Peace Winds Japan, and the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) is driving a massive surge in rice production among refugees and host communities in Yumbe and Madi Okollo districts. The project aims to strengthen women’s economic empowerment, food security, and peaceful coexistence while addressing climate-related conflict risks in West Nile’s displacement-affected areas.
Aligned with Uganda’s Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan, the project builds on lessons from a previous JICA rice initiative but places a specific emphasis on women’s leadership. Natasha Butorac, Women, Peace and Security Specialist at UN Women, noted that the vast majority of participating farmers are now women, successfully challenging traditional gender stereotypes.
Despite a severe, prolonged dry spell in West Nile, demonstration gardens planted with the NERICA 4 rice variety have shown encouraging results. Dr. Emmanuel Odama, a senior research officer at NARO, and Amaku Shaban, chairperson of the Dongoloto Farmers Group, both noted that local, ordinary rice varieties would have completely withered under the current harsh weather conditions. NERICA 4 was explicitly introduced for its disease and drought tolerance.
To train the farmers, NARO utilizes the Musomesa field school model, which pairs collective learning with immediate, practical application:
Mother Gardens: Group-level demonstration plots where farmers learn modern techniques like line-sowing.
Baby Gardens: Individual, half-acre family plots where members concurrently replicate the exact practices learned.
This method has also fostered social cohesion. Host community members are actively sharing portions of their land with refugees, granting displaced families agricultural access beyond their traditional allotments and strengthening regional peace.
The shift from traditional “broadcasting” (scattering seed) to row-planting and proper post-harvest handling has dramatically reduced labor while multiplying yields.
Taban Rashid, a project farmer and trainer from Kululu sub-county in Yumbe district, shared his dramatic turnaround:
“I used to blame the milling machine for breaking my rice. But with the knowledge I got, I came to learn that the quality is made in the garden, protected in the store, and the machinery only reveals the work you did from planting to storage.” Taban Rashid, Project Farmer & Trainer
Despite a severe prolonged dry spell in West Nile, the NERICA 4 crop has survived where traditional crops failed.
By addressing critical needs through improved seed, hands-on training, and post-harvest management, the intervention is successfully using women’s economic empowerment to build long-term climate resilience and lasting community peace in settlements like Bidi Bidi and beyond.
According to Dr. Emmanuel Odama, a senior research officer at NARO, local varieties would have withered completely under the current weather conditions.
By putting women at the center of agricultural production, the intervention successfully challenges gender stereotypes while providing West Nile families with sustainable income, food security, and long-term climate resilience.
Amaku Shaban, chairperson of the Dongoloto Farmers Group in Kululu sub-county, said the introduction of NERICA 4 and training in line planting had helped farmers sustain production despite the unfavourable weather.
“We were doing broadcasting; now we sow in line, and they also brought us a new seed variety called NERICA 4. It is disease- and drought-resistant. If it was our ordinary variety, we wouldn’t have any crop to see,” Shaban said.
He said the knowledge and improved seed supplied through the intervention had given farmers renewed hope of improving their livelihoods.
Dr Moses Biruma, the director of research at NARO Abi Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute in Arua, said a needs assessment conducted before implementation established that rice growing was the preferred agricultural enterprise among the target farmers.
The project has subsequently focused on addressing the farmers’ needs through improved seed, practical training and the promotion of better production and post-harvest handling practices.
For women in Bidi Bidi and the surrounding host communities, the intervention offers more than improved harvests. By strengthening agricultural skills, increasing the potential for household income and creating opportunities for cooperation between refugees and host communities, it is also advancing the broader goal of using women’s economic empowerment to build resilience and promote peace.
