NARO Rwebitaba ZARDI has been implementing a project of scaling climate smart and resilient technologies in refugee settlements of Rwamwanja, Kamwenge district, Kyaka II, Kyegegwa district and more recently Kyangwali in Kikuube district. The technologies promoted in the refugee settlements and their host communities are majorly sweet potato (Narospot 8), cassava (Narocas 3) and beans (Naro beans 1- 7). Particularly in Rwamwanja, NARO technologies have supported feeding programs in schools especially following the freeze in funding due to the closure of USAID in early 2025. Below are comments from a number of schools in the settlement whose sustainance has been supported by NARO’s technologies.
Frederick Mutabazi, Principal Finchurch Skills training facility
Naro came on board in 2024 to help us with food security. They first brought maize and later on beans and cassava. It has helped us get meals for our learners especially when the funding was cut off. With their help, we have been able to sustain ourselves. They have also assisted us through their technical guidance and especially postharvest handling. Our center is now a point where the community has been able to access good varieties of cassava. Many from the community have got seed from here, especially cassava. You have seen in the facility the beans that we have harvested that will be both seed for the next season and food for our learners.
Emmanuel Irafasha, a vocational trainer at Finchurch Skills training facility
Naro gave us like seven varieties of beans and seed for two sweet potato varieties and cassava. It has been helpful for us, especially in the time when funding was cut off. Having sweet potatoes and cassava has helped us to enrich the variety in feeding our learners. In these commodities, we have got food and seed to help us expand our gardens. Having these commodities and varieties here has also helped the community because they come and access seed to go and plant in their gardens so we can keep fighting hunger in the settlement.
Amutuhaire Peter Ssalongo- Ntenungi Secondary School
In 2023, NARO came to partner with us by supporting us in school feeding program. They supported us with cassava and sweet potatoes. In the second phase they came again with potato seed and this was helpful to improve learners’ diet from just posho. Now they eat cassava and potatoes and it refreshes the meals for both learners and teachers. Even the community have been helped in that they come to school and are trained in the agronomy of these crops. Then they access seed of these commodities to take to their gardens. We’re grateful to NARO for this. Students have also been trained in this field of agriculture through this NARO program. Even then, following in the example of NARO reaching out to us inspired us to expand our banana plantation to 8 acres. We established an acre of coffee and have now expanded to include goat and cattle raring. We also recently harvested over a ton and a half of maize and 700 kgs of beans. In doing this, we will reach a time when we will not require learners to pay for meals because our gardens will be sufficient.
Ahimbisibwe Paul S.4 Ntenungi Secondary School
We are grateful to NARO for the varieties of foods that they brought to us that has helped us. They brought us beans, sweet potatoes, cassava and even before they brought us cabbages. These cabbages spice our beans and we get a special meal. The cassava and potatoes give us special meals on weekends. They help us balance with the posho and beans. The sessions where they sensitize us increase our skills to make the most of the land we have. It has set us well for the future. The school has benefited greatly because of the variety of food. Often when we are going for the holiday, we are given seeds to take and plant at home. Now we have good food at home and we even get financing. The varieties are fast maturing and eradicate hunger. I have gardens at home of potato and so when I call home, they sell some of the potatoes and I have already got money.
Christine Kyohairwe (HM Mahega P/S)
We have engaged with NARO for over 4 years and have hosted their cassava, potato and bean varieties here at school and it has helped us greatly in our feeding program because we give the learners a midday meal. The cassava has covered us because we don’t have enough food as refugees. Potatoes have also been helpful and beans are the source. We have also multiplied the seed of cassava, potato and beans and the learners take some of the seed home so that there is food at home. Even the members of the community come here and pick seed from the school garden. NARO has also helped us training our learners as we plant with them so they acquire skills to help them practice agriculture away from school. It’s foundational for food security in the community. The coming in of NARO has been helpful because the funding cuts came at a time when we had already begun growing our own food with the help of NARO.
Clemans Samuel P.6, Mahega Primary school.
I am part of the Agriculture club among the clubs in school. In the club, they teach us to farm the land. When we grow the crops, cassava, potatoes, beans etc, we get food and take some of the seed home. We also take the food home and some of it is prepared for us at school. We thank God for empowering us in this way.
Kajura Amos, Agriculture Teacher- Mahega P/S
We thank NARO for the big help they have given us to farm our land. They have assisted us in growing beans, maize, potatoes and beans. NARO has given us seed. We have grown and harvested and so we have food. Part of the harvest is what we give the learners to take home and grow food as well so that there is food in the community. Their trainings are also good for the learners and they make our work in the Agriculture club easier as they empower learners in this way.