Lira: Ngetta ZARDI urged to engage cultural, religious leaders to promote agricultural innovations

LIRA CITY, September 13, 2026 — The Leadership of Ngetta Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute [ ZARDI ] has been urged to engage cultural and religious leaders in the Lango and Acholi sub-regions to promote the adoption of agricultural innovations and technologies developed by the institute.

The call was made by Samuel Opio Acuti, Chairperson of parliament’s Science, Technology and Innovation Committee as the legislators visited the institute located in Lira East Division on September 8, 2026.

Acuti, who is also the Member of Parliament for Kole North County, said many farmers were not aware of the agricultural technologies and innovations developed by the institute.

Among the innovations developed by Ngetta ZARDI are high-yielding, pest- and disease-tolerant crop varieties, post-harvest processing prototypes, value-addition technologies, climate-smart technologies and improved agronomic practices.

The institute has also developed drought-resistant and fast-maturing varieties of groundnuts, maize, sesame and cassava, as well as improved fish species and local chicken breeds.

Acuti said the institute’s reach remained limited compared with the number of farmer groups in the Lango and Acholi sub-regions.

“A large percentage of the innovations developed by the institution are not reaching local farmers. According to the report presented to us, they have reached only 10 of the 17 districts and only 19 farmer groups, yet there are more than 1,000 farmer groups in Lango and Acholi,” Acuti said.

He urged Ngetta ZARDI to work with agricultural extension workers, cultural institutions and religious leaders to expand the dissemination of the technologies.

“That is urgent. Within the next two months, you should make this effective. Let every extension worker in Lango and Acholi come and learn about the technologies available here. You should also collaborate with cultural and church leaders because they are present in almost every parish across the two sub-regions,” Acuti said.

He said training cultural and religious leaders would enable them to pass information about the innovations to communities at the grassroots.

In response, Alfred Kumakech, Director of Ngetta ZARDI, welcomed the committee’s guidance and said the institute would strengthen its engagement with cultural and religious leaders.

“We are going to look into it and work closely with church and cultural leaders. Cultural institutions in Lango and Acholi are very strong, and communities listen to them. If an intervention is promoted through these institutions, there is a high chance that communities will adopt and put it into use,” Kumakech said.

Kumakech also said the institute was planning to equip agricultural extension workers and farm managers with knowledge of good agronomic practices.

“In this financial year, we have a budget for retooling field extension workers and farm managers. We have also realised that some individual farmers have good farms, but the people they employ to manage them may have limited knowledge,” he said.

“We therefore want to bring farm managers and extension workers on board and equip them with the necessary skills so that they can serve as community-based facilitators and transfer knowledge on good agricultural practices to farmers,” Kumakech added.

https://thecooperator.news/ngetta-zardi-kicks-off-activities-for-first-planting-season/

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