New breed of sorghum developed to withstand drought in Karamoja
NAROSORG2, or NARO Sorghum 2, was developed to withstand the region’s harsh and increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions, including prolonged dry spells that routinely threaten food production and livestock
MOROTO, August 15, 2026 — In the midst of one of the harshest droughts to hit Karamoja in recent years, a new sorghum variety is offering farmers a rare source of hope.
NAROSORG2, or NARO Sorghum 2, was developed to withstand the region’s harsh and increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions, including prolonged dry spells that routinely threaten food production and livestock.
Karamoja, one of Uganda’s most arid regions, experiences prolonged droughts that leave grazing land and water sources depleted, forcing communities to migrate in search of food and water. In severe seasons, livestock deaths increase and vulnerable households are pushed deeper into food insecurity.
It was against this backdrop that scientists at the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute [NaSARRI] and Nabuin Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute [ZARDI] developed and promoted NAROSORG2 as a crop capable of surviving the region’s difficult conditions.
The variety was distributed to selected farmers in Karamoja in 2025, with the expectation that its early maturity would enable farmers to harvest before the onset of prolonged drought.
However, delayed planting put that expectation to the test.
“When the drought set in before we could harvest our sorghum, we all knew it was gone. We knew our seeds were wasted and that the plan was going to dry up like before,” Gideon Lochuma told this reporter.
But as the drought intensified, the crop surprised farmers.
While much of the vegetation around the fields dried up, NAROSORG2 remained standing, its stems and leaves still green, resembling a crop grown under irrigation.
For farmers who had watched crops fail repeatedly, the sight offered a new possibility: that farming could survive even in Karamoja’s harshest conditions.
The drought-tolerant variety combines several characteristics that make it suitable for the region. It matures early, allowing farmers to harvest before severe dry spells set in, and its hard grain cover makes it less vulnerable to birds and other pests.
Farmers in Karamoja have given the crop the name Akarengit lo Nabuin, loosely translated as “the red sorghum from Nabuin”.
The crop was developed at Nabuin ZARDI, with support from NaSARRI in Serere, particularly in multiplying the seed and improving farmers’ access to quality, adaptable planting material.
The research institutes have also engaged selected farmers to multiply the seed after providing training in the production of quality declared seed.
One of the beneficiaries is Grace Akol, a farmer from Lopeny Village in Napak district. Akol received five kilogrammes of NAROSORG2 seed, which she planted on one acre.
The crop performed beyond her expectations.
Akol harvested more than 20 bags of unthreshed sorghum from the acre, enabling her to feed her family during the drought, support relatives and other members of the community, and sell part of the harvest.
“The harvest was really good. I got a little more than 20 bags from one acre. This helped me sustain my family and several community members and relatives, but I was also able to sell some,” Akol said.
Like many farmers, Akol retained part of the harvest as seed for the next planting season. She also shared some of the seed with other farmers interested in trying the new variety.
“This season the rains have been very scarce. Since I planted, it has only rained three times, but I am still confident that I will harvest something,” she said.
Beyond its contribution to food security, NAROSORG2 is beginning to change how some households view crop farming in the region.
After witnessing its ability to withstand drought, more farmers have started asking for seed to plant their own fields, creating growing demand for the variety at Nabuin ZARDI.
Pascal Ochekede, a crop scientist and one of the scientists involved in developing the sorghum variety at Nabuin ZARDI, said the team was working to ensure that more farmers could access the seed.
“We are trying to multiply the seed so that more farmers can access it. This will help us create living examples in the communities where we want to promote the crop and ultimately change people’s lives,” Ochekede said.
Another important advantage of NAROSORG2 is its value as livestock feed.
Even when the crop reaches maturity and is ready for harvest, its stems and leaves remain green, providing succulent fodder for livestock at a time when pasture is scarce.
After harvesting, some farmers preserve the crop residues as animal feed, while others allow livestock to graze the fields.
Julius Ekemu, the Napak District Production Officer, said the new sorghum variety had helped households improve both food production and livestock management.
“This sorghum has saved many people, especially women and children, from starvation. Even the animals get food after the fields are harvested,” Ekemu said.
He urged researchers to accelerate seed multiplication so that the variety could reach more farmers across Karamoja.
“If the scientists could help quicken the multiplication of the seed and make it available in other areas across the region, it would benefit many more farmers,” he said.
As Karamoja continues to grapple with erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts, resilient crop varieties such as NAROSORG2 could become an important part of efforts to build more resilient farming systems and break the cycle of recurrent food insecurity.
The adoption of drought-tolerant and early-maturing crops is also supporting a gradual shift among some households from predominantly pastoral livelihoods towards agro-pastoralism and crop farming.
Recent observations from the region indicate an increase in land under crop production, with farmers growing crops such as sorghum, green gram, groundnuts, sunflower and beans.
However, prolonged dry spells, particularly between April and June, continue to pose a major threat to agricultural production.
For Karamoja’s farmers, the success of NAROSORG2 suggests that the answer to recurring drought may not only lie in waiting for the rains, but also in putting crops capable of surviving the changing climate into the hands of the people who need them most.
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