About the Climate Research

We are a multidisciplinary team of scientists, researchers, and practitioners dedicated to advancing knowledge and solutions for climate resilience, sustainability, and environmental justice. Our work focuses on bridging the gap between climate science, policy, and community action through innovative research, collaborative partnerships, and capacity building. Climate research has been working since 2013 to research and develop climate-smart agriculture technologies. With support from USAID, the project aims to enhance smallholder farmer climate resilience and livelihoods, while promoting private-sector investment in CSA in the long term.The current structure of NaRL is a result of the NAR Act, 2005, which designates the institute as one of Uganda's National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) with a mandate to conduct agricultural research of a strategic nature and national importance.

The National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NaRL) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is working to scale out successful Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies in Uganda through the "Enhancing resilience and adaptive agricultural livelihoods in Uganda (ERAAL)" project. This project aims to improve crop yields, reduce crop losses, and increase the resilience of farmers to the effects of climate change. By working with key stakeholders such as extension agents, private sector partners, policymakers, and researchers, NARL is using a market-based approach to ensure sustainable production and improved livelihoods for farmers.

Climate change poses a significant threat to farmers in Uganda. To address this, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) has been working since 2013 to research and develop climate-smart agriculture technologies. With support from USAID, the project aims to enhance smallholder farmer climate resilience and livelihoods, while promoting private-sector investment in CSA in the long term. The project has identified maize, beans, and coffee as key commodity crops to focus on, in line with the Uganda Government's National Development Plan III (NDPIII) which prioritizes these crops for value addition and increased household incomes, export earnings, and import substitution.

A hub within Uganda's research system

NaRL is one of sixteen Public Agricultural Research Institutes under NARO. We work closely with universities, international agricultural research organisations, development partners, civil society and the private sector.

Also hosted at Kawanda: the National Seed Testing Laboratory, Sericulture Laboratory, Weather Station, and international partners including KOPIA, CIAT, USAID Feed the Future, and IITA.