NARO and Busitema University to Train Scientists, Data Specialists and Extension Workers in Climate Data Science for Smarter Farming

Busitema University, Uganda: The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) and Busitema University are bringing together scientists, technicians and agricultural extension personnel for a 10-day training programme in climate data science, climate modelling and digital technologies for climate-smart agriculture.

The training will take place at Busitema University's Main Campus [insert dates]. It is hands-on and competency-based, with some sessions possibly held online. Participants will include researchers, data and GIS technicians, and extension workers, along with selected facilitators.From raw data to farm decisions

The programme takes participants step by step from collecting and quality-checking climate and agricultural data through to analysis, modelling, interpretation and communication. The aim is for the results to support real decisions.

Early sessions cover Uganda's climate and agricultural systems, field data collection, climate data sources and statistics. Participants will also learn Python fundamentals, GPS and GIS. Mid-programme topics include climate projections, scenarios and bias correction, remote sensing for crop and drought monitoring, agrometeorology and seasonal analysis, and climate risk and economic analysis.

The later days turn to practical applications: climate-smart agriculture and early-warning frameworks, weather and agricultural information for farm decision-making, machine learning, crop simulation modelling, AI and digital decision-support tools, and a demonstration of an agricultural early-warning system.

Learning by solving real problems

The training does not stop at lectures. From Day 3, participants work in multidisciplinary capstone teams that bring researchers, technicians and extension workers together to tackle real problems. By Day 10, each team is expected to present a tangible decision-support product, such as:

• a risk map

• a climate bulletin

• a prediction model

• an early-warning product

• a farmer advisory

• an integrated analytical report

Agrometeorology Unit Begins Analysis of Agro-Climatic Information for Early Warning Survey Data

Kawanda, Uganda | 3 September 2026

The Agrometeorology Unit at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NARL), Kawanda, has begun analysing data collected during the recently concluded Agro-Climatic Information for Early Warning Survey, implemented as part of the Uganda Climate-Smart Agricultural Transformation Project (UCSATP).

The exercise, which got underway today, marks the start of a critical processing phase in which raw field data will be examined, cleaned and interpreted to generate agro-climatic information that can feed directly into Uganda's early warning systems for farmers.

The survey forms part of UCSATP's broader effort to strengthen the delivery of climate and agro-meteorological information to farming communities across the country's agroecological zones. Its overall objective is to build Uganda's resilience to climate change by establishing a robust, farmer-facing early warning system that enables timely, evidence-based decisions on planting, input use and other farming activities.

The Agrometeorology Unit, which operates under NARL's Soils, Environment and Agrometeorology programme and is headed by Dr Evelyn Komutunga, with support from Dr. Harron Sseguya, the Chief of Party, is leading the analysis. The unit has been at the centre of NARL's climate information work under UCSATP, including recent efforts to validate seasonal forecasts and strengthen the scientific grounding of early warning products disseminated to farmers.

By translating survey responses into actionable agro-climatic indicators, the analysis is expected to help researchers better understand how farming communities currently access, interpret and act on weather and climate information — and where gaps remain. The findings will inform improvements to the early warning tools and advisory services that NARL and its partners deliver to smallholder farmers under the project.

NARL says the work reflects its continued commitment to translating scientific research into practical tools that help farmers cope with an increasingly unpredictable climate, in line with its mission to innovate for sustainable agricultural transformation.

Further updates on the survey's findings will be published on this website as the analysis progresses.

UCSATP is implemented by Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries in partnership with the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), and supports climate-smart agriculture across 69 districts in 13 agroecological zones.

Agrometeorology Team Validates Seasonal Information to Strengthen Early Warning for Farmers

Kawanda, Uganda | 11 August 2026 — Researchers and technical staff at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NARL), Kawanda, are today validating agrometeorological information generated to strengthen early warning services for farmers under the Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project (UCSATP).

The validation workshop, being held at the FBA Conference Hall at NARL Kawanda, is being led by the Agrometeorology Team under the leadership of Dr. Komutunga. It brings together representatives from different research programmes at NARL whose technical knowledge is expected to contribute to improving the accuracy, relevance and usability of climate information generated for the agricultural sector.

The information being validated was obtained during a recently concluded UCSATP field activity conducted across the 69 districts where the project is being implemented. The field activity sought to obtain climatic and seasonal information from the different regions of the country, providing a broad evidence base for understanding local seasonal characteristics and strengthening climate-based agricultural advisories.

During the workshop, participants are being randomly selected by Angela Kisakye, an Apprentice Climate Scientist, to validate the seasonal characteristics of their regions of origin. Their observations and technical perspectives are being compared with the information generated through the field activity and the team's agrometeorological analysis.

The participatory validation is intended to establish whether the seasonal information accurately reflects conditions experienced in different parts of Uganda. It also provides an opportunity to identify gaps, inconsistencies or information that may require further refinement before the outputs are incorporated into early warning services.

The participation of researchers from different programmes is particularly important because climate variability affects agricultural production in different ways across value chains and production systems.

The Banana Research Program contributes expertise on banana productivity, breeding of resilient varieties and management of climate- and disease-related production challenges, including banana bacterial wilt.

The Food Biosciences and Agribusiness programme brings expertise in post-harvest technologies, value addition, food processing, incubation and enterprise development. Climate information can help actors in these areas anticipate production conditions and plan post-harvest and value-addition activities.

The Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering programme contributes knowledge on agricultural machinery, farm tools and mechanisation technologies, areas that are influenced by seasonal weather and soil conditions.

The Soils, Environment and Agrometeorology programme provides expertise in soil management, soil fertility, land use and climate and weather monitoring for agriculture, directly complementing the development and validation of agrometeorological information.

The Biodiversity and Biotechnology programme contributes expertise in plant genetic resources, germplasm conservation and biotechnology, which are important for understanding and responding to climate-related pressures on agricultural biodiversity.

By bringing these areas of expertise together, the validation exercise provides a multidisciplinary platform for examining whether the climate information being generated is sufficiently accurate and relevant for Uganda's diverse agricultural systems.

A major objective of the exercise is to ensure that early warning information goes beyond describing weather and climate conditions to providing information that can support practical agricultural decisions.

For farmers, timely and reliable information on seasonal characteristics can support decisions on when to prepare land, plant, manage crops and respond to potential climate-related risks. For researchers and other agricultural stakeholders, the information can support planning, technology development and the design of climate-smart interventions.

The validation therefore represents an important quality-assurance stage in the development of UCSATP's agrometeorological outputs. Feedback from NARL's technical teams will help refine the information generated from the 69-district field activity and improve its relevance to the different agricultural contexts in which the project operates.

As climate variability continues to affect agricultural planning, strengthening the accuracy and local relevance of early warning services remains critical to building more resilient agricultural production systems in Uganda.

The ongoing validation at NARL Kawanda is consequently an important step towards ensuring that the climate information delivered through UCSATP is grounded in field evidence, strengthened by scientific expertise and ultimately useful to farmers and other agricultural stakeholders.

Climate Research and Satellite Data to Improve the SCT Accuracy Under Uganda Climate-Smart Agricultural Transformation Project

Celebrating World Agrometeorology day 2026

Choice Agaba

Dr. Everline Komutuga - PhD

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