THE AGRICULTURAL SCIENTISTS ARE UGANDA’S UNSUNG HEROES AND HEROINES

By Arthur Makera – Editor of the Science Times (October 2011 – February 2012) No one ever asks themselves who exactly are the buttresses of Uganda’s Agriculture, who ensure good varieties are available to farmers, who are only remembered where there is a crop or animal epidemic. These are the Agricultural Scientists. Time is now to honour the Agricultural Research efforts, the unsung heroes and heroines behind Uganda’s robust Agricultural research system. It a fact that many have actually left the country, the reason being that they are challenged to make ends meet. These are brilliant brains, who would have stayed if they were honoured, and properly remunerated. Uganda needs to establish a National Agricultural Research and Development (NARAD) Week. The week would be characterized by a series of events that would bring to limelight the various efforts of the country’s agricultural scientists. The continuing success of Uganda’s agriculture depends on the ingenuity and hard work of these scientists as well as the farmers who adapt the developed technologies, hence get better harvests.