Lominda Afedraru

Facing disease crisis, Ugandan farmers say they’ll illegally grow GMO cassava to feed their families, increase yields
Cassava is one of the most important food crops in the Africa, a primary component of the rural economy. It ...

Ugandan researchers hit the road to battle anti-GMO propaganda
As Uganda continues to grapple with its biotech future, scientists have launched an initiative to help local farmers better understand ...

Why Ugandan banana breeders say it’s critical to add genetic engineering to their toolbox
Ugandan researchers have been successful at developing robust hybrid bananas through conventional breeding techniques. Yet they see a strong need ...

Opportunity lost: Has Uganda paid a price for not embracing GMOs, biotechnology?
It has been more than two decades since the commercial introduction of GMO crops. They have delivered a range of ...

Seeking medicine from the plants of Uganda
Researchers have long looked to the plants of our world to solve many of the medical problems we face. But ...

Will Africa embrace CRISPR gene editing and the next phase of the biotech revolution?
Scientists around the world are increasingly turning to the promise of CRISPR gene editing to tackle any number of problems ...

Searching for biotech solutions to problems plaguing livestock in Africa
In Africa, scientific research involving biotechnology innovations in agriculture has largely focused on finding ways to produce better crops. But, ...

Uganda’s scientists strive to use biotechnology to solve agricultural, health and environmental challenges
It is morning time, we are in a hotel based at the center of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, ...

Ugandan farmers struggling with cassava viruses await GMO solution
Cassava is a major staple food for millions of people in the tropical regions of the world. In Uganda it ...

Ugandan legislator on why his nation needs to ‘wake up’ on GMOs
Robert Kafeero Sekitoleko is an engineer, legislator and chairperson of the Sectoral Committee on Science and Technology in Uganda’s Parliament ...

GMO maize could halt devastating fall army worm invasion in Uganda—if it gets approved
Mary Yangi trekked a long journey from South Sudan to Uganda’s West Nile region to settle as a refugee and, ...

Uganda’s researchers ready to taste test their GMO vitamin A-enriched banana
The East African cooking banana is one of the major food crops eaten by the people living in central Uganda ...

Africa could become a world agricultural leader in CRISPR and other new breeding techniques (NBTs)
It is 8:30 East African Standard Time. I disembark from a van filled with science journalists from Kampala, Uganda and ...

In Uganda, anti-GMO scare tactics even taint conventional hybrid crops
Uganda is moving closer to allowing cultivation of GMO crops. But there is considerable confusion among the Ugandan public over ...