Although more than 75 percent of Uganda's workforce is engaged in agriculture, low yields leading to low income among farmers and malnutrition in children remain a challenge.

With the success of the ongoing research on the development of disease and drought-resistant varieties, small scale farmers will increase their harvest.

The initiative is targeted to manage the changing environment in Uganda and the world at large that has affected many farmers especially at subsistence level making them lose their would be source of income and diet.

Alliance for a Green Revolution Africa (Agra) has laid a five year strategy to answer the extended drought seasons and unpredictable rains challenges to enable farmers increase their harvest.

"Once researchers develop improved varieties which address farmers' needs, they will realise higher yields for food security, sell for income hence improved livelihoods," said Dr George Bigirwa Agra Programme Officer in charge of seed production and dissemination.

Agra is a partnership-based organization that works across Africa to help millions of small scale farmers and their families end poverty and hunger. It develops practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while also safeguarding the environment.

The programme estimated to cost US$150 million, supports the use of traditional means of improving crops for different situations like drought, test and pest-resistance crops.

According to Dr Bigirwa, the farmers shall be in position to pull out of abject poverty they have faced for a long time.

Dr Bigirwa said the research is a result of Agra's partnership with agricultural research institutions of higher learning and to train researchers to come up with high breed varieties.

However, he said Agra supports conventional breeding (the use of traditional means of improving crop yields against genetically modified crops).

The crops undergoing research include beans, rice, maize, sorghum and cassava. Mr Jimmy Lamo, a rice breeder at Namulonge Research Station in Wakiso District, said he has gathered materials to come up with varieties that are rain out and drought suitability.

"Iam developing a type of rice that is drought tolerant with high yields and high resistance to pests. My aim is to come up with a type of rice that is adaptable in Ugandan conditions," Mr Lamo says.

He says that he is using the available varieties (seeds) to combine and come up with one that suitable for the farmers. According to Dr Stanley Nkalubo a plant breeder at National Agricultural Research Organization (Naro), development of bean variety have seen a number of varieties undergoing trial.

"We are evaluating the various types of bean seeds, screening them for growth, test and disease resistance. The suitable choice for the farmers will succeed," Dr Nkalubo also a bean breeder says.

Mr Eric Lerner Kagezi, a Phd candidate of African Centre for Crop improvement at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, is working on development of grain sorghum breeding trial.

Mr Kagezi said his research aims at improvement of diabetic activity and grain mould resistance.

"We want to cross breed lines get better varieties that mature early, stay green even after harvesting to feed animals as well as improving food security for farmers," Mr Kagezi says.

He says the new breed will be suitable for success of larger beer brewers due to the high yields for raw material and food.

Farmers who have been involved in testing of the newly researched seeds under the intervention of Agra conventional breeding, said they earned more in terms of knowledge and high yields.

"The partnership of Agra and Naro has taught us in terms of growing high yield crops and managing pests. We have gained this through testing the new breeds and applying the knowledge," Ms Jemimah Barisiyoy, a mixed farmer in Nalumuli village, Kikoko parish- Busukuma Sub County in Wakiso District, said.

Ms Barisiyoy who cultivates on a 30 acre plot says she implements the Agra initiatives with 15 other members to get increased output.

"We can now sell 200Kg of vegetables out of the improved and researched systems. They bring samples to us to test and choose and we end up benefiting, we now need capital to expand," she said.

According to Dr Bigiriwa, the research for the new breeds is taking place at national agricultural centers countrywide. They include; Kawanda Research Station in Wakiso and Serere agricultural research institute in Soroti among others.