By Bernard Muthaka

Farmers in drought-stricken regions in Uganda could soon sigh with relief with the stage set for confined field trials for drought-tolerant maize varieties.

Kasese in south-west Uganda has been found suitable for the trials to be conducted under the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Project.
The initiative is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates and Howard G. Buffet Foundations to develop drought-tolerant maize for Africa.

The initiative will combine robust methods including conventional breeding, marker-assisted breeding, and biotechnology to develop drought-tolerant maize varieties that will eventually be made available, royalty-free, to small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to Dr. Godfrey Asea, the WEMA project country coordinator, the new variety is expected to increase yields by 20–35% over current varieties under drought conditions. 

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