Mbarara, 16 October 2026. Food Rights Alliance (FRA), under the CASCADE project, took part in Uganda’s national World Food Day commemoration at the Mbarara Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MbaZARDI). The event ran under the theme “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow.”
The commemoration was convened by the World Food Day National Organizing Committee, chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). It brought together over 300 government officials, civil society representatives, donors, duty bearers, farmers and community members. It showcased innovations, technologies and best practices that strengthen food security, nutrition, productivity and commercialization.
FRA exhibited and distributed three CASCADE advocacy tools:
- A handbook for promoting nutrition interventions through the Parish Development Model (PDM)
- A Nutrition Planning Priorities Guide for ministries, departments, agencies and local governments
- An Action Learning Brief, Strengthening What Works: Lessons from Community-Led Breastfeeding Support in Uganda, drawing on field experience from Tooro, Acholi and Karamoja
FRA staff showcasing and sharing information on the advocacy tools with the visitors at the stall during the National World Food Day Commemorations.
More than 32 stakeholders visited the FRA stall, including the Minister, production and commercial officers, duty bearers, and staff from ministries, departments and agencies in and beyond Mbarara. Discussions focused on how the tools can keep being used after the project ends.
In his address, the Guest of Honour, MAAIF Minister Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, stressed the role of planning in agricultural transformation. “Effective planning is essential to agricultural transformation,” he said. “We must align research, innovation and investment with farmers’ needs to turn agricultural potential into increased productivity, improved livelihoods and lasting food security.”
The Minister said government would prioritize water for production, intervening in about five areas. These include supporting farmers with dams, sustainably harnessing streams and rivers, and assessing and expanding irrigation schemes, with particular attention to climate-stressed areas. He called for investment in precision agriculture in response to unpredictable rainfall. He urged the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) to continue delivering adaptive, applied research, noting that new varieties were due for release. He also asked district extension workers and civil society to sustain exhibitions beyond commemoration day, and stressed the need to balance food security and family needs with cash crop production.