ABOVE: Researcher Oluwaseyi Shorinola grows wheat under constant light in order to speed the breeding process.
OLUWASEYI SHORINOLA
It is strangely quiet at the National Crops Resources Research Institute in Namulonge, Uganda. Seventy percent of its 400 staff members have not reported for work since the country instituted a lockdown in March due to a partial furlough and government policies brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have to work harder to implement our work plans to minimize the disruption of COVID-19 while adhering to the Ministry of Health guidelines and standard operating procedures,” says Godfrey Asea, NaCRRI’s director. The limited staffing has affected harvesting and planting activities, especially for cereals and pulses (beans, lentils, and other seeds that grow in pods).
Although Uganda’s lockdown measures have been among the strictest in Africa, NaCRRI is far from alone. Other agricultural research institutes in Africa are also finding their work curtailed by ...
