By Yasiri J. Kasango
Ugandan farmers are set to benefit from a groundbreaking approach in agricultural research that promises to boost crop yields by leveraging farmers’ direct feedback. This novel methodology, called the Tricot approach, is gaining traction among researchers as a way to evaluate multiple crop varieties in diverse environments, empowering farmers to make informed decisions about the best-suited crops for their unique fields.
Speaking at a workshop held at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Paula Iragaba, a research scientist with the Cassava Breeding Program at the National Crop Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), explained how this innovative approach is transforming agricultural research in Uganda. The workshop, which gathered postgraduate students and researchers from UCU and Makere University agricultural disciplines, was centered around improving on-farm testing techniques using the Tricot method that has shown significant promise in other African countries like Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Ghana.
Traditional methods of testing new crop varieties have often involved setting up centralized demonstration plots where farmers are invited to observe and rank different varieties. However, these trials tend to have limitations, especially when it comes to capturing the varying conditions of individual farms. Dr. Iragaba highlighted that the Tricot approach allows researchers to overcome this challenge by decentralizing the trials and distributing them among a large number of farmers, each testing a few varieties at a time.
“In the past, farmers would come to a central location to evaluate new varieties, but this often didn’t give us a true picture because the conditions on one demonstration plot may differ greatly from the farmers’ actual fields,” Iragaba explained. “With the Tricot approach, we can send three different genotypes to each farmer, turning their fields into individual experimental units. This way, we can get a more accurate and statistically robust evaluation.”
The Tricot method, which stands for “Triadic Comparison of Technologies,” allows each farmer to test only three varieties, which significantly reduces the land requirement for each trial and makes participation accessible even for smallholder farmers. According to Dr. Iragaba, this method not only widens the reach of the trials but also enables farmers to give input on which varieties perform best under their specific conditions, thus ensuring the research is more relevant and applicable to their needs.
“We’ve seen that this approach empowers farmers by involving them directly in the research process,” Dr. Iragaba noted. “They get to interact with researchers and extension staff, voice their preferences, and ultimately influence the selection of varieties that are pushed forward for wider adoption.”
This participatory method has already been piloted with cassava and maize, crops that are vital to Uganda’s food security. Initial trials began in 2018, with the first full-scale rollout occurring in 2019. The results have been encouraging, with researchers able to collect feedback from over 1,000 farmers, enabling a more data-driven approach to variety selection and scaling.
Prof. Kaue De Sousa, from the Alliance of Bioversity International Research Institute, a leading researcher involved in the project, emphasized that one of the significant challenges with traditional on-farm trials is the difficulty in accommodating the variability of different farms. No two farms are identical; they differ in soil composition, microclimate, and management practices, which can all affect crop performance.
“This variability has always been a headache for researchers trying to recommend a single variety that performs well across diverse conditions,” Prof. Kaue said. “The Tricot approach allows us to map out which varieties perform best in which locations, enabling more targeted recommendations. For example, we found that certain maize varieties performed better in the cooler climates of Mukono, while others thrived in the warmer conditions found in Ceta.”
By randomizing the distribution of the varieties among farmers and employing a statistical analysis that compares the performance across all possible combinations, researchers can derive more reliable conclusions. This method is akin to how the Uganda Premier League uses rankings to determine the best teams, ensuring that every variety is rigorously tested across different environments before recommendations are made.
The success of the Tricot approach could have significant implications for national agricultural programs, such as those run by the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), which have previously faced criticism for distributing seed varieties that performed poorly under certain conditions. With more localized data, researchers hope to guide policymakers in distributing varieties that are better suited to specific regions, thereby reducing the risk of crop failure.
“The beauty of this system is that it enables better targeting,” Prof. Elizabeth Kizito, the UCU Director of Research Partnerships and Innovation explained. “Instead of the blanket recommendations we’ve seen in the past, we can now provide data-driven advice that helps farmers in different parts of the country grow crops that are well-suited to their environments.”
The workshop also served as a training ground for postgraduate students, equipping them with the skills needed to manage on-farm trials using advanced statistical tools. Kizito emphasized the importance of building local research capacity, noting that these students are crucial in scaling up the Tricot approach across the country.
“Postgraduate students are already familiar with experimental designs, and this training pushes them beyond the basics, enabling them to handle complex data analysis,” she said. “This capacity-building effort ensures that we have a new generation of researchers who are well-equipped to tackle the challenges of modern agriculture.”
As the Tricot approach gains traction in Uganda, there are plans to expand its use to other staple crops like bananas, beans, and sorghum. The hope is that by involving more farmers in the research process and tailoring recommendations to specific local conditions, Uganda can boost its agricultural productivity and improve food security.
With its proven success in other African countries, the Tricot approach could be a game-changer for Uganda’s agricultural sector, providing a more inclusive and efficient way to get improved crop varieties into the hands of farmers who need them most.
