Uganda could take a major step towards reducing its dependence on imported fertilisers_ following promising research by the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) into a locally produced nitrogen fertilizer
The_innovation, known as Nano-Plasma Nitrogen fertiliser (NPN), has already recorded significantly higher maize yields than imported urea in early trials. The impressive performance also earned the innovation space in the globally-acclaimed scientific journal: Frontiers in Plant Science on September 10, 2026
Dr. Swidiq Mugerwa, the NARO Deputy Director General in charge Research, revealed that the innovation uses solar energy, air, water and plant waste to produce a slow- release mineral fertiliser that could provide farmers with a more accessible ang efficient source of crop nutrients
The development comes at a time when low soil fertility, high agricultural input costs and dectlining crop productivity continue to constrain Tganda’ agricultura transformation and efforts to achieve food security
Uganda imported 34,779 tonnes of nitrogen fertiliser annualy, while spending US$34.8 milion on nitrogen fertiliser imports in 2024, according to figures cited in the research. The country’s current fertiliser use also falls significantly short of the African Union’s Abuja Declaration target of at least 50 kilogrammes of fertiliser per hectare.
The cost of closing this gap through imports alone could be substantial, increasing pressure on foreign exchange and making fertilisers less affordable for farmers,
NARO’s research offers a potential alternative: harnessing locally available resources to manufacture nitrogen fertiliser within the country.
According to research findings as peer-reviewed and published in Frontiers in Plant Science, maize treated with NPN during trials achieved yields approximately 34 per cent and 85 per cent higher than those obtained using imported urea in the reportec comparisons.
The researchers also estimated that plants absorbed about 83 per cent of the nitrogen supplied by the new fertiliser in a screenhouse experiment, suggesting the potential to improve nutrient-use efficiency and reduce fertiliser losses
However, the results are preliminary. The research was conducted at one location and additional trials across different farming environments are needed to establish the fertiliser’s performance under ordinary farm conditions
The study was led by Stewart Kyebogola, with researchers from NARO, the University of Nairobi and other institutions contributing to the work
“Our task now is to move from promising trial results to a fertiliser that farmers can use and afford,” said Dr Mugerwa, adding:; “That means testing it on farmers’ fields while assessing production at a larger scale.
Nitrogen is essentia for plant growth, but crops cannot directly use atmospheric nitrogen in its natural form. Conventional fertiliser manufacturing converts nitrogen into compounds that plants can absorb, often through industrial processes that require substantial energy and natural gas,
NARO’s technology uses non-thermal plasma, an energised gas that helps transform nitrogen from the air into a plant-available fertiliser compound
Solar energy powers the process, while water stabilises the resulting compound. Plant waste is used as a carrier material to regulate the release of nutrients. In the published study, banana peels provided the plant-based material, and the finishec fertiliser was formed into pellets for application at planting
The technology is designed to release nitrogen gradually as crops grow, potentially allowing plants to absorb more of the nutrients supplied
Conventional fertilisers can lose a substantial proportion of their nutrients through eaching, volatilisation and other processes before crops absorb them. These losses reduce the economic returns farmers receive from their investment and can contribute to environmental pollution,
A slow-release fertiliser could help address this challenge by making nutrients available over a longer period. I competitively priced and validated under farm conditions, it could also reduce the need for repeated applications, lowering labour and transport costs for farmers
