In the quiet wetlands of Butaleja district in eastern Uganda where emerald-green rice paddies stretch across the horizon, Robert Sagula proudly walks among the swaying stalks. Farming has been his life since childhood, following in the footsteps of his father, who grew traditional rice varieties, first introduced to the area by the Chinese government in 1975. For decades, the harvests were modest. From a hectare Sagula could only harvest 15 to 25 bags – about 2,000 kilograms of milled rice. It was enough to survive, but inadequate to thrive. That changed in 2018, when FAO-China-Uganda South-South Cooperation project introduced hybrid rice to his community. “The hybrid rice is high-yielding, has a nice aroma, long grains, and a golden color. It’s also heavy and fetches higher prices compared to the traditional rice,” he said. Under proper management, Sagula currently harvests about 12 metric tons per hectare per season and he grows two seasons per year. On his 1.2 hectares, he ...