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 and efficient source of crop nutrients.
The development comes at a time when low soil fertility, high agricultural input costs and declining crop productivity continue to constrain Uganda’s agricultural transformation and efforts to achieve food security.
Uganda imported 34,779 tonnes of nitrogen fertiliser annually, while spending US$34.8 million 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 reported 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 essential 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 finished 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 leaching, 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. If competitively priced and validated under farm conditions, it could also reduce the need for repeated applications, lowering labour and transport costs for farmers.
The reported experiments used the same nitrogen application rate across fertiliser treatments, with a single application at planting. Further research will be necessary to establish the best application rates and schedules under different field conditions.
Beyond improving crop performance, the innovation could contribute to Uganda’s efforts to develop a domestic fertiliser manufacturing industry and reduce exposure to fluctuations in international markets.
The Nairobi Declaration on African Fertilizer and Soil Health, adopted in 2024, emphasises the importance of strengthening domestic fertiliser production and making better use of Africa’s resources to improve access to agricultural inputs.
NARO’s approach aligns with this ambition by exploring a production model based on locally available raw materials rather than exclusive reliance on imported inputs and conventional manufacturing processes.
The organisation is designing and evaluating an industrial-scale production plant to determine whether the technology can be scaled up to manufacture fertiliser reliably and in commercially viable quantities.
However, the availability of air, water and plant waste does not automatically guarantee a cheaper product. Equipment, energy requirements, processing, packaging and distribution will all influence the final cost to farmers.
A comprehensive assessment of production costs, commercial viability and long-term environmental performance will therefore be critical before large-scale deployment.
Dr Nassib Mugwanya, NARO’s Head of Partnerships, said the research could create opportunities for collaboration with private-sector manufacturers.
“This research presents an opportunity for NARO to partner with other industry players involved in fertilizer production to boost the fertilizer sector,” he said.
Such partnerships could support commercial production, technology transfer and the development of compound fertilisers combining nitrogen with other essential nutrients, including phosphorus.
A locally manufactured fertiliser that performs reliably, remains affordable and reduces nutrient losses could improve returns on investment, particularly for smallholder farmers who often struggle to access quality agricultural inputs.
Uganda’s dependence on imported agricultural inputs remains a challenge for agricultural productivity, household incomes and national food security.
Developing a viable local source of nitrogen fertiliser could help reduce that dependence while creating opportunities for investment in agricultural technology and manufacturing.
The research also demonstrates the potential of applying scientific innovation to locally available resources to address practical challenges facing farmers.
For NARO, the immediate priority is to move from promising experimental results to a product whose performance, affordability and safety have been established under real farming conditions.
If further trials confirm the initial findings and industrial production proves commercially viable, nano-plasma nitrogen fertiliser could become an important addition to Uganda’s agricultural input options.
For farmers, policymakers and potential investors, the key question is no longer simply whether nitrogen fertiliser can be produced locally, but whether it can be manufactured at scale, sold at an affordable price and consistently deliver better results in the field.
The answer could help shape Uganda’s future approach to fertiliser security, sustainable crop production and agricultural transformation.
