Women play a significant role in rice production in sub-Saharan Africa, yet their contributions to pest and disease management remain underexplored. This study examined gender differences in knowledge, perceptions, and management of rice pests and diseases in Uganda. A qualitative study was conducted in seven rice-growing districts, involving 249 farmers (122 women and 127 men) through 28 sex-disaggregated focus group discussions (FGDs) and 49 key informant interviews (KIIs). Image-based identification exercises assessed experiential knowledge. Data were transcribed, coded in Atlas.ti, and thematically analyzed using a gender-relations framework. Women performed most labor-intensive and preventive tasks, including seed selection, weeding, field monitoring, harvesting, and post-harvest handling, while men dominated pesticide-related decisions. Despite limited access to extension services and agro-input suppliers, women demonstrated broader experiential knowledge of pests, symptoms, and seasonal occurrence. However, disease diagnostic precision was limited across genders. Synthetic pesticides dominated management practices, with minimal awareness of integrated and biological alternatives. Women also faced indirect pesticide exposure through contaminated clothing and re-entry into treated fields. These findings reveal a gendered gap between experiential knowledge and decision-making power. Gender-responsive extension, improved diagnostic training, and integrated pest management are essential to strengthen plant health, leverage women’s knowledge networks, and address barriers to information, resources, and decision-making.

Tropical pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.) is an underutilized, nutrient-dense vegetable crop with potential to enhance food and nutrition security and generate household income among farming communities. In Uganda, farmers primarily obtain pumpkin seed through informal seed systems, including farmer-produced and -managed sources where seed quality is largely undocumented. This study evaluated the quality of pumpkin seeds collected from 16 selected districts in Uganda and provides the first baseline assessment of tropical pumpkin seed quality within farmer-produced and farmer-managed systems. Seed quality in this study was defined as the ability of seeds to germinate, exhibit high vigor, and remain free of fungal growth. Pumpkin seeds were assessed at 0, 3, and 6 months of storage under conditions representative of local seed traders (25 ± 5 °C; 60 ± 5% RH). Seed-associated fungi recovered on PDA containing streptomycin sulfate after 14 days of incubation were identified morphologically. Seed purity ranged widely (43.8–99.5%), indicating substantial variability among seed sources. Seed germination varied among districts, with most seeds showing improved germination after storage, whereas seed vigor declined with storage duration. Five putatively seedborne fungal genera, Fusarium, Aspergillus, Colletotrichum, Alternaria, and Rhizopus spp., were identified. The findings demonstrate substantial heterogeneity in farmer-produced and -managed seed, which is a predominant seed source in Uganda.