Feature

Ugandan farmers get connected: Information Communications Technologies deliver the power to stop poverty

Rowan Unsworth

In Uganda, where agriculture accounts for 36 percent of GDP and 80 percent of the workforce, rural development is considered critical to the nation's growth; but the productivity of local farmers has often been compromised by the inability to obtain and share vital information, such as weather forecasts, crop advice and market pricing. Two sisters, Hellene and Ednah Karamagi, were convinced that this costly information gap could be remedied through technology and established Information Communications Technologies for African Rural Development (ICTARD), an organisation with the mission of eradicating poverty in rural areas of Africa through information communication technologies.

The challenge: eliminating the guesswork

In theory, the Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFFE) represents the agricultural interests of local communities. This Kampala-based national body was founded in 1948 as the farmers' information and training pipeline. The Federation provides agricultural extension services and training materials, organises agricultural trade shows and fairs, and lobbies on behalf of farmers for more favourable national agricultural policies. Despite its size and scope, (72 branches and more than 200,000 members), the Federation's efforts do not always reach those who would benefit most.

ICTARD worked with the Swiss based Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture in launching the Farmer Information Communication (FICOM) Pilot Project to reopen and strengthen communication between UNFFE headquarters and local communities.

An informal survey conducted by ICTARD in 2004 found that communication issues often hampered the Federation's effectiveness. For example, very little information passed between individual departments at the Kampala headquarters, and the information that did arrive in the Jinja, Luwero and Kayunga districts was sporadic and delivered by hand. Individual farmers received little support, with insufficient or delayed replies to their queries, and in the remotest areas, sometimes none at all. "Consequently," says Hellene, "when you ask farmers how they decide which crops to grow, or what prices to charge at harvest, they reply: 'We guess.'"

The solution: Providing tools for the short- and long-Term

The Karamagi sisters believed that the solution lay in addressing the Federation's own communication issues as well as its outreach to local farmers. With local management provided by ICTARD, the FICOM project is helping UNFFE realise its potential and is putting an end to the guesswork for Kayunga's small-scale farmers.

In addition to the Syngenta Foundation, other FICOM partners are UNFFE and Federation affiliates, including the Kayunga District Farmers Association, the Luwero District Farmers Association and the Jinja District Farmers Association; MTN Village Phone Uganda; and the Uganda Department of Meteorology, Ministry of Water, Lands & Environment.

Since its founding in January 2005, the FICOM project has implemented technical and intellectual tools at the national headquarters and district levels of the UNFFE. Kayunga, one such district, was selected for the additional village phone component of the initiative. More than 90 percent of Kayunga's 300,000 people depend on agriculture, mostly subsisting on small plots cultivated with handheld hoes, despite the poor infrastructure and prolonged droughts.

" At UNFFE headquarters: A computer server, three additional computers and a wireless network have been installed. This has improved the organisation's dissemination of information and resources, as well as the sharing of their existing wireless Internet access. The UNFFE website has been upgraded to include current weather forecasts from the Meteorology Department and crop advisory information such as pest and weed data, and market/pricing updates. The FICOM project also provided UNFFE personnel with the training necessary to maximise the potential of this new technology.

" In the Jinja, Luwero and Kayunga districts: RANET (radio and Internet system) was provided for farmers, allowing them to access the upgraded UNFFE website. In addition, computers, photocopiers and printers were installed to improve and increase the flow of information; for example, the weather forecast is now printed and posted on a public notice board.
" In Kayunga: Mobile telephones have been provided to 16 farmer groups at village level, giving them portable access to essential information. The mobile phones are used to contact customers in other locations to help plan more accurate shipment quantities and to confirm meetings with buyers, in turn preventing costly, unnecessary trips. The project has taught farmers how to receive market prices via SMS text messaging directly from the source, thereby reducing the risks associated with middle men. Finally, the FICOM project encouraged and supported the creation of village phone businesses, where residents could pay to place calls.

With the introduction of unfamiliar technologies, training is a vital element of a sustainable model of rural development. Topics covered by FICOM include: computer skills, business support (e.g. bookkeeping, customer care and marketing), and management skills, notably team-building and conflict resolution.

In terms of roles and responsibilities, Hellene Karamagi and the ICTARD team continue to manage the FICOM project, including development, maintenance and marketing of the UNFFE web site. ICTARD has also coordinated the revolving fund through the Uganda Microfinance Union, which paid for phone installation and training, and the team routinely monitors the use of the technologies. Ednah Karamagi provides business support to the project, organising workshops to guide farmers in creating cooperative, self-sustaining information businesses through the sale of airtime on their new telephones.

The results: increased communication, tangible change

One year into the FICOM project and the results are very encouraging. Improved communication within UNFFE headquarters, and between Kampala, the districts and the local farmers, has contributed to more efficient farming. The project has prompted the creation of lucrative small businesses, some of which have been micro-financed, and in consequence, helped increase income that has been used to fund other local businesses, such as a poultry farm. Ednah Karamagi notes, "Seeing an empowered group of farmers effectively teaming up, making their own decisions and determined to kick poverty out of their homes using ICT technologies is beautiful!"

The Karamagi sisters are convinced that the increased exchange of knowledge will lead to reduced poverty in farmer households, and they are determined to expand the project and its benefits throughout the country. Hellene reports that other institutions are looking into the use of information communication technologies to address large-scale problems. The Ministry of Health, for example, is exploring ICT to help provide suitable health care in rural areas.

More information:

For further information, please see: www.ficomonline.org www.ictard.org and www.syngentafoundation.org 

More about the Karamagi Sisters: 

In addition to her responsibilities at ICTARD and within the FICOM project, Hellene is the proud founder and managing director of Helika Limited, a web design development and management company she started when she returned to Kampala upon completing higher education in the United Kingdom. She holds an undergraduate degree in computer science from the University of Sunderland and a Master's degree in information management from the University of East London. Hellene has also worked for the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), based in Basel, Switzerland.

Ednah is general manager of the Busoga Rural Open Source and Development Initiative (BROSDI), an NGO based in a rural district 100 kilometres from Kampala. BROSDI applies information communication technologies (ICT) to build civil societies, such as helping to alleviate the plight of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and promoting sustainable agriculture by increasing farmer access to technical and market information. Ednah received her higher education in Uganda, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. She originally taught in a secondary school and quickly rose to headmistress, responsible for one thousand children, but pursued graduate work in business administration, marketing and finance before focusing on a career in human rights and development.

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