For underdeveloped countries with largely rural populations, digital interventions for agriculture face geographic and systemic barriers to national expansion. Several interventions, including digital apps and tools, digital literacy campaigns and the development of rural digital infrastructure, aim to enhance digital agriculture in Uganda.

Agriculture is a vital source of economic output and employment in Uganda, as 73% of the country’s workforce is employed by the agriculture sector. The country consists of a predominantly rural population, with more than 70% living in rural areas. About four million households rely on smallholder farming for survival and approximately 30% of the population lives below the poverty line.

Digital Agriculture in Uganda

Digital innovations for agricultural markets and productivity can enhance the country’s agricultural sector. However, low levels of digital literacy and financial constraints limiting digital technology adoption result in low participation from the general population. Rural communities mainly suffer from gaps in access to digital infrastructure.

This contributes to lower adoption of digital technologies in the agriculture sector than in other sectors. Currently, several projects and interventions are bridging these gaps and increasing smallholder farmers’ participation in digital agriculture in Uganda.

Kilimo Farmers Call Center

In 2018, 81% of smallholder farmers in Uganda lacked access to agricultural extension and advisory services, resulting in weak market and supplier connectivity. Consequently, in 2018, smallholder farmers received an estimated 28% of the expected yields for their crops, leading to poverty and malnutrition. The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) identified the lack of access to quality extension services as a main constraint in the nation’s agricultural sector, especially in the West Nile region.

In this region, only one agriculture extension worker serves 2,000 farmers. In response, the UNCDF built the Kilimo Farmers Call Center in northern Uganda to reach farmers located in the most remote areas. The Center uses both technology and a network of community influencers, called digital extension agents.

The hybrid model makes it easier to reach more farmers by combining instant digital services with the connections and rapport built by extension agents. After farmers complete their farming profile on the Kilimo Farmer Call Center app, they are geo-mapped to receive relevant weather and market price updates. Farmers also receive agronomic tips based on their location and access to advisory and extension services.

The CABI Crop Sprayer App

The CABI crop sprayer app minimizes waste production and the environmental impact of pesticides by helping farmers determine precise application for their crops. In 2024, the app aided coverage for more than 600 acres in Uganda with optimized pesticides, reducing costs for farmers by up to 30%. In the Nakasongola District, the app reduced crop loss from pests by 35%.

Plantwiseplus Digital Tools

Farmers optimize crop production and their resource investments using digital tools developed by PlantwisePlus. Anthony Ssenyonga is a crop scientist and ambassador for PlantwisePlus in Uganda. He established a digital advisory hub, serving more than 500, where farmers can send in a picture of diseased crops and receive a diagnosis and treatment advice.

Ssenyonga trained 50 people to use the digital tools and share what they learned with farmers in their communities, which resulted in a 20% increase in tomato yields in 2024.

• PlantwisePlus Factsheet App: Downloaded on a smartphone, farmers receive expert advice on protecting their crops against pests and diseases and advice on managing infected crops. This tool contributes to greater food security, as farmers generally lose 40% of their crops to pests and diseases.
• PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank: Farmers use the Knowledge Bank to access information on specific pests affecting their crops and learn to manage them properly. They can also send in pictures of their infected crops for diagnosis by a trained plant doctor and receive accurate treatment advice.

Digital Literacy for Farmers

EzyAgric, a mobile platform digitizing the agricultural market in Uganda, designed a digital literacy intervention to increase farmers’ engagement with its platform. The need for digital literacy training was identified after the company discovered that only 20% of the 300,000 farmers registered on its digital platform actively engaged with it. EzyAgric provided training for 253 farming households across three districts, for both male- and female-headed households.

Subsequently, these households experienced a fivefold increase in e-seed purchases and farmer engagement with the platform increased significantly. EzyAgric continues its expansion into new regions of Uganda, using the initial intervention as a guide, to improve smallholder farmer engagement with the digital agricultural market.

Conclusion

Digital solutions to Uganda’s inadequate extension services infrastructure, poor marketing systems and climate instability susceptibility can revitalize the country’s agricultural sector. Indeed, by increasing the accessibility of digital services and educating smallholder farmers in digital literacy will increase rural participation in digital markets and the widespread adoption of digital agriculture in Uganda.

– Sarah Merrill

Sarah is based in Matthews, NC, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr