Production and Market information for small holder farmers in Northern Uganda Using Mobiles and Radio to access Market prices Farmer Field school experiences in Amuru and Nwoya districts

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Production and Market information for small
holder farmers in Northern Uganda Using Mobiles
and Radio to access Market prices Farmer Field
school experiences in Amuru and Nwoya districts
Presentation by J.C. Achora WOUGNET
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• ICTs can help farmers if the focus is on the
  people their needs
• And
• Not on technology

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Why ICT applications in agriculture?

• Market price information
• Live market feeds
• Product visibility
• Agricultural advisory services
• Linking farmers to buyers, producers input
  suppliers
• Linkages from local to global market trends

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Mobile applications

• Partnerships FIT Uganda Ltd FAO

• Training FFS in sms use

• SMS (Short Text Messages) to
• access market information from infotrade by
  sending text to 8555 or from service providers
  such as MTN and WARID networks.
• service cost 220 Ug shs per msg
• Web2Phone market information is transferred from
  the web to the mobile phone www.infotradeuganda.co
  m

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Blackboard at Gulu main market

• Farmers use this blackboard to promote their
  products by posting their commodities, the
  prices, quantity, their location and Telephone
  numbers content posted free of charges

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Mobile applications cont

• Mobile applications are subscription based and
  this poses a challenges to farmers i.e cost
  effectiveness
• limited content and information. Data has to be
  collected and the databases updated regularly as
  commodity prices keep changing.
• Where data has successfully been used in mobile
  applications eg Grameen Foundation. Content is in
  English.

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Training an integral component of applying ICTs
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Radio talk shows

• Radio talk shows have proved to be an interactive
  platforms where farmers interact with the wider
  community and market linkages formed
• Also the point where mobile phones radio
  interact

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Radio Cassettes
Rural women farmers listening club
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Rural information centres Apac Amuru
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Community meetings
Target group Farmers in the community
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Websites
Online sources of information
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Lessons Learnt

• Though a number of the farmers could
  conceptualize the use of the mobile phone to get
  access to markets by the end of the pilot phase,
  none of them had used the phone to get market.
  Asked why, they said they needed money quickly
• Collaborations/partnerships are important drivers
  for success.

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Lessons

• How do farmers fare after such interventions?
  will farmers use the skills gained to inform
  which enterprise to engage in during the next
  season and get markets?
• Perception, attitude and Change. The Rural
  farmers perception to the potential of ICTs
  remain a big challenge to e- Agriculture

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Conclusion

• Expose small scale farmers to a wide variety of
  ICT innovations and demonstrate their potential.
• Expose farmers to ICT applications for small
  holder inclusion in the agribusiness supply chain
• Broaden small holders access to financial
  services through ICTs.

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Conclusion

• Strengthen the Farmer Associations/Group
  marketing associations with ICT skills
• Great need for Information needs assessment of
  farmers design delivery of products and
  services

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References

• www.wougnet.org
• http//www.facebook.com/wougnet?skphotos!/media/
  set/?seta.482509588569.266793.133443013569
• http//www.wougnet.org/cms/content/view/667/1/
• http//www.facebook.com/media/set/?seta.101501642
  54898570.306176.133443013569
• http//www.facebook.com/media/set/?seta.501369558
  569.279564.133443013569

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Thank you for listening