Trias, Uganda

Agriculture in the Hoima district in Uganda consists mainly of subsistence farming although new markets are emerging in the area. Main issues are lack of inputs and support, due to problems in the wider supply chain and inefficient parallel agricultural extension agencies. There is a lack of access to financial instruments, qualitative personalised information, agricultural inputs and bargaining power. However, these shortcomings create the opportunities to develop. The cooperation between AFD, Trias and HODFA can support local farmers to overcome these problems. Trias is a development NGO that aims to increase the livelihood security and well-fare of family farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs. Trias sees exchange and cooperation between farmers and entrepreneurs as crucial to achieve their goal. The Hoima District Farmers’ Association is committed to improving agricultural production and achieving self-reliance of poor active men and women farmers so that they may increase their incomes and live in a food secure and conserved environment. Hodfa is a registered membership organisation aimed at strengthening the self-reliance of poor active men and women farmers by increasing production through training in modern agricultural practices, facilitating demonstrations, assisting in input supply and supporting cooperative marketing efforts to increase income and reduce poverty.

This year the focus is twofold: tackling the Fall Armyworm via ICT4D tools and giving small-scale farmers access to market information.

Causing major problems for smallholder farmers in the Hoima district, it is urgent to find efficient communication and management methods to win the fight against the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) (FAW). Therefore, smart use of information communication technology (ICT4D) instruments to enhance uptake and adoption of good agricultural practices (GAP) and specifically to manage the Fall Army worm pest are at the core of the project. Firstly, information on how to prevent, monitor and control the worm should be efficiently communicated to the farmers. Secondly, the worm is far easier to control in an early stage which requires a system that alerts the farmers when the FAW is present. A community-based early warning system is a promising solution.

Secondly, farmers lack market information to base their decisions on when and to whom to sell. When farmers would gain more insight in the market, perform collective marketing and sell to big(ger) buyers, they would obtain more bargaining power. The main issues are the lack of contact information of big buyers and the lack of accurate market price information on a regular basis. The goal of this research topic in cooperation with HODFA is to further develop, implement and check-up a market information pilot program aiming at the empowerment of farmers through SMS.