Uganda tipped on using digital services for agriculture

Kampala. Smallholder farmers have been urged to use technology to solve some of the agricultural challenges in addition to facilitating financial inclusion.


Convening a meeting with government, private sector, and development partners in Kampala on Wednesday, the US embassy asked them to explore opportunities and challenges for expanding the use of digital financial services such as mobile money in the rural and agriculture sectors.


Uganda’s population depends heavily on the agriculture sector, which employs about 70 per cent of the country’s work force.


Digital financial services, through the use of the available technology in Uganda, can help resolve critical agricultural development challenges, and promote financial inclusion and economic empowerment of smallholder farmers.


Using agriculture as the gateway to increased use of digital tools also opens the door to expanded services for rural populations (about 80 per cent of Ugandans) related to food security, power, education, health, and daily transactions.


Speaking at the event, Usaid Global Development lab deputy director Lona Stoll said: “Uganda, with its growing private sector and entrepreneurial ecosystem, offers a strong foundation to use digital financial services to improve development outcomes. We recognise that many challenges still exist to fully realizing these opportunities, especially in rural areas, and that the stakeholders at this forum are critical to addressing these challenges.”

Hoe vs Technology

President Museveni recently pledged to give 18 million hoes to six million smallholder farmers. This has caused public debate on whether hoes are the best tools for a country keen on modernising agriculture and improving production.