Authors / Contributors: Prof. Jude Lubega & Dr. Drake Mirembe
It is well documented that in Uganda, agriculture employs over 70% of the population, of which, the majority are youth and women. Also, a number of studies show that both locally and internationally, ICT has positively impacted agriculture by addressing a number of bottlenecks along the agriculture value chain. Nevertheless, while the ICT sector is rapidly growing in Uganda, there are limited studies which have documented the state of ICT4Agric, which creates weaknesses in advocating for policy and investment frameworks for the sector. The lack of a clear understanding of the innovations and trends in ICT4Agric has in turn constrained effectiveness of government interventions, often times resulting into government procuring solutions which would be scaled up from locally developed innovations. Moreover, in many cases, the different technological advancements are not synchronized and hence causing a lot of duplication in terms of ICT interventions being made within the sector.
This document presents results of a study that was conducted on the current state of art and practices in ICT4Agric in Uganda with an aim of addressing the existing knowledge gap about the sub-sector, but more importantly to provide evidence to guide policy development and intervention strategies designed by government and other stakeholders. To be able to achieve this overarching aim, the study has proposed an ICT Integration framework to effectively provide a guided policy direction towards implementation of sustainable interventions.
This study was conducted within a research collaboration framework between the academia (Uganda Technology and Management University – UTAMU) and Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) through its research and innovation arm –Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF) programme.
The broader objective of the study was to establish the current state of ICT4Agric innovations in Uganda. The specific objectives of the study were to;
