FARA policy briefs

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://aaspace.org//handle/20.500.14659/59

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    Digital Connection for Farming Communities (Uganda)
    (AFAAS, 2025) AFAAS, UFAAS
    The brief reports a district policy dialogue and innovation platform needs assessment held in Luwero and Bugiri with civil servants, politicians, technical staff, farmers, farmer organizations and financial institutions. Participants reviewed national policies relevant to digital extension, including the National Strategy for Youth Employment (2017), the ICT Policy (2014), the MAAIF ICT strategy for agriculture (2019–2023) and Vision 2040, and found that they support the digital connectors model. Uptake of e-extension remains low because of the cost of devices, internet and electricity, poor rural networks, limited digital skills and weak collaboration between NGOs, government and research. Recommendations include capacity building for digital connectors and farmers, cheaper rural electricity, subsidized ICT devices and digitally accessed inputs, lower taxes on internet services, digital hubs and multi-stakeholder platforms.
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    Enhancing climate adaptation through the digital connectors model for agricultural extension in Uganda
    (ASARECA, 2026-01) Okonya, Joshua Sikhu (ASARECA); BenBella, Bashir (AFAAS); Antwi, Kwaku Dei (FARA)
    Uganda's public extension worker-to-farmer ratio of about 1:1,800, against an FAO benchmark of 1:500, cannot support uptake of knowledge-intensive climate-smart technologies, innovations, management practices and services (TIMPS). Drawing on the AIRTEA DC4FC project, which trained nine youth digital connectors serving nearly 10,000 members of the ZAABTA (Luweero) and BAIDA (Bugiri) innovation platforms, the brief shows that face-to-face training combined with phones raises access to and demand for climate-smart TIMPS. A 5% commission from input companies sustains connectors' work with women and youth farmers. Barriers include low trust in pre-payment models, farmers' reluctance to pay for advice, and the lack of return-on-investment models for extension. Recommendations cover digital literacy, phone and connectivity costs, a shared digital content repository, ROI models, seed capital for youth agritech, tax incentives, and accreditation of digital connectors within MAAIF/UFAAS.
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    Harnessing multi-stakeholder innovation platforms for knowledge transfer and aquaculture value chain development in Uganda
    (Abi ZARDI, 2025) Abi Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Abi ZARDI), National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO)
    Aquaculture supplies 22% of Uganda's fish production but is held back by poor access to extension, inputs, post-harvest facilities and markets, and by disease and weak value-chain coordination. The project surveyed aquaculture stakeholders across Uganda's nine agro-ecological zones and set up nine zonal innovation platforms and one national platform linking farmers, hatchery operators, traders, extension workers, researchers, input suppliers, local leaders and financial institutions. Farmers ranked high feed cost and poor feed quality as their main constraint; extension officers cited under-funding, and financial institutions cited poor farm records. The brief recommends standardized record-keeping tools promoted by MAAIF, public–private partnerships for extension and research, training on quality feed and fingerling production (including black soldier fly as a fishmeal substitute), and farmer awareness through extension and social networks.
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    Scaling the delivery of digital agriculture tools to enhance adaptation to a changing climate: Experiences and lessons learned from Uganda
    (ASARECA, FARA, 2025-08) Okonya, Joshua Sikhu; Luzobe, Beatrice; Antwi, Kwaku Dei
    This brief presents lessons from the AIRTEA DC4FC project, which trained and equipped ten youth digital connectors to provide fee-based, climate-smart advisory services, inputs and market links to nearly 10,000 members of two innovation platforms in Luweero and Bugiri. Connectors mainly use WhatsApp, which works for non-literate members through audio and video, to offer subsidized weather-index insurance, solar irrigation, drought-tolerant seed, soil testing, machinery hire, post-harvest services and produce aggregation. Moderation by not-for-profit organizations builds trust, and assured off-take raises production. Barriers include distrust of pre-payment, reluctance to pay for services, and side-selling against contracts. Policy recommendations cover digital literacy for women and people over 35, phones on credit, rural connectivity, zero-rated agricultural content, ROI models for private extension, seed capital for youth agritech, and tax incentives.
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    Strengthening Agriculture Extension and Advisory Service Delivery in Murang'a County
    (AFAAS, 2023) Mwangi, Gitika Peter; Aluda, Elizabeth; Makokha, Oscar
    Agriculture accounts for about 60% of Murang'a County's economic activity and 70% of local employment, yet the extension officer-to-farmer ratio stands at 1:7,950 and is expected to worsen as staff retire. The brief draws on secondary data, a literature review, stakeholder mapping and a county policy dialogue. It reviews extension approaches used since devolution, the challenges facing women and youth (finance, information, land), and youth unemployment of 37%. It recommends a participatory county digitalization policy defining the role of digital connectors, a county agricultural data management policy, a clearer "one ward, one cooperative" policy that places agripreneurs in public extension, digital credit schemes for farmers, and private-sector partnerships for digital connectors.