EZYAGRIC: WHAT ALL FARMERS SHOULD EMBRACE TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR?

 BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

 The Agricultural sector is considered the Economic back bone of Uganda, contributing about 25% of the Country's Gross Domestic Product and 70% employment of the Country's population.

 The major players in the sector according to Information from Bank of Uganda are the smallholder farmers with women taking majority share, whilst the youth participate the least despite them contributing the largest percentage to the country’s population.

 The justification for their negative attitudes towards the Agriculture Sector has been attributed to the many challenges being faced in the sector such as access to credits from financial Institutions, fake Agro-inputs on the market, inadequate access to Agricultural Extension services, alongside limited market access for their produce both Locally, Regionally and Internationally among others.

 Resultantly, this has compelled the Private sector to wake up and come up with cheap and yet convenient solutions to help avert the above challenges and make agriculture lucrative through digitization.

 Uganda’s mobile phone penetration has seen a steep growth year on year currently sitting at 6.6 million users and projected to more than double in the next decade.

 Information and Technology companies such as EZYAGRIChavedeveloped an IT Farmers App that can support farmers to overcome such challenges and those who have used the application can attest to how it has been a major game changer.

 Mr.Kalanzi Patrick from Zirobwe, Luwero District in Ugandasays “The App has helped him gain access to genuine and high-quality inputs delivered in a timely manner at a click of a button, an element that has since increased his yield.

Kalanzi Patrick from Zirobwe  who has tested the App saay the technology has heleped hi to access Agri -inputs

The EzyAgric Appis an end-to-end farming solution that supports farmers to improve their livelihoods through simplified farmer planning, supporting farmers to access to genuine Agro -inputs, e-extension services, alongside other benefits such as farmer linkage to market of their produce and also access to credits from financial institutions such as banks and micro finance.

 According to Matilda Babuleka the Chief Product Marketing Officer at EzyAgric the App was developed to make Agricultural sector more lucrative to all Ugandans because it creates a conducive Environment to all players in the Sector which enhances productivity and revenue earnings to all players from the farmers to the Agro-Business communities.

How to get the App?

 The applicationis available on the Google play store where it can be downloaded for those farmers with smart phone's, the App takes a Small space of about 25Mb.

 To ensure that no farmer is left out, EZYAGRIC is also working with the community Agents who have been trained to use the App and support them onboard.

 How to use the EzyAgric App?

1.    Download the EzyAgricApp from Google play store and install on your phone.

 

    Register for an account using your mobile phone number which will be validated and confirmed.

 

3.    Browse the list of the services of your choice for example Agro-inputs like seeds, fertilizers and farming tools or Agriculture credit in the App.

 

4.    Once the preferred service has been made,the user proceeds to check out and payment is initiated.

5.     

6.   Post order confirmation, user proceeds to effect the payment which is also digital, through mobile money.

 

With such new innovations Information and Communication technology can make farming very cheap, more productive hence improving the livelihoods of Sector players in Agriculture.

 

Download Now from google play store

 

 

 

Disabled,s demands conducive Environment to fully participate in the general National Elections

 BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

People's with Disabilities in Uganda are calling upon the Electoral Commission (EC)to create conducive Environment that will enable them to effectively participate in the general coming national Elections Exercise.

 Addressing the media in Kampala the Executive Director of the National Union of Disabled Persons Uganda(NUDIPU) Ngirabakunzi Edson said Disabled people's like their counter parts have right to participate in the  Country's politics through voting their leaders at all levels but the Environment on many occasions has not been favoring them thus their rights being disfranchised.

 "NUDIPU there for we call the EC to ensure that all the polling centers are accessible  and within reasonable distance to enable persons with Disabilities fully and effectively participate in the Electoral process “He said.

 Apart from making the centers to be accessible to the disabled persons, NUDIPU also is challenging the Electoral body to commence translating all the Electoral material information into the languages which can be easily understood by the  disabled people's especially the blind ones.

The CEO on Right Stressing point during the recent Press conference 

 "The Blind people's should be supported by the EC by coming up with the information in broil format this will help them to make better decisions making when choosing their leaders of their choice”. He added

 When asked if they have engaged the EC on the above Queries,Ngirabakunzi told the East African Business Week that NUDIPU has had many forums with EC on such issues but the government agency had kept silent on the matter yet the Country has great number of People's with Disabilities and of which great number of them are  eligible voters

 According to Martin Ssennoga the program Manager at NUDIPU,Uganda has a population of about 6 million people with Disabilities of which 4 million of them are eligible voters but Majority have not effectively participated in national voting exercise because of the poor Environment that does not favours them to enjoy their political rights.

 When this Website tried to get comments from the EC Spokesperson Paul Bukenya his Known phone Number was not available to comment on the demands raised by NUDIPU

 Uganda will be conducting a National general Elections where the citizens will be voting the head of state, Parliamentary Legislator's, alongside country wide local government leaders , Special Interest groups representatives according to the Election road map the exercise will commence from 14/January towards the end of march 2021.

 

Vote only Leaders with Biodiversity conservation face

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

As Ugandan prepare to elect new leaders comes to 2021 we should be wise to elect only leaders who have Biodiversity Conservationists face.

The current regime of leaders has been disaster to the Country's Biodiversity, some have been bribed by the so called Investors such that they can set up investments in protected lands such as wetlands, the good case is the Sugar cane growing in Most parts of Busoga region this has not only destroyed the Environment but also has escalated the level of poverty and Environmental related disaster s such floods.

Other kind of Corruption has been manifested in the giving away of the Central forest reserve's to Investors scenario that has fueled Environmental Refugees in the country. The current regime leaders starting from the top to local governments failed to ensure that the ordinary person gets access to cheap source of  energy  when you look at the cost of Electricity in the country power is still expensive despite the fact that the country has invested a lot of money in the Construction of both min and large power dams.

 

 The high cost of power in the country has forced the tax payers to continue using bio-masses which is not environmentally friendly  majority of the citizens ends up cutting down trees for charcoal which is considered as the Major source of energy in most urban towns in the Country and this comes with big impacts especilly on the health of the people.

Over depending on biomass's as source of Energy also has health implications because it exposes the tax payers to respiratory related diseases this greatly affects the children and their mothers. Thus having leaders that have the face of Environmental conservation will help us to protect our Country's Biodiversity,through advocating for policies that are Environmentally friendly.

Samuel Nabwiiso

 Protecting our Environment has both social and Economic assets for our Our country because it helps in the mitigation of climate change, reduces the incidences of flooding which has claimed lives of thousand Ugandans especially in the mountainous regions that's to say Bugisu and Mountainous regions of  Rwenzori regions respectively.

 

 The economic impacts of these floods has been on two aspects, on the Government side and social impacts , on the government , government has spent a lot of money in the process of dislocating the Environmental refuges and also the loss of assets by the victims especially their crops and Animals that on most occasion have been destroyed and killed because of the floods.

 On the aspects of social impacts the destruction of the biodiversity has led to the separation of communities the good example are the victims of the Bududa floods incidences ,some of the victims we're forced to go to Kenya others are in Bunyoro region (Kiryandongo) where the Government settled them but this has socially  impacted  those communities.

Bududa Victims being relocated after the mudslide 

 It's on that back ground that voters, vote only leaders that Will Ensure that our Environment is used in sustainable manners. The current regime whose terms in office which is ending in  the early 2021 have done less when it comes to sensitizing the local communities to protect Nature, the civil Society's organization tried to play their role through carrying out Advocacy but this has not yielded big achievement because of the limited participation of  both local government leaders and those at the Top. 

Nabwiiso Samuel is an Environment Journalist

 He can be reached on 0752808923 Email. nabwiisoug@gmail.com