[Ict4women] Mobile Phones For Improved Livelihood & Food security In Rural Uganda: The CELAC Project

[Sophia Huyer]

 From UgaBYTES.

The Collecting and Exchange of Local Agricultural Content (CELAC), is  
the agricultural wing of the Ugandan NGO, BROSDI (Busoga Rural Open  
Source & Development Initiative). It aims to improve the livelihoods  
and food security of rural farmers through engaging the government,  
private sector and civil society in knowledge sharing and information  
management using ICTs.

Many ICTs are used but CELAC has realized that one of the most  
accessible technologies is the mobile phone. It is estimated that in  
Uganda just like other developing countries, at least one person in  
every village possesses a phone.  Also, even the most uneducated  
person can easily learn how to receive and make a phone call. There is  
no need to go to school.

The CELAC project uses mobile phones for:
o Weekly SMS messages which are sent out to farmers once a week.
o Emergency SMS messages which are only sent in case of an agri- 
related emergency e.g. if there is a breakout of a disease in a region  
or country. This is mainly to alert farmers and encourage them to take  
precautions.
* Agricultural tips on request (through a partnership between BROSDI  
and the Grameen Foundation). Here a farmer sends a question and a tip  
is forwarded to him/her in relation to the question asked.
* Phone conferencing is also used n meetings, trainings and forums.  
These are used especially because BROSDI and CELAC are unable to reach  
out to each of the groups very often as they are many, and are  
scattered throughout all regions of Uganda.
* Telephone calls are made as a way of routine communication to farmers.
* Audio recording and photographs are taken during field visits. The  
recorded files are then distributed to farmers using CDs.
There is a saying that every good thing has a challenge and the uses  
of these phones have got the following challenges:
* Some rural farmers in reality can’t afford even the cheapest mobile  
phone on the market.
* Formerly the farmers had a perception that phones are for telephone  
calls only. CELAC is overcoming this through sensitization and routine  
trainings.
*There is also the challenge of routine power cuts and the fact that  
some areas don’t have electricity at all. Though this can be solved by  
use of other means like solar chargers, CELAC has not yet been able to  
address this issue.

The CELAC farmers say that you feel the man of the day once you  
receive many SMS's at ago, even when you are at a drinking place.  
People come to you to ask what the SMS is about and you feel so proud  
explaining the content to them. The SMS's usually have simple locally  
relevant content such pest control methods or how to untertake a  
certain agriculture activity.

Written by Mary Nakirya


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