ICT access needs and challenges for agricultural stakeholdersICT access needs and challenges for agricultural stakeholders by Stella Kamuyu Wanjau - EAFF

1. ICT Observatory on E-Agriculture Strategies in ACP
Countries
Farmer issues and needs
By Stella Kamuyu
24th to 26th April 2013
Wageningen, the Netherlands
Vision
''Prosperous
and
cohesive
Eastern
Africa
farmers
community
”
Mission
“Represent, l
obby and
advocate for
farmers
interests and
build their
capacities.”
EASTERN
AFRICA
FARMERS
FEDERATION
(EAFF)

2.  The Eastern African Farmers Federation (EAFF), was formed in
2001, it is a non-political, non-profit and democratic
organisation, whose role is to voice the concerns and
interests of farmers of the region to enhance their social-
economic status and regional cohesiveness. EAFF’s
Membership is from National Farmer organisations from
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, DR
Congo, Burundi, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
EAFF membership is now composed of 22 farmer
organisations serving about 20 million farmers.
 The new Strategic Plan(2012-2020) is organized around four
strategic goals:
◦ a dynamic regional platform for advocacy and policy
development, implementation and accountability:
◦ functional and effective knowledge hub for farmer
development:
◦ strengthening farmers as key actors in the value chains;
◦ A vibrant, self-sustained, effective and efficient
organization.

3. ICTs in Agriculture
 ICTs have become increasingly integrated into the
dissemination of information to farmers. Traditional forms of
ICTs have become more prevalent in advisory service
provision.
 Radio and TV programmes feature agricultural information.
Rural telecentres provide information on
education, agricultural and health issues and equip rural
citizens with skills on how to use computers and provide
basic literacy.
 Mobile phone services are improving agricultural yield and
profits by providing farmers with advice on crops, weather
and market prices.
 There are however some challenges –e.g infrastructure for
internet connectivity and accessibility, cost of information
dissemination and access, capacity building etc..,

4. Farmers Issues and needs Challenges
FARMERS ISSUES AND NEEDS CHALLENGES
•COOCENKI, a Farmers’ organization
in DR Congo with a membership of
25 co-op organizations.
• are providing capacity building for
farmers on the use of internet, and
computers through trainings.
• Using mobile phone SMS to source
information.
•Advocate with telephone network
companies to install antennas in
rural areas.
•Strengthening literacy and adult
education.
• Advocating for Cyber ​​Cafés in
rural areas.
•have been using a
market information system for
agricultural producers for the last 2
years.
-Difficult to access internet due to
long distances between rural and
urban areas.
- Lack of telephone networks and
internet sites.
- Farmers are economically poor
thus difficult to access information
technologies.
- No mastery of the use and
exploitation of the internet phone
options.
- No mastery in the use of
computers - Illiteracy of farmers.
- Poor access / lack of electricity
in rural areas.
- No mechanism to enable
automatically disseminate the
market related information to
farmers at grassroots level.

5. FARMERS ISSUES AND NEEDS CHALLENGES
•Kenya National Farmers Agricultural
Producer(KENFAP) umbrella farmers’
federation representing 1.8 million
farm families and the legitimate
farmers’ voice in Kenya.
• is negotiating with Mobile phone
technology firms to establish a
platform for sharing extension
messages with farmers by use of SMS.
•Have a website and are in the process
of establishing an E-Library.
•They have videos on YouTube.
•Have a facebook page.
• In the last two years the federation
has been offering extension services
through radio programmes on a
weekly basis on local or vernacular
station.
•Publishes it positions and topical
matters on print media
• Members lack internet
connectivity.
• Lack of smart phones to
access internet.
•The regional information
centers of KENFAP are not
adequately equipped to offer
services to the members.
•Capacity gap on the use of ICT
and social media.
•Lack of interest and negative
attitude towards ICT, the
perception that ICTs are used in
offices, cost of investing in ICT
is strenuous and expensive.

6. FARMERS ISSUES AND NEEDS CHALLENGES
Agricultural Council of Tanzania
(ACT) has a membership of 75
members which includes
associations, networks of farmers,
livestock keepers, traders etc.
•Communicates to their members
through their website, emails,
telephone and e-newsletters,
•Does not communicate
through telecenters because the
centers are very few.
•Limited number of telecenters in
the country.
•Restricted access to digital
technology
•Insufficient digital content in
Kiswahili and local language.
•Inadequate infrastructures and
support services (electricity and
connectivity)
•Unreliable and un-updated
technology
Lack of skills/knowledge on the
use of ICT's.
•Lack of financial resources to
secure the use of ICT's.

7. FARMERS ISSUES AND NEEDS CHALLENGES
Uganda National Farmers
Federation (UNFFE) is a national
Farmer organization for farmers in
Uganda with 68 member
organization/farmer groups.
•Communicates to their members
through their website, emails,
mobile phone and newsletters,
local and National Radio programs
and during the National
Agricultural Show.
•Also Print Media.
•The best way to get information to
the farmers has been by mobile
phones and using local radio
stations.
Even when emails are sent to the
farmers, one has to call them
because most of them have to go
to town to access internet (at a
cost).
Other challenges:
a) Low coverage of internet
facilities among their members.
b) Most rural towns have no
electricity.
c) Accessing internet is costly
because most of them have to
incur transport costs to go to
towns, even then the cost of using
it is high.
d) Its expensive to send
information (have to call each
member)

8.  ICT Farmer issues, needs and challenges are similar in the EAFF
Region. Currently, most farmers’ information is provided by
extension workers, through libraries, telecenters, websites and
by use of smart phones. The number of extension workers has
been going down while that of farmers has been growing, hence
the need for innovative information systems to address this gap.
E.g by development of National Farmers Information Service.
 Though there is increased adoption of smart phones, feature
phones are still the most common and dominant among farmers.
 There is poor infrastructure for access to internet and also luck
of sufficient electrify in the rural areas.
 Though telecentres in the region present significant
opportunities their use is hampered by various challenges on
sustainability, donor dependency and poor quality connectivity
and not easily accessible to the farmer.
 Need to generating content to put in their websites; developing
databases

9.  EAFF has an MOU with EAGC –(Eastern Africa Grain Council) an
NGO, which prepares, disseminates, and promotes the exchange of
information on matters affecting the regional grain industry.
http://www.eagc.org
 EAGC has an initiative- Regional Agricultural Trade Intelligence
Network (RATIN) – www.ratin.net for disseminating agricultural
market information.
 RATIN is supported by USAID and other development partners - is
present in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.
Information on Markets, Warehouses, Cross Border trade, SMS
subscription and Trade linkages.
 Focal points in each of these countries send market information to
RATIN and RATIN to Farmers at the local rate of that country. The
initiative is fairly new and is not yet well known. The MOU will
enable EAFF to access their MIS system and our members will benefit
from this initiative.
 EAFF is also working on building a knowledge hub as stipulated in
the strategic plan and in so doing EAFF wants to invest in ICT in the
most innovative ways . e.g. EAFF staff is already trained on web 2.0
and are developing a web 2 tools strategy;
 EAFF has also had initial dialogues with oracle to develop an MIS
system in collaboration with a mobile company.
 Its important that the capacity of EAFF is strengthened to play a key
role as a knowledge broker on behalf of farmers of the region

10. Thank you!
Stella. Kamuyu
EAFF Communication and PR Officer
P.O.Box 13747-00800 Westlands NAIROBI Nelleon Place, Rhapta Rd. Westlands, Tel: +254-20-4451691 Email: info@eaffu.org
Website: www.eaffu.org