Farm Africa drives digitalisation of agricultural extension services

Farm Africa has taken a major leap in driving the digital transformation of Uganda’s agricultural sector, leading a joint effort with the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) and the Uganda Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (UFAAS) to digitalise agricultural extension and advisory services.

Through this collaboration, more than 150 Village-Based Advisors (VBAs) and Government Agricultural Officers from the districts of Bugiri, Bugweri, Namutumba, Kamuli, Bulambuli, Bududa, Bukwo, Kween, Amuria and Kapelebyong have been trained and equipped with the digital knowledge, tools and platforms needed to deliver smarter, faster and more coordinated agricultural advisory services to smallholder farmers.

This initiative marks a significant milestone in Farm Africa’s continued commitment to strengthening rural livelihoods through technology-enabled, data-driven and inclusive approaches to extension and agribusiness support.

The three regional training sessions, led by Farm Africa under the AGRA-funded project, focused on enhancing digital capacity, data management and use of the AFAAS Digital Registry, a platform designed to profile agricultural actors, facilitate coordination and improve access to verified data on agricultural extension providers across Uganda and Africa.

Speaking at the closing of the training, Fred Ssajakambwe, Project Coordinator for the Farm Africa–AGRA Project, emphasised Farm Africa’s leadership and vision in promoting digitalisation for impact:

“Farm Africa is committed to ensuring that digital tools become central to how agricultural advisory services are delivered. By empowering VBAs and Government Officers with technology, we’re building an ecosystem where extension services are more efficient, transparent and impactful. This collaboration with AFAAS and UFAAS is helping us set a new standard for data-driven agricultural transformation.”

He added that Farm Africa’s involvement ensures that the tools being introduced are tailored to local realities, enabling farmers and advisors to adapt technology to everyday challenges in production, marketing and decision-making.

To strengthen digital integration at the grassroots, Farm Africa provided mobile phones and tablets to participating VBAs and Government Agricultural Officers. These devices will enable them to access platforms such as M-Omulimisa (for mobile-based extension support) and Access Agriculture, which offers localised videos and audio resources for farmer training in various local languages.

Ruth Mugisha, Projects Officer at UFAAS and one of the lead facilitators, noted the strong engagement from both community-based advisors and government officers:

“Digitalisation is no longer optional: it’s essential. We are seeing tremendous enthusiasm among the VBAs and District Agricultural Officers who participated. With the skills and tools provided through this collaboration, they are now better positioned to deliver high-quality advisory services and connect directly to the AFAAS Registry – a vital step toward a national digital extension system.”

Government Agricultural Officers participated actively in the training, recognising the importance of digitalisation in achieving Uganda’s National Agricultural Extension Strategy (NAES) and aligning with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) digital transformation agenda.

Their inclusion reinforces the government’s role in policy guidance, quality assurance, and institutional support for the digitalisation of extension services. The officers expressed optimism that the integration of VBAs into the AFAAS Registry will strengthen coordination between public and non-state actors working to enhance agricultural productivity.

Daniel K Nanghaka, ICT Technical Lead at AFAAS, who is spearheading the digitalisation process across Africa, applauded Farm Africa’s leadership in operationalising the AFAAS Registry at the community level:

“The AFAAS Registry is designed to bridge information gaps in agricultural extension by creating a single digital ecosystem where actors can be profiled, recognised and connected to opportunities. Farm Africa’s proactive leadership in onboarding VBAs and Government Officers demonstrates how partnerships can accelerate digital transformation in agricultural advisory services.”

He added that the Registry will serve as a one-stop hub for monitoring performance, tracking skills and connecting organisations to the right expertise within the Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS) ecosystem.

The collaboration between Farm Africa, AFAAS, and UFAAS, with the active participation of Government Agricultural Officers, underscores the power of partnership in scaling digitalisation for agricultural development.

By combining Farm Africa’s implementation strength and local networks, UFAAS’s coordination of practitioners, and AFAAS’s continental digital infrastructure, the initiative is paving the way for a digitally connected, inclusive and sustainable agricultural ecosystem in Uganda.

“Farm Africa’s leadership in driving this process is helping to bridge the gap between policy, technology and practice,” added Ruth Mugisha. “Together with government officers and VBAs, we are creating an agricultural extension system that’s ready for the future.”