By Ritah Mukasa
Every farmer needs an agricultural extension worker or officer. These experts offer advisory services, mobilize and register farmers into production and marketing groups, assess their needs, and design appropriate training sessions.
In the different districts of Northern Uganda, extension workers are actively helping individual farmers and cooperatives to optimize resources and boost productivity.
Hilda Adur, a digital technology researcher says, cooperatives depend on extension services to enrich agricultural knowledge.
Daniel Moro, an extension worker with Ebenezer Grower Input and farm consultation services in Lira district says they supply quality agro inputs to rural farmers who do not have access to good services.
Prisca Alobo, another extension worker in Kwania district coordinates and trains farmers in agronomic practices which involve using farming techniques that minimize damage to the environment.
“We also enroll Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), widows and those living with HIV on a permaculture program,” she says adding that; “They engage in backyard gardening to improve their diets while earning as well.”
However, Alobo notes that few extension workers are serving many cooperatives and individual farmers. Reaching all cooperatives becomes difficult given the long distances and high transport costs.
What makes their work harder is the digital divide. Farmers still face challenges in accessing digital tools such as smartphones. Others don’t even own TVs or radios.
But even those with radios rarely listen in.
Tonny Mark Ocen, another extension worker says; “It’s true some families have radios but they don’t listen in every day because they return from the garden exhausted and just sleep off.”
Regardless, Alobo says her fellow extension workers use digital tools, such as mobile applications and social media which makes it easy for farmers to access agricultural extension services.
“It’s easy to reach farmers on a digital system. We profile them and offer advisory services on the phone,” Paskweli Ocen says.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Farmers at a cooperative using smart phones to access information. Photos by Ritah Mukasa
