Frontline SMS Helps Rural Farmers In Uganda Increase Crop Yields and Fight Disease Outbreaks

Robin Platte | FrontlineSMS | July 15, 2013

Congratulations to Jimmie Ssena for being recognized as a finalist of the VNI Service Awards for his work with rural farmers using FrontlineSMS!

...Jimmie’s project, which sends updates and reliable information to individual farmers’ mobile phones using FrontlineSMS, has supported many farmers to increase their productivity. Jimmie Ssena brought FrontlineSMS to the Nakaseke Telecentre to send crucial information to local farmers concerning developments in the sector, disease outbreak, information on improved seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, weather changes, and the current market prices for produce.

Jimmie’s work not only helps farmers turn out greater yields, but also cuts out the middleman exploitation of farmers by making them aware of fair market prices. Jimmie works with other national and civil society organizations to obtain information, and repackages it for consumption by a local audience. They run call-in and question-and-answer services, including a radio show, and offer training and other IT services.

Agriculture is one of the most strongly-represented sectors among FrontlineSMS users. For Jimmie, the simplicity of the platform is key....