13 pages, This study aimed at assessing the level of mobile phone use in Ugandan agricultural extension, and to establish the extent to which mobile phone Viamo’s 3-2-1 service, hosted by Airtel Uganda, was being accessed and how the facility can be improved to boost banana productivity. The results of the study indicate that use of mobile phones for increased banana productivity were dependent on age, gender, household size, income and farming experience. Data collected show that the major information source by farmers was extension agents followed by phones and televisions. Focus group discussions revealed that most farmer participants owned phones (94.3%), had Airtel SIM cards and accessed Viamo service (65%). All respondents were aware of the Viamo service and majority got to know about the service through Airtel SMS notifications (83.3%). Farmers indicated that the four most sought after information elements for increasing banana productivity included material on weather forecasts, pest and disease control, fertilizers and their usage, and markets and their location. The study reveals information gaps with respect to pests and disease diagnosis and management, market prices, weather information, mulching and weeding in different terrains, and sources of clean banana planting material. It was concluded that the service is relevant and contributes to improving farmer knowledge on good banana farming practices. A further step will be to scale up use of the 3-2-1 service for agricultural purposes at country and regional levels.
28 pages, We analyse gender differences in the response of smallholder farmers to droughts, taking the duration and severity of the even t into account. Using a novel weather shock measure that combines spatial rainfall data with detailed cropping calendars, survey data from Uganda and standard econometric techniques, we find that adverse weather events provide an opportunity for women to enter the commercial crop market by allocating land from subsistence to income generating crops. This counterintuitive pattern is, in part, explained by the greater propensity of men to allocate time to non-agricultural activities in the event of weather shocks.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 186 Document Number: D00920
Notes:
Abstract and contents table are in ACDC. Full text of thesis available online., Thesis for the Master of Science degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics, Makerere University, Uganda. 121 pages.
Barungi, M. (author), Ngongola, D.H. (author), Edriss, A. (author), Mugisha, J. (author), Waithaka, M. (author), and Tukahirwa, J. (author)
Format:
Poster
Publication Date:
2012-08
Published:
Uganda
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 187 Document Number: D00976
Notes:
Poster presented at the International Association of Agricultural Economists triennial conference, Foz do Iguacu, Brazile, August 18-24, 2012. 2 pages.
