E-learning in Uganda

After a long day in his fields, Joseph Mbaki, Ugandan fruit farmer, picks up his mobile phone and connects to MarketInfonet to see whether his business partner, a wholesaler from Kampala, has left any messages for him. In three weeks they will meet in the market at Jinja, the second biggest commercial centre in Uganda, where Joseph will deliver 300 kg of mangoes.

'We made a virtual contract online,' Joseph says. 'A few months ago, my business partner posted his demand for mangoes in MarketInfonet where I have subscribed to an information service that keeps me up to date on market demands for fresh fruit. I received a text message on my mobile phone, notifying me that there was a buyer for 300kg of mangoes.'

Joseph sent a text message to the internet-based system confirming that he would deliver the product. Now, the wholesaler can be sure that he will receive a specific amount of produce of appropriate quality on a specific date. 'And I have the guarantee to sell my product for a good price,' Joseph laughs.

This story is fictional, but it will become everyday practice for farmers in the Busoga region of Uganda as a result of Uganda MarketInfonet, an internet-based information and communication platform supporting agriculture in Uganda that has been developed by Bufanet (the Ugandan Busoga Farmer Network) and the Swiss e-learning developer Avallain.

'The system will offer several functions,' explains Ursula Suter, managing director of Avallain. 'It will connect vendors and suppliers, and provide farmers and fishermen with information on agricultural techniques, prices, and measures for income increase.' Additional modules will present interactive exercises for literacy and numeracy that are directly relevant to everyday business - comparing prices, calculating the amount of fertiliser needed, writing an order, reading a manual. MarketInfonet will present basic skills learning as a key to improved business. Business becomes the driver for education.

Currently, most agriculture in Uganda is at subsistence level. 'Farmers and fishermen know too little about the possibilities of income increase, for example through processing and added value,' says Patrick Kiirya, Director of Bufanet and founder of several literacy organisations in Uganda. 'Also, a lot of smallholders don't know the value of their produce. They negotiate prices individually with itinerant traders at the farm gate and sell their products below value. As a result, Uganda's agriculture remains far below its potential. Although employing more than 80% of the workforce, agriculture contributes less than 36% to the GDP.'

Using technology

Access to market information, agricultural education and improved basic skills are prerequisites to improve the effectiveness of individual farming as well as the capacity of the whole production chain. But is ICT an appropriate vehicle for learning? In Africa?

'The question is not whether conditions in Africa allow the use of ICT,' Ursula Suter emphasises, 'the question is whether we can develop solutions that meet the special demands and adapt to existing conditions.' Internet access is still limited in Uganda but more and more people have a mobile phone, so MarketInfonet will use mobile phones as its main channel to distribute information and learning.

'ICT can function as a supportive tool to contribute to increasing income and promoting basic education,' says Patrick Kiirya. 'Small-scale farmers and fishermen are very interested in expanding their capacities and skills to increase their income. When they understand that MarketInfonet will help them to conduct their business more successfully, they will make the effort to use it.'

MarketInfonet aims to become an example of how the 'mobile revolution' can contribute to the 'green revolution' - and become a driver for learning and development.

Ralf Kellershohn is Director of Communications for Avallain