Ugandan Scientist Invents Software To Help Farmers

Mercy Nekesa, an entrepreneur in Mbale City and a founder of Raining Vegetables Ltd, has invented a web application designed to help farmers in record keeping and access to information on the best investment decisions. Nekesa says she is planning to recruit agents to provide services to farmers who don’t have smartphones, especially in rural areas, at an affordable cost.

“The app also helps farmers keep track of their operations, financial records, and offers guidance on successful farming techniques and the best-farming methods,” she said.

Nekesa is one of the 150 women entrepreneurs who was equipped during the Rising Woman Training in Mbale recently. The training was organized in partnership with DFCU Bank and Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) in the fifth edition of the Rising Woman initiative. The objectives of the initiative are aimed at recognizing, celebrating, and promoting a culture of mentorship among women in business. Nekesa says the app helps farmers increase their produce and income.

“This app helps the farmers choose the best farming sectors to invest in based on aspects such as their location, budget, and climate. It also helps farmers to track their farm activities from any location at any time,” she added. She said the software also does financial analysis of the farm in real-time to ensure that farmers have accurate records and use approved farming methods.

“Farmers can use the app to track all the processes ranging from planting, labour input, harvest, and profits, among others so that they can ably make the right decisions,” she pointed out.

Nekesa further revealed that the software also makes it easier for organizations and companies to track multiple farmers from anywhere at any time, stressing that the software will become the go-to resource for promoting successful commercial farming in Uganda because of over-reliance on subsistence is the main cause of the continued high poverty levels.

Leslie Mutumba, the investment executive (SMEs) at UIA, said women enterprises play a crucial role in the development of the country. She says most SMEs in the country are women-owned, stressing that their primary objective is to streamline the way they run their business, especially as regards to keeping records and formalizing their businesses.

The Uganda National Panel survey released in 2019 showed that 75 per cent of Ugandans without formal education engage in agriculture. During the launch of the Parish Development Model (PDM), in Kibuku District early this year, President Museveni said 39 per cent of Uganda’s 41 million population live from hand to mouth. PDM was introduced by the Government during the current Financial Year 2022-23, to support Ugandan small-scale entrepreneurs access loans at the village level, across the entire country.