Rural Information System to support a Commodity Exchange - Uganda

The Rural Information System (RIS) project started in 2003. Together with the Uganda Commodity Exchange (UCE), RIS aim is to enable rural farmers to increase their income. The project is about enabling subsistence farmers to adapt a more commercial trading approach which seems deemed necessary in a country with a population growth of about 6% and an increase in agricultural production of about 3.5%.

Farmers in 3 pilot centres united in farmer groups in Masaka, Bushenyi and Kayunga are able to use the following services:

1.      The services of a warehouse system (supported by the EU) which, once fully setup, will enable farmers to store their commodities, to transport their commodities to the market of their choice and to sell their commodities whenever they want.

2.      The services of a crop marketing bureau: Farmers are able to send and receive timely, accurate and adequate market information on markets for their produce thus enabling them to market their products at good prices.

The profits of the centres go partly (to recover for investment costs) into a revolving fund to establish new centres.  The project has been integrated in the operations of UCE.

The Uganda Commodity Exchange, supported by EU, aims at connecting willing sellers to willing buyers, as well as facilitating their transactions.

The project is about enabling subsistence farmers to adopt a more commercial trading approach which seems necessary in a country with a population growth of about 6% and an increase in agricultural production of about 3.5%.

Read more about IICD’s Uganda Country Programme.

The RIS project has been successfully presented to other development partners and it was agreed to replicate it. Among those organisations are SNV, NAADS, MTTI-Department of Cooperatives.

The objective of the project is to provide the link to better markets and market information to farmers or producers / suppliers of agricultural produce, and in so doing increasing their revenue and subsequently contribute to the Government of Uganda broader strategy of Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP).

Getting access to market information is vital in a country with a population growth of about 6% and an increase in agricultural production of about 3.5%  This project enables the Uganda Commodity Exchange in the short term to develop the capacity and infrastructure  to become a one-stop centre for market information for agricultural commodities produced by the Uganda farmers.

Read more about IICD’s approach towards Livelihoods.

Building trust amongst players is a lengthy process and requires more than technology. 

Focusing on relevant content for farmers is key.

Initial phase was piloted with the Uganda Commodity Exchange.