M-Omulimisa Wins World Bank/MAAIF Disruptive Agriculture Technology Challenge

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) hosted the first-ever Disruptive Agricultural Technology (DAT) Challenge at Speke Resort, Munyonyo aimed to facilitate the implementation of the Agriculture Cluster Development Project (ACDP), where Ag Tech start-ups, entrepreneurs and several agricultural businesses showcased different functional and market-tested agricultural solutions that can improve on the delivery of agricultural services to farmers in Uganda. M-Omulimisa won first place in the Agricultural Productivity Category and will work with MAAIF in the implementation of the World Bank-supported Agriculture Cluster Development Project (ACDP) project. The challenge was organized around four different categories:

Challenge 1: Agricultural Productivity Challenge 2: Market Linkages Challenge 3: Farmer Financial Inclusion Challenge 4: Data Analytics M-Omulimisa competed in Challenge 1: Agricultural Productivity with different innovative teams that included;  Cabral Tech Ltd / Kilimo call center, Farm Radio International Uganda, Jabba Engineering Limited, and PAAT Soil Clinic. Each of these innovators demonstrated how their concepts would be problem-solving to farmers, processors up to market linkage and delivery stage before a panel of judges who awarded the best innovators in the different categories later in the day.

The winners in the respective challenge categories were:

Challenge 1: Agricultural Productivity M-Omulimisa

Challenge 2: Market Linkages Akellobanker-Quest Digital

Challenge 3: Farmer Financial Inclusion M-Cash Uganda Limited

Challenge 4: Data Analytics Data Care

The Guest of honor, Minister for ICT & National Guidance, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, stated that;’’ Disruptive technology sometimes means enabling technology, disrupt and enable technology usage in the different spheres. Unless we have this digital transformation, then we cannot talk about education and E-agriculture’’.

World Bank Country Manager for Uganda Antony Thompson, the highlighted that “The World Bank is proud to have committed more than$13 billion (to date) in project financing in Uganda, including the Agriculture Cluster Development Project. Disruptive technologies also stand to improve the productivity of agriculture, transforming it into a higher-value sector and providing the potential for quality jobs and higher incomes. For the 12 million young people entering into the workforce in Africa each year, this could all help make farming and food production much more appealing.” More information is available on the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) here https://www.agriculture.go.ug/innovators-in-ict-for-agriculture-awarded-at-dat-challenge-finale-in-kampala/

Notes for Editors m-Omulimisa is an Agriculture technology company that operates a mobile-enabled Village Agent Model that uses farmer networks, partnerships and a network of village agents to provide a bundle of agriculture-related services including improved seed, fertilizer, agriculture insurance delivered through an inputs loan facility in partnership from the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC). These services are complemented by mobile-based extension services and output marketing through partner off-takers. Our network of village agents works with over 200 farmer groups with a combined membership of over 8,000 members spread across 10 districts of Northern Uganda.