The Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (CTA) has launched a U$4.5 million 3-year-project in Uganda to benefit more than 350,000 smallholder farmers using satellite data to improve production and marketing of three agricultural value chains(maize, soya beans and sesame). This is in collaboration with six other partners with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will run from September 2015 to August 2018. According to the East African Legislative member, support from the Netherlands space office, will increase food crop yield and effective use of agricultural inputs, farmers income, trade and investment activities by agri- input dealers, providers and enhanced literacy and capacity building for the disadvantaged with sustainable business models for farmers. Designed as a demand driven, Market led, User owned ICT4Ag Enabled Information Service (MUIIS), the programme seeks to strengthen information and communication technologies (ICT) and knowledge management capacities of grass root farmers through providing satellite based timely accurate information on crop management in Central-Eastern, Northern and Western Uganda. The project targets over four million individual farmers organized in 500 cooperatives in 4 regions with a unique service that will lead to improved user efficiency of inputs including water, fertilizer, seeds and pesticides. The use of satellite data will help smallholder farmers get information about the weather forecast and insurance package in case of any destruction and assistance about modern methods of farming.

http://www.agribusinessafrica.net/index.php/3297-ugandan-farmers-to-benefit-in-u-s-4m-euro-project
http://allafrica.com/stories/201510261911.html
http://www.busiweek.com/index1.php?Ctp=2&pI=4367&pLv=3&srI=84&spI=463
http://www.cta.int/en/article/2015-08-05/public-private-consortium-wins-e46-million-grant-to-provide-satellite-based-crop-advice-for-ugandan-farmers.html