Agritech startup EzyAgric has partnered with Airtel Uganda to extend free farm advisory services to Airtel customers across Uganda. The new partnership aims at improving access to quality farm information for all agribusiness owners with or without a smartphone.
The partnership was launched at Sylvia Agro Park in Zirobwe Town Council, Uganda. In attendance, the EzyAgric CEO, George William Luyinda, the Airtel Uganda Marketing director, Henry Njoroge, and the founder of Victoria Seeds, Ms. Josephine Okot asserted the need for improving agriculture standards by leveraging the current digital era.
Agriculture is a very big thing and we picked it because there is capital for you to this which is land and the people. We as Airtel came to this to ensure that our subscribers receive the best agronomy advice from the best and that why we chose EzyAgric.
Said Njoroge Henry Kamau – Marketing Director, Airtel Uganda
To access the advisory services, a farmer must dial *163#, and follow prompts to subscribe. Once subscribed, you can choose to receive weekly advisory content either through the EzyAgric App for Smartphone holders or through SMS.
- Dial *163#
- Select Airtel Cares
- Select Agriculture
- Select Preferred Channel to receive the Agricultural Content, i.e. (1: Receiving Via SMS. 2: receive Agricultural content via the EzyAgric App)
- Select Preferred languages
- Select Preferred Crop
- Select 1 to subscribe and 2 to cancel.
If a farmer uses the EzyAgric App, free 500MBs will be sent per month for use on all in-app content. With the incentive, it becomes easier for farmers to access farming information without spending on data purchases.
At EzyAgric, we believe in creating endless farming Possibilities, and the only way to do that is through digitization of agriculture. We have all seen what digitization has done to all mega industries.
Farmers will have access to advice from a range of resources that are available through our long list of extension workers within several districts and the list of products that are available on the EzyAgric App from certified suppliers like Grainpulse, Victoria Seeds, Bukoola, East African Seeds, Naseco among others
Says George William Luyinda – The Chief Executive Officer, EzyAgric
This Advisory content includes Tips for better harvests, Weather information, weed management, pest and disease control, and post-harvest tips. All content is accessible in 6 languages, English, Runyakitara, Luganda, Luo, Lumasaba, and Lugisu as preset by the user.
The detailed crop specific advisory will include:
- Plant protection (Pest and Disease Management): Tips on Pest and Disease scouting, monitoring, IPM (Integrated Pest Management), including the use of cultural, biological, and chemical control measures against pests and diseases.
- Plant Nutrition: crop-specific fertiliser application includes recommendable fertilisers, rates, and application methods needed at different crop cycle and watering requirement schedules.
- Seed selection Management and planting techniques.
- Post-Harvest handling.
- Weather information.
- General crop management Agronomy.
- Direct contact with the Agronomist.
For many years, farmers could not reach their optimum potential because of limited extension, access to seeds and lack of alignment of information on when to plant, what to plant, where to buy inputs, and at what price.
I am glad EzyAgric has been able to capitalize this and made it possible to share agronomical information to farmers through their digitized platform
Said Josephine Okot, the Founder and CEO Victoria Seeds