Lira, Uganda | A transformative partnership aimed at accelerating digital agriculture and youth employment in Uganda has been launched following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Digi Farmer, powered by Agrosahas International, and Maarifasasa.
The agreement, sealed during a ceremony in Lira, sets out an ambitious roadmap to train 2,000 young Ugandans as Digital Field Agents and onboard one million farmers onto a digital agriculture ecosystem over the next three years.
The programme will begin in the Lango sub-region before scaling nationwide.
Officials from both organisations described the initiative as a major leap toward integrating technology into agriculture while tackling youth unemployment.
They said the partnership will improve productivity, financial inclusion, and market access for farmers.
Maarifasasa CEO Robert Bob Okello said the collaboration directly aligns with his organisation’s mission to unlock employment opportunities for young people across Africa through technology.
He noted that the programme would position the youth as frontline digital agents powering agricultural transformation.
He explained that the trained agents will connect farmers to the Digi Farmer platform, where they will access satellite-based soil testing, crop recommendations, weather intelligence, market prices, and digital financial services including instant payments and agricultural loans.
Representing Agrosahas International, Priyanka Sarocle said the partnership combines Digi Farmer’s technological infrastructure with Maarifasasa’s expertise in youth skilling to establish a scalable and sustainable model for digital agriculture.
She noted that the collaboration is designed to build a bridge of inclusion, ensuring that farmers in rural areas benefit from technology even without smartphones or internet access.
Under the programme, each youth agent will earn income for every registered farmer and additional rewards when farmers access credit facilities or other digital services.
Agents will be equipped with tablets to facilitate onboarding through a QR code system, ensuring accessibility for farmers with limited digital literacy.
Training is expected to begin in early November, with applications for interested youth already open.
The initiative will initially focus on northern Uganda, where Digi Farmer is already working with over 30,000 farmers before expanding to other regions.
With plans to scale up to 2,000 active field agents within two years, officials believe the programme will boost agricultural productivity, enhance data-driven decision-making, and build a more resilient and inclusive farming economy.
The partnership is being hailed as a milestone in Uganda’s journey toward a digitally empowered agricultural sector, one that creates jobs for the youth, drives financial inclusion for farmers, and leverages technology to build a smarter, more connected agricultural value chain.
