Growing over 200 Youth Agripreneurs in Uganda

The Agcelerate workshop 2021 was held in November and was partly virtual and partly in-person in 4 Hubs in Uganda. with over 140 participants.  The theme was Rethinking Agribusiness in a Digitalised Economy.  

Day 1 was devoted to two keynote presentations from key experts who discussed the breadth of opportunities of the digitalised economy, with a special focus on digital agriculture.  This was followed by a virtual tour of a farm based in Entebbe, Uganda, and a live Interview session with the farm owner. The video explained how she deployed new technologies on her farm to solve the challenges brought by Covid-19.and to enable high productivity with only 1-acre.  Several areas were particularly interesting including the use of hydroponics to grow fodder for cows and pigs and the use of the larvae from black soldier flies particularly as chicken feed. These innovations have both environmental and cost benefits as well as reducing waste.

On Day 2  a representative from Hamwe East Africa made a presentation on "Bridging the gap between farmers and the new mobile economy" - stressing the crucial importance of creating a digital record in preparation for seeking investments.  This was followed by a representative from JIL Insights who shared his perspective  on "Customer Relationship Management (CRM) & On-line Marketing".  The two speakers engaged in a lively  panel discussion and Q&A. Young Agripreneurs from Makerere University Business School, Gulu University, Bishop Stuart University were then given the platform to share their experience, their successes, and challenges as well as their perspectives on  Rethinking Agribusiness in a Digitalised Economy. This event was very interactive both online and offline.