Agriculture Research and Rural Information Network (ARRIN) Project

According to ARRIN, with careful attention to preserving Uganda's traditional values through dance and drama, the Ndere Troupe translates farming information messages into theatre performances. To accomplish this, Ndere Troupe has set up a rural information network of 5 farmers' information centres – or InfoPops – with a direct link to its headquarters in Kampala. These InfoPops hand in requests to the Ndere Troupe to develop a play on an identified problem, such as the banana wilt bacteria. The plays are then performed country-wide.

ARRIN also distributes transcripts and videos electronically to the InfoPops on CD-ROM and DVD via normal postal services. The InfoPops then channel the information via this drama play to rural communities in local languages, largely working through farmer theatre groups trained by the Ndere Troupe. The ICT facilities in the rural InfoPops are also used by the community for other purposes - for example, to access market information or information on new crops.

According ARRIN, most of the plays performed by the farmer groups also have a strong focus on gender issues and seek to explore the situation of women, particularly those living in "negative cultures", addressing issues such as domestic violence and family planning.

Agriculture, Technology, Natural Resource Management, Gender

IICD reports that Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force, with coffee accounting for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government (with the support of foreign countries and international agencies) has acted to rehabilitate an economy decimated during the regime of Idi Amin and subsequent civil war.

According to IICD, the use of ICTs such as mobile phones, fixed telephone lines, and internet connections has increased dramatically in Uganda over the last 10 years. In the year 2000, just 5 people in every 1,000 had a mobile phone subscription. At the end of 2006, that figure had risen to 95 people per 1,000, an increase of nearly 2,000%. A similar situation is seen with fixed-line subscribers, with double the number of lines in 2006 compared to 2000. Due to the fact that most of the population lives in rural areas (88%), there is a much higher use of mobile phones, with the ratio of mobile to fixed line phones being 20:1.