LAMIS AND FARMIS INTRODUCED TO RIC-NET AND HER RURAL INFORMATION CENTERS (RICs) STAFF

FIT-UGANDA conducted training with RIC-NET and her RICs staff on 5th 09.2011 to 7th 09.2011 at Kabarole Information Center (KIC).
The training was intended to introduce the two products that FIT-Uganda has on market that facilitate the management of market prices and farmers records online.
The two products are;
LAMIS (Localised Agricultural marketing information systems) and
FARMIS (farmer record Management Information System)
The main aim of introducing these online platforms was to reduce time in data collection and analysis
Other yet important factors of introducing these management information systems (MIS) were;
• Aiding farmers in Comparison of prices
• Enabling farmers/traders make decisions on whether to store or not to store produce
• Help farmers reduce risks associated with marketing.
• To provide historical data (price trends)
• Help farmers get information on what products to farm in.
• Help in planning and evaluation i.e food security

 Another product introduced was the bulky SMS (web2phone) that would provide information about agricultural prices to farmers on their phones as long as a farmer subscribes to get the information.


Nearly 80% of the training was practical (hands on). On the second day of the training, participants moved to Mpanga market to collect market prices from traders and entered them in the system.
Equally a number of other tools were introduced that will enable data collectors (RICs) to gather information from farmers and markets.
Among others were the crop card and the profiling book.
Participants enjoyed the training that was facilitated by Madam Rita and Paul from FIT-Uganda.

The training ended successfully on the third day at 5:00 pm and the way forward was the Rural information Centers (RICs) to immediately start collecting data from their farmers by use of the crop card for those who had profiled first and then use of the profiling book for those RICs that were going to do it for the first time.
FIT-Uganda also trained a staff from RIC-NET in the administration of the online platforms and promised to send the administration account details as soon the system is fully in use.