14 June 2022
In a country of over 45 million, more than 40 indigenous languages are spoken. With English as the official language, the rest are divided into different ethnic groups and heritages.
Though the adult literacy rate in Uganda is increasing as evidenced by the macrotrends report of 2018, which registered a 6.3% increase from 2012 to 2018, the reality is that the majority of Uganda’s farming population is illiterate.
With no offense intended, the ‘elites’ have to a very high extent isolated themselves from active agriculture. The illiterates dominate the farmland!
The biggest farmlands are owned by our parents, who by the bigger chance never went to school and cannot read English. These old men and women impressively, can read local literature for example in holy bibles, and have for years written land agreements in their local languages.
The AgriShare mobile application was originally designed in English, but the above facts have only prompted the team into another accessibility and inclusivity revolution.
We have rolled out an exercise to translate the Agrishare application to different local languages, spoken in different parts of the country. Popular languages like Luganda, Runyakitara, Acholi, and Kiswahili will kickstart this.
The native tongue is the language you understand best. You established it in the early stages of your life. You express every emotion, and feeling, and can understand resources listed best in your native tongue as compared to any other language. No matter how perfect your other language skills become, there will never be a language you understand better than the one you’ve known the longest.
This step complements the Agrishare agents that are stationed in different parts of Uganda to reach the last farmer in every rural area in Uganda.
Like Bill Gates once said, innovations that are guided by smallholder farmers, adapted to local circumstances, and sustainable for the economy and environment will be necessary to ensure food security in the future.
See you on the app!
Screenshot of AgriShare App showing multiple local languages farmers can use