A two-year study by Makerere University in collaboration with the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP) has revealed low uptake of low-carbon technologies among smallholder farmers in Central Uganda.
The study, conducted in three phases between 2024 and 2026, found that technologies such as solar water pumps, solar dryers and cooling equipment that farmers need to boost production and improve post-harvest handling are barely adopted.
According to the researchers, information gaps about availability of the technologies, high costs and accessibility of site surveying and inspection fees remain key barriers to adoption.
Dr Florence Lwiza, a research fellow at the Environment for Development Centre, Makerere University and one of the four investigators, said only five out of over 1,400 farmers they interacted with in Mpigi, Masaka, Mubende and Kiboga among other districts had information about the technologies and had acquired them through government subsidies.
The objective of the study was to find out why farmers were not adopting some of the clean energy technologies.
"They hear about them, they want them but they can't access them because they don't have information about who has them, how to access them but also the issue of affordability because some of these interventions require co-funding," Dr Lwiza said.
She added: "The five farmers who had these technologies represents a very small percentage yet farmers need such technologies to improve productivity. The government and donors have invested in these technologies. The subsidies are there but farmers are not going ahead to take up these products and the results showed us that information is still scanty on the ground. Even those who had the information didn't adopt the technologies and the main barrier they told us payment."
She explained that on average, prices for solar water pumps range between Shs1.2 million and Shs5 million while solar-powered shellers go for about Shs10 million.
Under the arrangement, government subsidy constitutes 60 percent of the total cost and 40 percent is expected to be contributed by the farmers.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development's Electricity Scale-up Project (EASP) is implemented by the Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation Company (UECCC).
Under the results-based funding line, UECCC works with energy service companies to offer subsidies to end-users, including a 60 percent subsidy on solar products.
However, Dr Lwiza said the 40 percent contribution remains high for most farmers, prompting some to opt for diesel and petrol technologies, some of which contaminate end products with fuel.
Prof Edward Bbaale, Principal of the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) at Makerere University and principal investigator of the study, also confirmed that affordability remains a challenge.
"The government has deliberately come out to subsidise low carbon equipment. Some projects are going on in the Ministries of Agriculture, Energy and others but definitely, it doesn't come without any cost on the side of the farmers. Despite government efforts to subsidize the equipment, the money the farmers contribute is still a little bit high. We must appreciate the realities of climate change and support farmers with affordable technologies," Prof Bbaale said.
"They might think of using hydroelectricity but how many farmers are connected to the main grid of electricity and can afford the cost for electricity. As a University, we are committed to providing solutions to the problems found in society when we are involving society itself and in partnership with government, private sector and civil society," he added.
He recommended that government considers economic policy instruments to create incentives for supply firms to fabricate such solutions locally to increase affordability and accessibility.
Dr Aisha Nanyiti, a co-investigator and Lecturer at Makerere University's School of Economics, said inspection fees of Shs200,000 should be reduced further, and called for improved proximity, building trust and farmers' understanding of the value of inspection.
According to the study, community meetings are useful for raising awareness of government financial support programmes and increasing adoption among smallholder farmers requires easing last-mile service barriers, including high site-surveying and inspection costs due to limited proximity to agri-tech firms.
Jennifer Oyo, a senior official from the Ministry of Agriculture, said district agricultural officers and engineers must always be engaged to share information with last-mile farmers.
"Let us work as a team to transform the country so that we don't remain where we're are forever and ever," she said.
She noted that government had exempted agricultural technologies from taxes except imports.
