ABSTRACT
In Uganda, social innovations of mobile extension delivery are deployed to enable smallholder farmers (SHFs) to have real-time access to and utilize vital agricultural extension services. The social innovation involves Kulima mobile applications with inbuilt agricultural information customized on the lay extension agents’ mobile phones to disseminate information and practices to smallholders. Using the diffusion of innovation theory (DOIT), this chapter examines the socio-economic livelihood outcomes of utilizing such mobile agricultural extension social innovations. The study draws on the data from a questionnaire administered to 390 SHFs in five districts of south-central Uganda. The results reveal that the main communication channels for social innovations were the community structures of farmer groups with the support of village enterprise agents (VEAs) as lay extension agents. Overall, communication channels for social innovations had a positive influence on socio-economic livelihood outcomes. The main socio-economic livelihood outcomes were increased agricultural productivity gains and income. SHFs also had an increase in social capital and networks and gained additional knowledge and skills in recommended agricultural practices. Thus, SHFs leveraged mobile agricultural extension social innovations to meet their economic and social rights. However, mobile agricultural extension social innovations were discriminatory to some farmers who were excluded from the project.
