The motorbike trip to the remote village of Kimina in Masindi district is distressing; the road is narrow, potholed and dusty. After an hour of a draining ride, we “wake” up to the shock of a large plantation of ebiti (unknown trees), as they are commonly known in this part of western Uganda.

Generations of experts have dedicated their careers to finding ways to make sure children around the world have enough to eat. As Beth Hoffman reports from Uganda, some are turning to an overlooked bird to provide food and income.

We launch our One Question series today with a Q&A with Patrick Vinck, our speaker for the week, who spoke about how to understand and achieve food security after conflict in Africa.

Joshua Kato, a Ugandan reporter and one of the Africa Reporting Project’s journalism partners, writes about how the country is experimenting with the use of irrigation to ensure food security.

With new seeds being made for farmers in Africa, new methods of farming being promoted and linking farming to markets being emphasized, the need for farmers to have appropriate information on seeds, practices and market prices has been highlighted as a key intervention in improving agricultural productivity and helping empower especially small holder farmers. Gerald Businge interviews the founder and CEO of Question Box, a new initiative that is shifting the way farmers in Africa are getting their information to help boost their productivity.

By GERALD BUSINGE
November 13, 2009

Software and web-search giant Google last week launched the online Google Trader pilot in Uganda to connect sellers and buyers of goods and services, including in agriculture.

Google Trader online is part of the SMS-based services that the company launched in June in Uganda. The service is aimed at bringing together buyers and sellers of products or services in a “marketplace” using their mobile phones.