Uganda’s Farmers Use Technology To Defend Land, Rights, And The Environment

In the heart of Uganda’s farmlands, a quiet revolution has taken root. Across villages and fields, small-scale farmers—many of them women—are pushing back against land grabs, corruption, and environmental destruction.

In Kanoni, Gomba District, farmers once watched as a powerful landlord fenced off communal land and blocked access to crops. When residents spoke out, they were threatened and, in some cases, jailed. “We had nowhere to turn,” one farmer said. “No one listened.”

That changed when ESAFF Uganda stepped in, training farmers to document what was happening using Timby. Through photos, videos, and written accounts,](https://esaffuganda.timby.org/investigations/),) communities began to gather evidence. For the first time, their reports couldn’t simply be dismissed. When the case reached ESAFF’s legal partners at the Land Rights Support Centre, action followed. Legal proceedings were launched against the perpetrator, and the tenants finally had representation in court.

Across Uganda, stories like this are becoming more common. Farmers are learning to use digital tools not only to report abuses but to understand their rights—under the law, under Uganda’s constitution, and under international frameworks designed to protect land, forests, and fisheries.

These grassroots efforts are unfolding at a time when experts are raising alarms about the health and environmental risks of synthetic chemicals used in crop production,](https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/experts-warn-of-health-risks-from-synthetic-chemicals-in-crop-production-5171068#google_vignette),) warning of their long-term effects on communities and ecosystems. Such concerns make ESAFF Uganda’s push for more sustainable, eco-smart farming practices even more urgent.

Population growth, industrial expansion, and weak enforcement of land and environmental policies have left many rural families in Uganda specifically and across Africa in general, at the mercy of the powerful. Women and widows are especially vulnerable, often stripped of land that has sustained their families for generations. The destruction doesn’t stop at property—it erodes the soil, pollutes water, and undermines entire ecosystems.

To address this, ESAFF Uganda has partnered with Lira University to train a new generation of eco-smart farming professionals—combining](https://nilepost.co.ug/education/259355/esaff-uganda-lira-university-partner-to-train-eco-smart-farming-professionals)—combining) technology, advocacy, and sustainability in one powerful approach. These partnerships help farmers adapt to climate change and reduce their dependence on harmful agrochemicals.

By offering a safe, accessible platform for communities to tell their own stories, technologies like Timby can turn documentation into action—and isolation into solidarity. ESAFF Uganda is working to strengthen these efforts, building alliances with legal aid groups and advocacy networks to push for systemic change.

“We are not just collecting data,” an ESAFF coordinator explained. “We are collecting courage. Every report is a stand against silence.”