Market data, member records and payments for farmer organisations
Tools a cooperative can use from the first season. A farmer profiled once can receive prices and weather by SMS, keep farm records, sell through the cooperative and be paid digitally — and every step adds data the cooperative can show to buyers and lenders.
Talk to us about your cooperativeStart with a pilotOne member, one record, many benefits
What we offer cooperatives and associations
Infotrade
Prices and stock data from field enumerators across Uganda’s markets, sent by SMS short code 8555: weather on Monday, prices on Wednesday, market tips on Friday. Weekly Market Insights reports, a public dashboard and 5 to 10 years of price history per crop for research.
Cooperative and farmer profiles
Know-your-customer profiles of farmers linked to their cooperative or group: bio-data, enterprises, volumes and transactions. A member management portal for registers, dues and trading.
FARMIS
A farm record book plus digital records that produce a season ledger and a profit and loss statement for each farmer. Developed with Ford Foundation support to link smallholders to credit and inputs.
National market information (NAMIS)
FIT runs the National Agricultural Market Information Service portal with the Uganda Warehouse Receipt System Authority, publishing indicative prices from regional trading hubs.
Maalicard and MaaliPay
Prepaid cards and wallets for paying farmers and buying inputs, with point-of-sale tools that let off-takers track purchases by store. Customer funds are held in escrow with Housing Finance Bank.
Infotrade Commodities
Branding, bulking and market entry for producer groups. In Otuke and Alebtong FIT helped the Yao En Lonyo and Yao En Yat Kwo producer and marketing societies launch shea products: 340 beneficiaries, 80% of them women.
Capacity building
Governance and management training for associations, training of trainers in farming as a business, business plans, feasibility studies and coaching for cooperative managers and boards.
Research, M&E and data
Baselines, mid-term and final evaluations, market assessments and dashboards for development programmes. Clients include IFPRI, ILO, VECO, Malaria Consortium and NAADS.
Your cooperative method, FIT’s data, markets and payments
We co-create with NGOs, development partners and government programmes that strengthen cooperatives — adding market information, member records and payments so cooperatives can show results to buyers and lenders.
| Co-creation area | Partner brings | FIT Insights brings |
|---|---|---|
| Governance & membership | Governance and leadership modules, member commitment approach | Local trainers; member registers that track joining, activity and drop-out |
| Services & business models | Business advisory and technical experts | Costing, business plans and funding proposals for banks and investors |
| Market linkages | Value-chain and buyer experience | Infotrade prices, buyer networks and warehouse receipt links |
| Cooperative data profiling | Cooperative assessment methodology | Digital profiles, FARMIS records and progress dashboards |
| Financial inclusion | Cooperative finance advisory | Prepaid cards, wallets and mobile money for inputs and produce payments |
| Trade readiness | Company and export networks | Market data and export-readiness checks on volume, quality and traceability |
Irish potato
Seed and ware potato cooperatives linked to processors, supermarkets and traders, with staggered sales to avoid harvest-time price drops.
Cocoa
Quality, bulking and traceability records that support contracts with buyers and exporters.
Maize & grains
Graded grain stored in licensed warehouses, with receipts used for sale or as collateral.
A 3-month pilot
- An introductory meeting to agree the aims of the partnership.
- Choose one value chain, the districts and 10 to 15 cooperatives.
- FIT shares a 2-page co-creation concept note and budget.
- Sign the pilot agreement, run the baseline and review results together.
The team for cooperative work
Robert M.J. Kintu
Managing Director and Principal Consultant. Architect of Infotrade and Maalicard; led the Danida, Cordaid, VECO, Mercy Corps and TechnoServe assignments.
Paul George Bateeze
28+ years with cooperatives, SACCOs and farmer organisations. Led GIZ business development services for 2,000 MSMEs in 15 districts; co-founded EADEN.
Ruhangawebare Kalemera Godfrey
About 15 years at CRS Uganda. Ran a US$2m financial inclusion programme reaching 156,171 people in 5,510 savings groups.
Harry James Oyuru
PMP-certified M&E specialist with 32+ surveys for WFP, GIZ, Swisscontact, CARE and NAADS.
Strengthen your cooperatives from the first season.
Cooperatives, unions, associations and the partners who support them: let’s agree a first pilot.
Talk to usCall +256 764 200 526