Sekama Canada is bringing smart technology to East African farms to help boost dairy production and animal health. While Uganda has over 14 million cattle and the region over 170 million, very few farmers use digital tools to manage their herds. Sekama is working to change that with a new project focused on dairy farms in Uganda.
The project will test a system using RFID ear tags and microchips that track each cow’s health, location, and milk production in real-time. This is especially useful for farmers raising crossbred and exotic cows, which need more care than local breeds.
One major benefit of this technology is its help in controlling diseases, especially foot and mouth disease (FMD), which continues to be a major problem in Uganda. When an outbreak happens, this system can quickly identify which animals are affected, where they’ve been, and which other cows might be at risk. This helps farmers and veterinary officers act faster to stop the disease from spreading.
The system also helps reduce cattle theft and makes it easier to monitor feeding, breeding, and treatment schedules.
Sekama will study the cost, benefits, and impact of the system in a pilot phase. The goal is to share results and success stories so more farmers, cooperatives, and government partners can adopt smart farming tools across the country.