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Why ‘ekibaro’ is only way
Agricultural insurance is no longer a luxury product for large operations; it is the baseline requirement for survival and the absolute floor for any farmer seeking credit or banking support. Insurers and bankers do not cover what they cannot see. They price risk based on what is documented, verified, and traceable.
Simon Baalwa.
By: Admin ., Journalist @New Vision
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OPINION
By Simon Baalwa
Uganda’s maize farmers are walking into the most expensive planting season they have ever faced. According to reports from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on the impact of the US-Israel war with Iran on several vulnerable African markets, average fertiliser prices in Uganda rose by 30% to 45% almost immediately.
Data from Uganda’s Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) show that agricultural inputs such as urea saw sharp spikes, rising nearly 19% in a single week at the start of the crisis. Additionally, fuel prices have continued to rise because Uganda sources 75% of its petroleum imports from the Middle East. For the average Ugandan smallholder farmer, this means paying about a third to a half more out of pocket for essential chemical inputs, prompting many to consider reducing use or missing planting windows.
Planting decisions made right now will determine whether this season breaks even or breaks the farmer. This is not a bad patch. This is a structural shift, and in a structural shift, what you protect matters more than what you plant. Asset protection is the first conversation every commercial maize farmer should be having right now.
a) Not yield targets.
b) Not market prices.
The commercial farmers who survive this season will not necessarily be those with the most land, but those with ekibaro (data-driven mathematical calculations applied to business decision making) at the core of their operations. Survival will require strict reliance on data and proven methodologies rather than guesswork. By relying on data and proven methodologies, rather than guesswork, NEC Farms are optimizing input costs, maximising yield, and reducing vulnerability to market volatility and climate change on its 5,000-acre farmland in Kyankwanzi and Nakasongola districts.
As trailblazers in data-driven farming, the NEC Farms have demonstrated that the most effective way to counter tough economic times is to cut waste while protecting output. By leveraging localised data — including real-time weather forecasts, soil tests and satellite imagery — we avoid over-application of expensive fertilisers, prevent crop failure through early pest detection and make the most of early rains by precisely timing the season at the onset. If you are not measuring your inputs against precise, data-driven needs, you are leaking capital.
Planting decisions made right now will determine whether this season breaks even or breaks the farmer. This is not a bad patch. This is a structural shift, and in a structural shift, what you protect matters more than what you plant. Asset protection is the first conversation every commercial maize farmer should be having right now.
a) Not yield targets.
b) Not market prices.
The commercial farmers who survive this season will not necessarily be those with the most land, but those with ekibaro (data-driven mathematical calculations applied to business decision making) at the core of their operations. Survival will require strict reliance on data and proven methodologies rather than guesswork. By relying on data and proven methodologies, rather than guesswork, NEC Farms are optimizing input costs, maximising yield, and reducing vulnerability to market volatility and climate change on its 5,000-acre farmland in Kyankwanzi and Nakasongola districts.
As trailblazers in data-driven farming, the NEC Farms have demonstrated that the most effective way to counter tough economic times is to cut waste while protecting output. By leveraging localised data — including real-time weather forecasts, soil tests and satellite imagery — we avoid over-application of expensive fertilisers, prevent crop failure through early pest detection and make the most of early rains by precisely timing the season at the onset. If you are not measuring your inputs against precise, data-driven needs, you are leaking capital.
Furthermore, agricultural insurance is no longer a luxury product for large operations; it is the baseline requirement for survival and the absolute floor for any farmer seeking credit or banking support. Insurers and bankers do not cover what they cannot see. They price risk based on what is documented, verified, and traceable. Transitioning to a data-driven model doesn’t just optimise your field; it makes your business bankable and insurable.
We are entering a season that will separate traditional hobbyists from true commercial agribusiness leaders. To navigate the treacherous and unpredictable 2026 B cropping season, Ugandan maize farmers must look beyond the tractor steering wheel and focus on the ledger. Let data guide the seed and let ekibaro protect the farm.
The author is the general manager of NEC Agro
We are entering a season that will separate traditional hobbyists from true commercial agribusiness leaders. To navigate the treacherous and unpredictable 2026 B cropping season, Ugandan maize farmers must look beyond the tractor steering wheel and focus on the ledger. Let data guide the seed and let ekibaro protect the farm.
The author is the general manager of NEC Agro