Abstract:

Throughout the world the financing and delivery of agricultural services is being reformed in an effort to
make services more client-led and demand driven. Uganda is no exception with recent reforms to the
agricultural extension service and NARO's outreach programme, to bring agriculture services in-line with
the Government of Uganda's Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture. It is clear from past and current
projects that communication plays a vital role in the uptake and spread of agricultural technologies. Effective
and planned communication is paramount at all stages in the production, testing, adaptation and delivery
of agricultural services, whether a physical technology (such as improved seed or improved ox plough) or, a
management practice (e.g. intercropping, IPM). Planned communication is important for continuous lesson
learning throughout the project cycle. This paper highlights the steps for planning a communication strategy
for improved uptake of agricultural research outputs through continuous lesson learning. It also presents
preliminary findings from a study to investigate the communication context for delivery of agricultural
services in Northern and Eastern Uganda as the first phase of the communications strategy