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• Access to affordable mobile phones continues to be a policy focus, yet understanding of its impacts on the environment is limited. • We focus on rural households in Uganda (2009–2013) and find that mobile phone ownership is linked to increased deforestation. • A 1% increase in the share of households owning a mobile phone was associated with a 1.2% increase in deforestation within a 5-kilometer radius. • Households whose main source of income is not agricultural production may be driving the increased deforestation with more crop cultivation area (45%). • Our deforestation results are equivalent to 16,000 tons of lost carbon storage over two years, valued between $3 and $11 million. Increased access to information technology changes economic opportunities and may indirectly lead to changes in rural households' land use and the local natural environment. With the expansion of service coverage and decreasing cost of mobile phone service plans, particularly in Africa, it is critical to understand the implications of the rapid uptake of mobile phones on the environment. In this paper, we estimate the relationship between mobile phone adoption and deforestation in rural areas of Uganda over the 2009 to 2013 period. We exploit heterogeneity in household adoption of mobile phones using four rounds of the Uganda National Panel Survey (2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013). We find that a 1% increase in the share of households owning a mobile phone is associated with a 1.2% increase in deforestation within a 5-kilometer radius of these households. At the household level, those acquiring a mobile phone see an average of 8% increase in crop cultivation area, driven by households whose main source of income is not agricultural production. These results suggest that mobile phone adoption may lead to sizeable adverse impacts on the environment via an expansion of crop cultivation areas. The estimated increase in deforestation translates to approximately 16,000 tons of lost carbon storage over two years, valued between $3 and $11 million. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has created urgent demand for timely data, leading to a surge in mobile phone surveys for tracking the impacts of and responses to the pandemic. Using data from national phone surveys implemented in Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda during the pandemic and the pre-COVID-19 national face-to-face surveys that served as the sampling frames for the phone surveys, this paper documents selection the biases in individual-level analyses based on phone survey data. In most cases, individual-level data are available only for phone survey respondents, who we find are more likely to be household heads or their spouses and non-farm enterprise owners, and on average, are older and better educated vis-a-vis the general adult population. These differences are the result of uneven access to mobile phones in the population and the way that phone survey respondents are selected. To improve the representativeness of individual-level analysis using phone survey data, we recalibrate the phone survey sampling weights based on propensity score adjustments that are derived from a model of an individual's likelihood of being interviewed as a function of individual- and household-level attributes. We find that reweighting improves the representativeness of the estimates for phone survey respondents, moving them closer to those of the general adult population. This holds for both women and men and for a range of demographic, education, and labor market outcomes. However, reweighting increases the variance of the estimates and, in most cases, fails to overcome selection biases. This indicates limitations to deriving representative individual-level estimates from phone survey data. Obtaining reliable data on men and women through future phone surveys will require random selection of adult interviewees within sampled households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Homebirths are common in low and middle income countries and are associated with poor child survival. We assessed the feasibility of using smartphones by village health workers for pregnancy registration and the effectiveness of health text messages (SMS) sent to pregnant women through village health workers in reducing homebirths in rural Uganda. Methods: A non-randomised intervention study was undertaken in 26 villages. In the intervention arm, village health workers registered pregnant women (n = 262) in 13 villages using a smartphone app (doForm) and paper forms and gestation age-timed SMS were sent through village health workers to the pregnant women. In 13 control villages, (n = 263) pregnant women were registered on paper forms only and no SMS was sent. The main outcome was place of birth measured through a self-report. Logistic regression with generalised estimating equations was used to explore the effect of the intervention. Results: Comparing 795 corresponding data fields on phone and paper revealed that numeric variable fields were 86%-95% similar while text fields were 38%-48% similar. Of the 525 pregnant women followed, 83 (15.8%) delivered at home. In the adjusted analysis, the intervention was associated with lower odds of homebirths [AOR = 0.38, 95%CI (0.15–0.97)]. Muslim religion [AOR = 4.0, 95%CI (1.72–9.34)], primary or no maternal education [AOR = 2.51, 95%CI (1.00–6.35)] and health facility distance ≥ 2 km [AOR = 2.26, 95%CI (0.95–5.40)] were independently associated with homebirths. Conclusion: Village health workers can register pregnant women at home using phones and relay gestation age specific SMS to them to effectively reduce homebirths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a framework-based approach for assessing the potential for mobile finance (m-finance) services to achieve greater financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa. The conceptual approach synthesises market and user perspectives, and constructs an evidence-based exploratory framework based on analysis of a single country, Uganda. Case evidence is used to inform four lifecycle stages for m-finance, moving from design to access, usage, and outcomes associated with differentiated m-finance applications. Based on analysis of published sources, findings from Uganda suggest that early adoption of m-finance has favoured those already financially included and market-driven solutions for the financially excluded are limited. Simple market modelling is found to be an insufficient basis on which to assess potential amongst the unbanked majority. The paper argues that the perception, behaviour and capability of users, and forms of user appropriation, should be a paramount concern, and potential for m-finance should be considered within a deeper understanding of a specified financial services context and within a defined market, regulatory and policy environment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reviews two Real Time Monitoring (RTM) initiatives in Uganda that utilise RapidSMS technology. mTrac uses mobile phones to transmit local health information, including disease surveillance, malaria treatment and drug stocks. This electronic-based reporting system replaced a paper-based one, enabling actionable information to be delivered more quickly. Its early success in Uganda suggests that similar systems could be introduced elsewhere to achieve cost-savings and more efficient monitoring of key supply and demand health indicators in vulnerable areas. U-report offers young Ugandans a chance to voice their opinions on pertinent issues by giving them access to a free SMS service through which they can send in text messages, respond to polls, and receive factual information and results. Although the objective is to empower all youth, U-reporters often tackle issues that address the needs of vulnerable children and communities. The ability to target polls by regions is an exciting feature, and further research is warranted to better understand U-report's sampling potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is an essential component of food security, sustainable livelihoods, and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Smallholder farmers, however, are restricted in the number of crops they can grow due to small plot sizes. Agriculture inputs, such as fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, and improved seed varieties, could prove to be useful resources to improve yield. Despite the potential of these agriculture technologies, input use throughout much of SSA remains low. This paper aims to better understand the process of innovation diffusion through information and interaction processes at the individual, social network, and community levels. A total of 203 participants were surveyed using a semi-structured interview method in four rural communities located in the Mbale, Lira, Kabale, and Masaka districts of Uganda. Participants were asked about their access to information technologies, information sources via social network ties, level of engagement in the local community, and agricultural input use. Results indicate households with higher levels of information access through cell phone use and weak-tie information sources are more likely to use inputs. Significant findings also include the interactional effect of cell phones and weak ties on fertilizer adoption. This research could inform policy makers of cost-effective methods of disseminating agriculture information and encouraging innovation diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]