The Best Farmers Awards 2025 once again brought together Uganda’s most outstanding agricultural innovators, recognising resilience, creativity, and leadership across the sector. As a long-standing partner, dfcu Bank reaffirmed its commitment to transforming agriculture and elevating farming communities across the country.

Speaking at the Awards ceremony in Kampala, Annette Kiconco, Chief Retail Banking Officer and Head of Agriculture at dfcu, highlighted the bank’s decade-long partnership with Vision Group and other stakeholders. She noted that dfcu’s 11-year involvement in the initiative reflects a deliberate investment in strengthening Uganda’s agricultural value chain.

Kiconco emphasised the sector’s central role in Uganda’s development. According to recent national data, agriculture remains the country’s primary economic pillar—engaging more than 60% of households, employing approximately 70% of the labour force, and contributing 24% to GDP and 42% of export earnings, driven largely by coffee.

“Agriculture is one of our priority sectors, and our partnership with the Best Farmers initiative is intentional,” she said. “For us, it’s about empowering farmers with finance, knowledge, and opportunities so they can build sustainable agri-businesses.”

She also reflected on dfcu’s unique heritage and long-standing presence in Uganda, shaped by its founding Dutch partners—Rabobank and the Dutch Development Bank (FMO).

“We may have Dutch roots, but we are truly Ugandan. For over 60 years, our purpose has been to transform lives and businesses,” she added.

Building Capacity and Bankability for Farmers

Kiconco spotlighted the work of the dfcu Foundation, formerly the Agriculture Development Foundation under ADC, which provides capacity building for SMEs and agri-led enterprises. Through training and mentorship, farmers are equipped to manage agriculture as a business, adopt improved practices, and become bankable.

She highlighted last year’s success story—Elgon Cooperative Union (Bududa)—whose founder, Godfrey Buaya, returned from the Netherlands study tour with renewed perspective. The cooperative subsequently improved governance structures, invested in modern processing facilities, and inspired transformation within the wider community.

“This is the true power of the Best Farmers initiative—knowledge that transforms not just farms, but entire communities,” Kiconco said.

With presence across 56 districts, including places where dfcu is the only bank—such as Abim and Dokolo—the institution reaffirmed its commitment to expanding financial access in rural and agrarian communities.

Kiconco also applauded the initiative’s partners for their complementary strengths:

“KLM will open markets, dfcu will finance, New Vision will tell your story, and Khoudjis will provide quality feed. This partnership is intentional and designed to uplift farmers across Uganda.”

Celebrating the 2025 Champions

This year’s Overall Winner, Hood Kiwana Kasirye from Mityana, was recognised for excellence in integrated farming. His 25-acre enterprise; featuring dairy cows, layers, goats, horticulture, and mechanization, earned him the UGX 50 million grand prize.

Guest of Honour Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, former Prime Minister of Uganda, underscored the importance of value addition in unlocking Uganda’s agricultural potential.

“Value addition is critical,” he said. “Many of you are already producing products that serve our domestic market and region. Uganda must feed itself, feed the region, and ultimately feed the world.”

Vision Group CEO, Don Vincent Wanyama, reiterated the organisation’s longstanding dedication to supporting agriculture and acknowledged the critical role of partners such as dfcu, KLM, Khoudjis, and the Embassy of the Netherlands.

“Agriculture is the backbone of our economy. Through this initiative, we aim to inspire farmers, strengthen cooperatives, and uplift the country,” he said.

The 2025 edition of the Best Farmers competition ran from March to November, culminating in a vibrant celebration of excellence, innovation, and the limitless potential of Uganda’s farming community.