The Best Farmers Awards 2025 celebrated Uganda’s top agricultural innovators, recognising resilience, creativity, and leadership across the sector. As a long-standing partner, dfcu Bank reaffirmed its commitment to transforming agriculture and uplifting farming communities nationwide.
At the awards ceremony in Kampala, Annette Kiconco, Chief Retail Banking Officer and Head of Agriculture at dfcu, highlighted the bank’s decade-long collaboration with Vision Group and other stakeholders.
She noted that dfcu’s 11-year involvement demonstrates a deliberate investment in strengthening Uganda’s agricultural value chain. “Agriculture is one of our priority sectors, and our partnership with the Best Farmers initiative is intentional,” Kiconco said. “We empower farmers with finance, knowledge, and opportunities so they can build sustainable agri-businesses.”
She emphasised the sector’s central role in Uganda’s economy, which engages over 60% of households, employs about 70% of the labour force, contributes 24% to GDP, and generates 42% of export earnings—largely through coffee.
Reflecting on dfcu’s heritage, Kiconco noted: “We may have Dutch roots, but we are truly Ugandan. For over 60 years, our purpose has been to transform lives and businesses.”
Building Capacity and Bankability for Farmers
Kiconco highlighted the work of the dfcu Foundation, formerly the Agriculture Development Foundation under ADC, which equips SMEs and agri-led enterprises with training and mentorship. This enables farmers to manage agriculture as a business, adopt modern practices, and become bankable.
She shared last year’s success story of Elgon Cooperative Union (Bududa). Its founder, Godfrey Buaya, returned from a Netherlands study tour with fresh insights, leading to improved governance, investment in modern processing facilities, and transformation of 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 a presence in 56 districts, including areas where dfcu is the only bank, such as Abim and Dokolo, the institution continues to expand financial access in rural and agrarian communities.
Kiconco also applauded the initiative’s partners for their complementary roles: “KLM will open markets, dfcu will finance, New Vision will tell your story, and Khoudjis will provide quality feed. This partnership is 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 mechanisation, 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. Many of you are 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 dedication to supporting agriculture and acknowledged the 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.”
The 2025 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.
