By Joshua Kato
Cows that produce 45 litres of milk a day no longer easily fascinate good Ugandan dairy farmers visiting the Netherlands.
However, what now interests them is the management systems that Dutch farmers have adopted to consistently achieve these milk yields.
The group of 13 farmers included four well-known dairy keepers: Sebastian Ngambwa, who has over 250 dairy cattle and milking machines in Zirobwe Wakiso; Henry Lugolobi, who has 35 high-grade cattle and milking machines; Paul Awor, who has 30 cattle and Martin Kananura.
The farmers visited the Netherlands from October 12-18.
“We have surpassed the number of litres that a cow produces because we have them in Uganda. It is no longer news for a good dairy farm to have a cow producing 35 litres. However, it is the management systems here that we still lack,” Lugolobi, the owner of Sight Farm in Namulonge Wakiso, said.
Beyond the livestock sector, the crop farmers in the group seemed to be significantly behind their Dutch counterparts.
During a visit to a potato farm, they learned that a farmer produces 30 tonnes of potatoes per acre compared to three to five tonnes in Uganda.
They were also amazed by the modern potato and onion storage facilities that keep the harvest fresh for up to eight months, as well as the level of mechanisation on the farm, which includes a selective spraying unit.
Similarly, during a visit to a greenhouse farm, the farmers realised that from just four stems, the farmer was harvesting an average of 35kg, with 150,000 plants under his greenhouse.
Although the 2023 best farmers, who spent a week touring the Netherlands, were awed by the advanced farming technologies adopted by Dutch farmers, they also identified vital lessons — both practical and theoretical — that they can and will apply on their farms.
“The Dutch are not only good innovators; they are also top-tier farm managers. While we may not easily adopt their technologies, we can learn how to be better managers,” Phoebe Kagambe, a farmer from Kyenjojo, said.
In many respects, the Dutch have successfully combined technology with effective management, whereas Ugandan farmers still lack both.
Peter Bouma, a lecturer in agriculture at an institute in Den Bosch, Netherlands, said the country is the second-leading exporter of agricultural products not by chance, but due to continuous research and innovation.
The farmers visited the institute on Monday to explore these innovations that they intend to understand and transfer back home. This was the eighth cohort of farmers to travel to the Netherlands.
The group included Martin Kananura from Mbarara, Henry Lugolobi from Wakiso, Sebastian Ngambwa from Luwero, Paul Awor from Tororo, Agnes Akello from Soroti, Bosco Otto from Gulu, Solomon Odong from Soroti, Fiona Acayo from Lira, Simon Amajuru from Adjumani, Muawiya Mukasa from Nakaseke, Dr Pamela Bakabulindi from Mukono, Patrick Kyakulaga from Iganga and Phoebe Kagambe from Kyenjojo.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: The best farmers visiting a packaging facility in the Netherlands.
