By Joshua Kato
The 2023 best farmers from Uganda have spent a week in the Netherlands, exploring cutting-edge agricultural technologies that left them in awe.
Their tour, organised by Vision Group, together with the Embassy of the Netherlands, KLM Airlines, dfcu Bank and Koudijs Nutrition BV, included visits to top agricultural research institutes and farms, offering a glimpse into the innovations driving the Netherlands’ position as a global leader in agriculture.
The 2023 best farmers, who have spent a week touring the Netherlands, were awed by the advanced farming technologies adopted by Dutch farmers.
Beyond the innovative artificial intelligence (AI) advancements, the farmers are identifying practical and theoretical lessons that they can and will apply on their farms.
Turnkey innovations
Peter Bouma, a lecturer in agriculture at the HAS Institute in Den Bosch, Netherlands, said the country is the second-largest exporter of agricultural products, not by chance, but due to endless research and innovations. The farmers visited the HAS Institute on Monday to explore some of these innovations they intend to understand and transfer back home.
Arriving in style
The 13 farmers were flown to the Netherlands by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines on Saturday night.
Upon arrival, they enjoyed a boat tour around Amsterdam, before taking a bus to Den Bosch, where they were accommodated at Hotel the Den, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel.
“We have organised tours around the Netherlands that cater not only to the aspirations of the visiting farmers, but also to the needs of Ugandan farmers,” Josephat Byaruhanga, the senior agricultural policy officer at the Embassy of the Netherlands, who also led the team, said.
This is the eighth cohort of farmers to travel to the Netherlands.
The group includes 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.
During a send-off event last Friday, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa encouraged the farmers to learn and bring their experiences back home.
At Koudijs
The week-long tour included a visit to Koudijs Nutrition BV, the head office in the Netherlands.
Koudijs, one of the sponsors of the Best Farmers Competition, is located in Ravenstein and is currently a leading supplier of livestock feeds in Uganda.
Other sponsors include the Embassy of the Netherlands, dfcu Bank, KLM Airlines. The farmers were taken on a tour of the Koudijs BV unit and were impressed by the advanced AI systems used to operate the factory.
From unloading raw materials to processing and quality checks, everything is handled by machines.
“We are committed to continuing support for the livestock sector in Uganda with the technology you have seen here,” Guido Stevens said.
Although based in Ravenstein, Stevens oversees Koudijs operations in Eastern Africa. Koudijs recently launched a factory in Jinja.
At a training institute
The farmers also visited the HAS Green Academy in Den Bosch, renowned for training farmers in the Netherlands. During this visit, the farmers gained insights into organising similar training sessions in Uganda, which is key to improving agricultural extension services.
On the same day, they visited Hoeve Boveneind, a medium-sized dairy farm in Herwijnen, with about 140 high-milking cows with an average production of 39 litres per cow daily.
Lenny Van, a researcher at the farm, said they use advanced technology for farm management, including robotic milking machines, positioning sensors, heat sensors to identify cows ready for insemination, and sensors that monitor whether a cow is standing, grazing, or sitting.
“All these sensors are monitored from a computer by one person,” Lenny said.
Indeed, the farm employs only two active workers, thanks to this technology.
Henry Lugolobi, one of Uganda’s dairy farmers, said while this technology may reduce human employment, it increases efficiency on the farm.
“These machines can operate 24 hours a day without rest, unlike humans. They neither steal produce nor complain about real or perceived issues,” he said.
Paul Awor, another dairy farmer, said the negligence of farm workers in Uganda will compel many farms to adopt machinery, regardless of the cost.
“One day, my herdsman, who was in charge of milking the cows, woke up and told me he was leaving. I had 12 cows ready to milk. That’s when I decided to buy a manually operated milking machine, which helped ease that pressure,” he shared.
Admiring greenhouses
The farmers also visited Bosch Growers, who cultivate vegetables in greenhouses.
A highlight of this visit was that the farm produces at least 35kg of top-quality green pepper from about one square metre (four plants).
They also visited LC Packaging, a leading company providing packaging solutions to farmers.
Other firms visited included the Schippers Group, which offers livestock feed and health solutions; New Generation Nutrition, known for insect breeding; Friesland Dairy Farm; De Stroom, a fish farm owned by Jack Van Der Schoot; and De Groene Griffioen, an organic farm. The tour concludes today
