dfcu Bank Backs Uganda’s Farmers Through the 2026 Best Farmers Competition

dfcu Bank, together with Vision Group, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, De Heus Koudijs Nutrition BV and New Vision Foundation, has launched the 2026 Best Farmers Competition, reinforcing efforts to position agriculture as a structured, profitable business.

Now in its 12^th edition, the competition is being implemented under the Vision Initiative for Sustainable Agriculture, (VISA), and will run under the theme, Farming as a Business, Growth, Commercialization and Cooperatives.

The initiative targets farmers and cooperatives demonstrating strong commercial potential, with emphasis on productivity, record keeping, value addition, sustainability and market access, key pillars in transitioning Uganda’s agriculture from subsistence to enterprise.

Speaking at the launch, Mathias Jumba, Head of Integrated Channels at dfcu Bank, said,

“For over sixty years, dfcu Bank has walked alongside Ugandans building lives and businesses from the ground up, and nothing is more foundational to that mission than agriculture. This competition proves that farming is not subsistence, it is enterprise, the farmers we celebrate today are keeping records, adding value, branding their products and building businesses that can scale.”

Reinforcing the Bank’s commitment, he noted,
“At dfcu Bank, we put our money where our conviction is. By the end of 2024, we had supported over 1,200 agribusinesses, reached 59,000 beneficiaries, facilitated US 22 million in business linkages and connected 5,000 enterprises to formal financial services, with 52 percent being women.”

Representing the Guest of Honour, Andrew Byaruhanga from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda said, “This initiative continues to expose farmers to modern practices, partnerships and innovations that are critical in shaping agriculture as a business.”

Vision Group CEO, Don Wanyama, noted, “The competition has recognised over 130 farmers nationally and continues to drive investment, innovation and growth across the sector.”

The 2026 edition introduces an expanded structure recognising small, medium and large-scale farmers, alongside agricultural cooperatives, reflecting the need for both individual enterprise and collective strength.

Uganda has nearly 30,000 cooperatives, many of them agricultural, playing a critical role in aggregation, market access and farmer resilience, the inclusion of cooperatives underscores their importance in building scale and competitiveness.

Mathias Jumba emphasised this shift, saying, “This year’s theme, Farming as a Business; Growth, Commercialization and Cooperatives,” speaks directly to where Ugandan agriculture must go next. Individual excellence matters, but collective strength is what transforms sectors.”

A total of 13 winners will be selected, including 10 regional farmers and three cooperatives, winners will receive financial awards and study trips to the Netherlands for exposure to advanced farming systems and technologies.

Since its inception in 2014, the Best Farmers Competition has grown into one of Uganda’s leading agricultural platforms, supporting the development of commercially viable farming enterprises across the country.