Heifer International Uganda set to convene the 2026 Signature Program Forum to mark 44 years of transforming smallholder farmers

Kampala: Heifer International Uganda has announced the forthcoming Heifer Uganda Signature program Forum next week on Thursday 13^th August 2026 in Kampala as part of the celebrations to mark 44 years of transforming Uganda’s small holder farmers.

The forum will be held under the theme: Celebrating progress, sharing lesions, sharing the future of agric-food sector”

According to Heifer leadership, the Forum will convenes government, development partners, private sector, farmer organizations, funders, media & smallholder farmers to reflect on progress, share lessons & strengthen partnerships accelerating farmer prosperity toward 2030.

During a press briefing held at their offices in Kampala, The Country Director Heifer International Uganda Mr. William Matovu highlighting the activities for the Forum, called for stronger collaboration between government, private sector, and development partners to transform smallholder farmers and build a resilient agric-food system.

He said that the organization’s model of transforming farmers focuses on improving productivity, market access, and sustainable livelihoods for rural households.

“Heifer Uganda’s approach evolved “from cow to capital.” While livestock & productive assets remain important, we enable farmers to access markets, strengthen enterprises, adopt technologies, build resilience & attain sustainable living income. Through this Forum, we seek to strengthen stakeholder understanding of its impact journey, deepen collaboration, document lessons & mobilize commitments to help smallholder farmers build productive, resilient & commercially viable enterprises” he said

The Finance Director, Heifer Uganda, Ms. Sarah Namulongo said that they currently works with farmer cooperatives across dairy, poultry, and horticulture value chains, providing livestock, training, and market connections.

She added that the forum will also feature partner dialogue, live impact stories, exhibitions, networking, agri-business innovations, media engagements and discussions on the future of Uganda’s agri-food sector.

“We believe that no single organization can transform agriculture alone. Stronger partnerships are needed to provide farmers with inputs, training, finance, and guaranteed markets,” she said

Mr. W. Ronald The Lead Technical, noted that despite Uganda’s agricultural potential, farmers still face challenges of financing, post-harvest losses, climate change, and market linkages underscoring the importance of partnership with government program and other players in achieving food security and increasing farmer incomes.

The strategic framework of the Signature program Forum runs from 2020 through 2030 spelling out focus on priority value chain areas as aligned in Uganda National Development Plan and achieve the global objectives that are influenced by the headquarters based in the US.

In Uganda, Heifer International Uganda partners with smallholder farmers, government, the private sector and development partners to build an inclusive market system that enables farming families to achieve sustainable living incomes. The aim is to work with over 1,000,000 smallholder farmers by 2030.