Nakaseke dairy farmers harness solar energy to boost production
The farmers operate under the Kijjumba Dairy Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited, based in Buwanku village, Ngoma Subcounty

NAKASEKE, October 23, 2025 – Dairy farmers in Ngoma Sub-county, Nakaseke district, have embraced smart production techniques by adopting solar-powered equipment to boost milk output. The shift follows years of inconsistent production and post-harvest losses before the introduction of the solar-energy-supported technologies such as milk coolers.
The farmers operate under the Kijjumba Dairy Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited, based in Buwanku village, Ngoma Subcounty. Established 12 years ago, the cooperative has been supplying milk to markets in Luwero, Kampala, and Wakiso districts. However, members have long grappled with challenges related to storage, preservation, and climate change.
Two years ago, Heifer Project International, a global non-profit development organisation, introduced the cooperative’s leadership to a series of training and capacity-building programmes. These included the provision of solar-powered equipment designed to transform members’ dairy enterprises.
Through Heifer Project International, cooperative members accessed financial support to acquire renewable energy technologies under the Distributed Renewable Energy Ecosystem Model Hub Uganda [DREEM Hub Uganda] project.
The three-year initiative, funded by the Mott Foundation, aims to strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers to the effects of climate change by promoting the productive use of solar energy. The programme is improving access to clean energy and enhancing agricultural productivity across Uganda.
Speaking to The Cooperator News in Nakaseke recently, the cooperative chairperson, Benon Rwakyaka, who is also a dairy farmer, said the DREEM project has helped members improve efficiency, mitigate the effects of climate change, and reduce losses.
“Many of our members have increased their milk production because their animals receive better care. Losses have gone down, which has in turn boosted our overall output as a cooperative,” he said.
Rwakyaka added that the solar-powered systems enable farmers to pump water, power chaff cutters, and preserve milk using solar chilling units. As a result, each farmer can now collect an average of at least 85 litres of milk daily.
Grace Nuwatekateka, a dairy farmer from Kalyaburo village, said the solar-powered equipment she received from Heifer Project International has transformed her work.
“I can now irrigate my crops, pump water to my farm, make silage, and preserve milk efficiently,” she said, encouraging more farmers to adopt renewable energy technologies to strengthen their businesses and secure sustainable livelihoods.
Edna Nyamwaka, Project Manager at Heifer Project International, said the DREEM Hub Uganda initiative aims to support at least 20,000 smallholder farmers across Uganda by promoting the productive use of solar energy to build resilience and improve incomes—particularly among women and youth.
“We have trained over 1,000 women and youth in agribusiness and introduced more than 30 university students to agricultural technology applications,” Nyamwaka said.
The project has also established public learning centres for solar-powered agricultural practices and equipped seven model farms with solar and water systems. DREEM Hub Uganda has already installed commercial-scale solar units at milk collection centres for three cooperatives, with a goal of connecting at least 20 centres nationwide.
In addition, the project has set up the Nyakalongo Water Supply System, providing clean water to over 700 households. More than 1,500 families and six cooperatives have so far been connected to solar energy.
Heifer Project International has operated in Uganda since 1982. Over the years, it has supported nearly one million farming households to increase their incomes, achieve decent livelihoods, and strengthen their resilience to economic and climate-related shocks.
The DREEM Hub Uganda project also seeks to expand access to affordable financial services for the productive use of solar energy, particularly among disadvantaged farmers, dairy cooperatives, and other value chain participants. It further aims to strengthen coordination among agricultural and renewable energy stakeholders by establishing a well-governed and self-sustaining hub organisation in Uganda.
https://thecooperator.news/what-dairy-cooperatives-are-doing-to-support-decarbonisation/
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