Agriculture took centre stage as the landmark 10th anniversary edition of the Harvest Money Expo officially wrapped up at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala. Organised by multimedia giant Vision Group in strategic partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the three-day premier agribusiness exhibition firmly established itself as East Africa’s definitive learning hub for sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation, and rural wealth creation.
Under the compelling theme, “Farming as a Business,” the expo drew thousands of emerging farmers, seasoned agripreneurs, and international experts all looking for practical answers to scale up local productivity. This milestone edition proved that the modernization of Ugandan agriculture has shifted from a theoretical policy discussion into an active, tech-driven commercial reality.
Agricultural Innovation commended
A defining moment of the three-day expo was a comprehensive tour of the exhibition pavilions by high-ranking government officials. The State Minister for Agriculture, Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, accompanied by the Dutch Ambassador to Uganda, Frederieke Quispel and his delegation, spent hours interacting with researchers, commercial manufacturers, and student innovators who are redefining the boundaries of local food production.
The political leadership collectively stressed that moving away from basic subsistence farming toward modern agro-processing is the absolute fastest mechanism to boost national export earnings and secure stable financial futures for individual household economies (wananchi).
Value addition and post-harvest management
The central theme coursing through every exhibition tent was a collective, aggressive push for value addition. Exhibitors demonstrated that the historic vulnerability of Ugandan agriculture—where raw commodities are sold immediately after harvest at rock-bottom prices—can be effectively cured through affordable processing machinery and creative thinking.
- Diverse Nursery Varieties: Showcases like Mona’s Orchard Fruit Nursery introduced specialised, high-yield seedlings for premium markets—including dragon fruit, noni, apples, and gold peaches. These specialised crops are catching the attention of urban farmers because they yield substantial financial returns from small geographical plots.
- The Power of Avocado: Exhibitors like Melo Products showcased premium Hass avocado lines, proving how smallholders can transition away from low-value traditional crops into highly lucrative export varieties that mature and fruit within two to three years.
- Alternative High-Value Crops: Strategic presentation blocks by East-West Seed Uganda deliberately focused on elevating the often-undervalued pumpkin crop. Experts demonstrated how specialised, high-quality vegetable seeds combined with local processing could turn simple field crops into consistent food security products and powdered dietary supplements.
Climate-smart farming
With shifting weather patterns and prolonged dry spells increasingly threatening regional food baskets, climate-resilient farming techniques dominated the educational forums at Kololo. Agronomists and engineering teams showcased a wide array of smart irrigation systems, solar-powered water pumps, and eco-friendly storage units designed to operate entirely independent of the national electricity grid.
A standout, crowd-pleasing innovation was presented by young scientists from Iganga Secondary School, who unveiled a zero-energy charcoal cooler. The low-cost, sustainable refrigeration unit uses the natural evaporation properties of damp charcoal to store and cool harvested vegetables for extended periods without consuming a single watt of electricity.
This simple, practical technology provides a direct answer to the massive post-harvest losses that routinely plague rural vegetable farmers before their goods can reach Kampala’s open markets.
Specialised training
Beyond the physical equipment displays, the true value of the 2026 Harvest Money Expo lay in its highly structured, intensive training masterclasses. Thousands of attendees paid dedicated entry fees to sit in packed marquee tents, taking rigorous notes as veteran veterinarians, crop specialists, and legal consultants broke down complex agribusiness mechanics into clear, actionable advice.
| Training Sector | Core Strategic Pillars & Expert Advice |
| Poultry Systems | Managed by veterinary experts like Dr. Samuel Ssewagudde, training focused on balancing genetics with precise feed-to-water ratios. Farmers were taught that housing layout, strict ventilation control, and sound insulation are critical to maximizing egg and broiler output. |
| High-Yield Apiculture | Instructors introduced farmers to the lucrative world of extracting bee venom using advanced, non-lethal electronic collectors (venom traps). While a kilogram of standard honey averages 15,000 UGX, a single gram of pure bee venom can fetch up to 100,000 UGX on international medical markets. |
| Urban Farming Blocks | Tailored specifically for Kampala residents with limited residential space, these blocks provided practical guides on vertical bag farming, micro-dairy setups, and intensive mushroom production requiring strict control over oxygen, humidity, and temperature. |
Financial gems
The final piece of the agribusiness puzzle addressed at the expo was the structural streamlining of local supply chains. Representatives from financial institutions, including the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), Pearl Bank, and aBi Development, set up dedicated advice hubs to guide farmers on how to transition their informal family gardens into legally structured, bankable cooperative enterprises.
The Dutch Ambassador, Frederieke Quispel, delivered a compelling address urging local producers to form stronger agricultural cooperatives. By pooling resources, smallholders can collectively purchase heavy machinery, standardise their grain quality, and bargain for fair, direct export contracts with European and Middle Eastern distributors, effectively cutting out exploitative middlemen.
As the gates closed on the 10th anniversary of the Harvest Money Expo in Kololo, it was clear that Uganda’s agricultural trajectory is undergoing a profound intellectual and technological revolution. By successfully blending cutting-edge scientific research with practical, low-cost field innovations, the expo provided thousands of Ugandans with a clear roadmap to commercial success.
With robust commitments from corporate sponsors and international partners securing the expo’s future through 2029, the event has proved that when knowledge is treated as the premier seed, the entire nation reaps a wealthy harvest.
For a complete visual overview of the innovations, exhibition pavilions, and farming masterclasses that defined this landmark event, you can watch this summary of the Harvest Money Expo 2026: Farming as a Business. This broadcast highlights the key agricultural breakthroughs and technological exhibitions that took place on the grounds at Kololo.
