Uganda dairy sector engagement

About the project

UK-registered Partner: Solapak Development Ltd – Mark Spratt
Africa-registered Partner: Heifer International – William Matovu

Solapak Development Ltd (SDL) has recently completed a 30-month Energy Catalyst round 7 midstage project where we validated the use of digital monitoring and solar power for efficient cooling of milk to reduce spoilage, increase revenues and enable economic sustainability.

In November 2022 our Project Manager attended the Energy Catalyst Brokerage visit to Uganda where he was introduced to potential partners. The GCRF AgriFood Travel Grant enabled a followup visit by our Directors to identify specific opportunities.

We met with an established NGO in Uganda and together visited 6 Dairy Farmer Cooperatives (DFCs). We gained significant understanding of the dairy value chain in Uganda, including the potential regions for intervention. We identified the primary challenges faced by DFC staff, dairy farmers, consumers and processors.

As a result of the visit we agreed that a partnership between our organisations has significant scope for improving the economics of dairy farmer cooperatives and the lives of the communities associated with them. The knowledge and equipment we have developed over the last 6 years is directly applicable to Ugandan Dairy Farmer Cooperatives (DFCs).