On 4th August 2026, Bishop Stuart University (BSU) hosted a close-out event for the Innovate Dairy Project, a two-year initiative implemented from June 2024 to June 2026 with support from the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA).
The project aimed at strengthening the dairy value chain to improve sustainable incomes for smallholder farmers in Kiruhura and Mbarara districts. It focused on developing and commercialising innovative dairy solutions, building the capacity of farmers and stakeholders and supporting five BSU postgraduate research students.
While officiating at the event, the Vice-Chancellor’s Commissary and Director of the Directorate of Graduate Studies, Research and Innovation, Assoc. Prof. Gershom Atukunda, commended the Principal Investigator, Assoc. Prof. Rebecca Kalibwani (PhD), for extending the University’s impact to local communities through research and innovation. He encouraged the expansion of the project’s successful interventions to other districts.
Assoc. Prof. Kalibwani appreciated the project’s partners, including Kiruhura District Local Government, Mbarara District Local Government, and Adrian Agribusiness Solutions Limited, for their invaluable support. She noted that the project’s biodigester technology has become a model innovation, attracting visitors from different districts who are interested in learning about its operation.
Project beneficiaries and stakeholders praised BSU for empowering farmers with practical skills, highlighting that the biodigester technology has significantly improved both farming activities and household livelihoods. Representatives from Kiruhura District revealed that the demonstration of the biodigester at the district continues to attract hundreds of visitors eager to learn from the innovation.