Publication
Africa Agri-Food Development Progamme: Devenish
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
Headquartered in Northern Ireland and with a number of international sites, Devenish is a leading agri-technology business whose mission is to develop sustainable food solutions.
Devenish develops innovative nutritional products and solutions for the feed industry, the food industry, and for human health.
Since 2013, with the support of AADP, Devenish has invested significantly in a pioneering enterprise to develop the pig sector in Uganda.
Through the establishment of a model pig farm in Hoima and specialised animal feed mill, Devenish has worked to improve the livelihoods of local farmers by helping them to transition from subsistence farming to sustainable commercial-level farming.
The project aims to help farmers produce pigs of improved genetics and to introduce specialised animal feed tailored to the animal’s life cycle. By supplying new breeding stock to local farmers to enhance the genetic gene pool, Devenish has worked to improve animal performance, nutrition, sale price and in turn the livelihoods of the local community.
As a direct result of the piggery and the specialised feed mill, which now employs 26 people in the region,
over 500 local farmers have been trained in the basics of animal nutrition and livestock management.
Devenish East African Director, Michael Maguire:
“Our overarching purpose is ‘making your world a better place’ and nowhere is this more evident than our work in Hoima thanks to our great Ugandan team and the ongoing support of AADP. Not only are we helping farmers to improve their outputs in a sustainable way, but we are also having a positive impact on the wider community through improved genetics, breeding stocks, training and employment.”
Yolamu Nsamba, one of the local farmers who has been working with Devenish added:
“Working with Devenish has really helped us to increase profitability on our farm. Our pigs now grow to double the size of the pigs we used to have - it’s down to breed, the better-quality feed and the management.”