VECO Uganda Country Office Rebrands to rikolto

VECO Uganda Country Office Rebrands to rikolto

16/07/2018
in News

VECO in Uganda Rebrands to rikolto

The pronouncement by the Minister of State for Agriculture, Hon. Christopher Kibazanga, was greeted by great applauds and an accompanying ovation from everyone present, including farmers groups, District Local Government Officials and other stakeholders. But what was special about it?

Hon. Kibazanga, having given complementary remarks earlier took to the podium accompanied by Tine Deschacht Program Officer Development Cooperation from the Belgian Embassy and made the long-awaited announcement, "I now declare that VECO East Africa is now rikolto" as he unveiled the plaque with the new flashy logo.

For many that graced the occasion, this served as the main highlight for the afternoon of December 7th 2017. After more than 20 years, VECO East Africa, a renown brand in Eastern Uganda for its collaborative support to small holder farmers would hence forth be known by a new brand name; rikolto!

“Things that don’t change don’t grow and develop. You must change and rebrand yourself to fit in the new circumstances because the world is changing,” Hon. Christopher Kibazanga said.

rikolto, an Esperanto word for ‘harvest,’ had earlier been unveiled as the brand identity for the global Vredeseilanden/VECO brand. Quite often, different speakers found themselves intermixing the former and the new brands in their speeches, quickly acknowledging that a nomenclature transition was still happening.

Ms. Caroline Kahamutima, Rikolto’s Uganda Country Manager had earlier remarked that business as usual could not suffice and therefore, new ideas were necessary. The transition to Rikolto, she said, would significantly change the way the organization carried their business, as an international network organization that builds bridges between different stakeholders to ensure that Uganda’s food systems are sustainable.

If you want to defeat poverty, attack it from a household level

Hon. Christopher Kibazanga Minister of State for Agriculture

Ms. Caroline Kahamutima, Rikolto’s Uganda Country Manager had earlier remarked that business as usual could not suffice and therefore, new ideas were necessary. The transition to Rikolto, she said, would significantly change the way the organization carried their business, as an international network organization that builds bridges between different stakeholders to ensure that Uganda’s food systems are sustainable.

In this, she reemphasized that smallholder farmers were to remain one of the focus key actors for the organization arguing that family farms produce 70% of our food World Wide, but individually they are cut out of trade, ending up in poverty and leaving their huge potential untapped.

Winding up her remarks, Ms. Kahamutima introduced the new brand to all. “I am proud to introduce to you Rikolto whose preposition is together with you, we can change Uganda food system to guarantee affordable and quality food for all, now and in the future.”

Sande Patrick, a farmer and member of the Kwapa Area Co-operative Enterprise thanked Rikolto for the irrigation system which has helped farmers to produce onions and Chilli year round. Mr. Gesa Kabasa, the Chairperson, Doho Irrigation Scheme Farmers’ Cooperative Society (DIFACOS) said that the farmers now had extra capacity to sort, grade, brand and package their rice, processes enhanced with the support of Rikolto.

To the Minister of State for agriculture, Rikolto is an important partner for the Ministry of Agriculture.

“Your (Rikolto) plans fit in the National Development Plan II, the Agricultural Sector Strategic Plan 2020 and the Agricultural Development and Investment Plan 2021. You fit well within our Government plans, within our policy, therefore you are our strategic partner,” Hon. Kibazanga noted.

He said that he agrees with Rikolto’s focus on small holder farmers insisting that “if you want to defeat poverty, attack it from a household level.” He concluded by making a case for investment in agriculture establishing that in the next 20 years, the demand for food will hit $10Trillion and Ugandans should be ready to tap into the opportunity. And with the remarks, he rose and took the honors to unveil the new brand identity.

For the Rikolto team, it was a double opportunity to unveil their new offices and the Honorable Minister became the ‘first guest’ to be hosted as everyone else got an opportunity to a guided tour of Plot 14B, Wanale Road, Mbale Senior Quarters, in Eastern Uganda.

This is how we work, better together as Rikolto teams but we need a variety of organizations to transform food systems in Uganda

Caroline Kahamutima Uganda Country Manager - rikolto

We sincerely want to wish Rikolto a successful Harvest in the many years to come and not only Uganda but worldwide.”

Tine Deschacht Belgian Embassy Uganda