Category: Blog

Farmer Organizations Are Progressing. Can the Support System Progress with Them?

Posted on by Bram van Beek
African cooperative leaders engaged in a strategic discussion near agricultural fields (Gemini-generated)

By Cees van Rij • 2 September 2026 • 8-minute read Since 2024, AgriGRADE partners work together across assessment, technical assistance, market development and finance to provide more coordinated support to farmer organizations. A common assessment methodology provides the shared evidence base for identifying needs, targeting support and tracking progress. Across Kenya and Tanzania, 86 […]

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Training Isn’t Enough: What Really Drives Cooperative Transformation

Posted on by Bram van Beek
Agricultural cooperative leaders and market buyers discussing grain samples and crop quality around a table during an AgriGRADE market matchmaking event in Urusha, Tanzania.

By Raymond F. Lyimo • Tanzania • 25 July 2026 • 6-minute read In this blog, Raymond Lyimo, Country Representative in Tanzania, shares his field observations on why training alone does not unlock commercial bank loans or secure long-term buyer contracts. Real cooperative transformation happens when cooperatives gain direct exposure to institutional buyers and financial […]

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Uruku Dairy’s First-Ever Strategic Plan Launch: Turning Milk into Money

Posted on by Agri Grade
Uruku Kenya

“Maziwa? Pesa!” – Milk is Money, and Uruku Farmers are Cashing In On August 29th, 2025, something remarkable happened in the heart of Meru County, Kenya. Farmers, staff, and leaders of Uruku Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society gathered on their grounds for a milestone event—the launch of their first-ever strategic plan. Nearly three decades after its […]

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