Bethany Land Institute

What Bethany Land Institute does

Bethany Land Institute (BLI) is a nonprofit educational institution founded in 2012 and registered as an NGO in Uganda and a 501(c)(3) in the United States. It operates a two-year residential program on a 95+ acre campus in Nandere, Luweero District, Uganda, training rural Ugandan youth in integral ecology through three integrated pillars: Mary's School (a sustainable teaching farm covering livestock, soil health, herbal gardens, and seed multiplication), Martha's Market (a business hub with a Savings and Credit Cooperative for entrepreneurship training), and Lazarus' Trees (forest restoration with a tree nursery providing free saplings to local communities). The curriculum is grounded in Pope Francis' 2015 Laudato Si' encyclical and pursues the seven Laudato Si' Goals, combining regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, animal husbandry, spiritual formation, and agribusiness into a single residential formation experience.

BLI's business model is donation-driven. Revenue streams include individual and institutional donations through BLI USA, tiered Caretaker Sponsorship packages ($2,500/year or $5,000 for full two-year residency), partial scholarships ($500-$1,000), unit-priced tree planting ($100 per 10 trees), and capital campaigns for specific infrastructure projects ($30,000-$65,000 each). The 99% pass-through from BLI USA to Uganda operations means fundraising effectiveness in the US is the primary revenue driver. Sales from Martha's Market (vegetables, livestock) provide a modest earned-income stream, though this is still in development. As of 2025, BLI has trained five cohorts with 39 Caretaker Trainees currently on campus and the first cohort of 8 graduates having returned to their home villages to establish independent farms.

The organization has built a notable institutional network including a co-founding partnership with the Diocese of Kasana-Luweero (including a land lease), academic partnerships with the University of Notre Dame's Keough School (where founder Father Emmanuel Katongole is a professor) and the University of Oxford's Laudato Si' Institute, and demonstrated media reach through Notre Dame Magazine, Plough Quarterly, National Catholic Reporter, and NTV Uganda. The July 2025 Laudato Si' Africa Conference on BLI's campus drew 140+ participants from 20+ countries, marking the organization's emergence as a convener in the global integral ecology movement.

Name

Bethany Land Institute

Legal name

Bethany Land Institute

Website

https://bethanylandinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bethany Land Institute is a nonprofit educational institution that runs a two-year residential program in Uganda training rural youth in regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, and spiritual formation through the framework of Pope Francis' Laudato Si' encyclical.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Agricultural Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Agribusiness, Farm Management & Compliance (EDAOAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO)

Keywords

• Integral ecology education
• Regenerative agriculture training
• Agroforestry programs
• Rural youth formation
• Nonprofit residential education

Headquarters

HQ city

Nandere, Luwero

HQ country

Uganda

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: BLI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The primary revenue stream comes from donations from individuals, organizations, and foundations. Donors can sponsor students, fund specific programs, or contribute to general operating expenses. Sponsors receive trees planted in their name and communication from students.
2. Caretaker Sponsorship: Donors can sponsor Caretaker trainees at levels of $2,500/year or $5,000 for full 2-year residency. Partial scholarships of $500-$1,000 are also available for individual caretaker contributions based on hardship. Sponsors receive quarterly updates and direct communication with students.
3. Martha's Market Sales: BLI's farm products including vegetables, livestock (pigs, chickens), and other agricultural goods are sold through Martha's Market. As the program develops, it will include roadside stands, restaurants, and festivals. Currently includes a SACCO for trainees.
4. Campus and Program Projects: Capital funding for specific infrastructure projects including tractor & implements ($65,000), classroom/computer lab renovation ($50,000), Community Farm launch ($30,000), and Forest Information Center support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bethany Land Institute operates a two-year residential integrated education program in regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, and economic entrepreneurship for rural Ugandan youth, inspired by Pope Francis' Laudato Si' encyclical. The program combines hands-on farming training, spiritual formation, and entrepreneurship development across three pillars: Mary's School (sustainable teaching farm), Martha's Market (business hub with SACCO), and Lazarus' Trees (forest restoration). Graduates return to their home villages to establish their own farms and train community members, creating an expanding network of integral ecology practitioners.

Product overview

Bethany Land Institute offers a unified integrated education program in Integral Ecology and regenerative agriculture, centered on its Caretaker Program—a two-year residential formation that prepares rural Ugandans to combat environmental degradation, food insecurity, and poverty. The program operates across three interconnected branches: Mary's School (sustainable teaching farm for hands-on agricultural training), Martha's Market (business hub with savings and credit cooperative for entrepreneurship development), and Lazarus' Trees (reforestation and forest restoration initiative with community outreach). Supporting programs include the Pastoral Formation Program for seminarians and Community Parish Models for regional agroforestry expansion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Caretaker Program A two-year residential education program that trains Caretaker Trainees in sustainable land use, regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, agribusiness, and spiritual formation based on the principles of Integral Ecology. For rural Ugandan youth seeking dignified livelihoods in their home villages.
• Mary's School A sustainable teaching farm that forms Caretakers in the practices, lifestyle, and spirituality of sustainable land care and food production through hands-on work in livestock, soil health, herbal garden, and seed multiplication sections. Each trainee also has their own 10m x 10m farming plot.
• Martha's Market The business hub of BLI that enables Trainees to develop entrepreneurship skills through a Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization (SACCO) and future roadside stands, restaurants, and festivals for selling harvests. Provides financial inclusion and economic entrepreneurship training.
• Lazarus' Trees A forest restoration initiative and community outreach program that protects and reforests the last remaining natural forest in the Luweero District. Includes a tree nursery providing free saplings to local communities, with goal of planting 1,000,000 trees by 2050.
• Community Parish Models Community outreach initiative launched in 2025 to build partnerships with parishes and schools for environmental education, featuring 10 Agroforestry Models where community members participate in a Savings & Credit Cooperative (SACCO).
• Pastoral Formation Program A program rooted in Laudato Si' that trains seminarians from various dioceses in integral ecology and creation care, conducted as a month-long immersive experience at BLI's campus. For Ugandan seminarians and clergy.
• Tree Planting Initiative Reforestation program with the goal of planting 1,000,000 indigenous trees by 2050, planting 40,000 trees annually in the local region, including a tree nursery providing free saplings to communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of 2023 Caretaker graduates received seed funding to start their own projects
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Agroforestry Promotion NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026BLI partnered with the Agroforestry Promotion Network to host a weeklong workshop on agroforestry at its campus. The workshop brought together individuals from five countries (Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Switzerland, and Democratic Republic of the Congo) to focus on how forestry can be used to restore soil fertility and improve water retention.
• Laudato Si' Institute (University of Oxford)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Laudato Si' Institute, hosted at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, is partnering with BLI to offer an internship at BLI in early 2024. The internship focuses on monitoring and evaluation of BLI's agro-ecology training and formation program.
• University of Notre Dame (Keough School of Global Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFather Emmanuel Katongole is a Professor of Theology and Peace Studies at Notre Dame. The Keough School has featured BLI extensively with full-length stories, videos, and ongoing coverage. BLI is also featured by Kellogg Institute. Students from Notre Dame visit BLI for immersive study abroad experiences. The partnership provides academic legitimacy, research collaboration, and student engagement.
• Laudato Si' Action PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBLI works within the Laudato Si' Action Platform, actively pursuing the seven Laudato Si' Goals. BLI hosted the Laudato Si' Africa Conference in July 2025 marking the 10th anniversary of the encyclical, bringing together 140+ participants from 20+ countries.
• C-Care UgandaminorOthersC-Care Uganda, a specialty hospital located in Kampala, visited BLI's campus with team members and their young children to learn about BLI's integral ecology work and ecological tourism initiatives.
• Diocese of Kasana-LuweerocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2019, the diocese of Kasana Luweero became a co-founding partner through a memorandum of understanding, including the lease of land at Nandere Parish where the BLI campus is situated. Bishop Lawrence Mukasa (appointed by Pope Francis in 2023) leads the diocese and has been vital in BLI's development. Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere heads the Archdiocese of Kampala and serves as patron.
• Sandwich Community MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProduced video features showcasing the beauty of BLI and integral ecology work.
• Notre Dame MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured BLI in an in-depth article titled 'Start Small' covering Bethany Land Institute, its program, and impact on youth across Uganda.
• Plough QuarterlyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured BLI in Plough Quarterly's Winter 2023 magazine. Co-founder Father Emmanuel wrote a piece on reviving the village.
• Monitor (Uganda)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMultiple articles published by Monitor, an independent daily newspaper in Uganda, featuring BLI's reforestation efforts, Lazarus' Forest bird species, funding, and community waste reduction initiatives.
• NTV UgandaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational television coverage of BLI's launch and general campaign for environmental conservation and restoration.
• National Catholic ReporterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoverage of the Laudato Si' Africa Conference and BLI's role in assessing the encyclical's impact in Africa.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bethany-land-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bethany Land Institute