Kikondo, UG – Family adapts organic gardening to commercial growing – June 2023

The GJM family excels at creative and adaptable ways to earn income on the path to sustainable living, now including a large garden to grow a wide variety of vegetables for sale. Since 2017 the family has been operating a Food Always In THe Home (FAITH) garden at their home where it acquired knowledge of growing organic vegetables to provide good nutrition, while participating in the local VICOBA savings and loan programs, and benefiting from business and gardening mentoring given by Wamukisa. The family has been rearing pigs but after the price of pig feed increased the family started growing vegetables for sale from the land along the Entebbe road it rented in Kikondo village, using pig sale income saved in their VICOBA savings account.

The family managed to rent ¾ acre of land in rapidly-growing Kikondo at the high price of 400,000 UGS ($114) per season. They grow maize and beans which are adapted to grow well with rain alone. Because the land is close to a water source they can also grow cabbages, green peppers, tomatoes, and bitterberries in raised beds. Not many growers can produce those crops that require irrigation, so the family has ready local customers of its vegetables.

The family has been able to earn from sales of vegetables. So far it has managed to sell vegetables worth 1,100,000 UGS ($314) comprising: 4 sacks of peppers sold at 250,000 UGS, 200kgs of bitterberries at 300,000 UGS, 300 heads of cabbage at 300,000 UGS and fresh beans and maize at 250,000 UGS. It’s to note that the bitterberries and peppers are still being harvested weekly during this dry ripening part of the growing season, which will make the family earn more.

Future challenges include the high price of agricultural land in the Kikondo area between Entebbe and Kampala, where much land is being used to build homes for rising population. The family has limited land to expand their vegetable growing business and rent fees are high which hinders profit maximization. With the next rain cycle coming soon for planting, there are poor quality seeds on the market!