Kikondo, UG – GRY Family expands growing to supply school with commercial garden harvests – Sep 2023

The GRY family has expanded their agriculture activities by renting one-half acre of land to grow bitterberries (small eggplants). The family is among the five families in the YNM agriculture group that Zinabala pays to operate and maintain the VICOBA’s commercial garden. Wamukisa has assisted the GRY home 4-bed and 3-bed FAITH vegetable gardens for many years. Now the family has started its own commercial garden.

The family has a history of investing to support their four school-age children and a new baby. In 2021 they used their VICOBA savings to pay for a government home water standpipe for drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning ( https://betterlives.org/2021/07/kikondo-ug-gry-family-welcomes-their-home-water-standpipe-30-jul-2021/ ). After having water the family again resorted to saving with the VICOBA with a goal of starting their own commercial garden. They dreamed of using water for growing vegetables but had no more land for gardens around their home. Recently one-half acre near a village water source became available for only 100,000 UGS.

Since GRY father works with Destiny School kitchen, he has a ready market for all bitterberries he and his wife produce in their garden. The family is specializing in growing bitterberries because they are picked wèekly for a year so the family now has income every week. The family sells 100 kgs every week. Each kg sells for 1,000 UGS so the family earns 100,000 UGS / USD per week, and hopes to harvest for the next nine months.

GRY family now hopes to invest the earnings in poultry since it requires less space, which it has at its home. Garden profits will be challenged when the four older children return to Destiny School and the family has to hire help for weeding and other garden maintenance.