Kikondo, UG – Zinabala/Kigasa VICOBA members celebrate harvesting together – Dec 2024
The newly merged Zinabala/Kigasa VICOBA’s fifty members have harvested their first crop produced by their joint investment of money and work, and danced to celebrate. They opened a staple crop garden of maize and beans in September with an aim of providing food to their respective families. Kigasa group members had never operated a staple crop garden so they were excited to operate one with Zinabala. FMJ family helped the merger to rent one acre of land for the staple crop.
The group has managed to harvest the 400kg of beans shown being “beaten” to separate beans from husks. They will harvest the maize in February with an expected yield of 350kg of maize. They will not sell their harvest so in December each family will take home 8 kgs of beans thus saving 8 kg × 4,500 shillings = 36,000 (about $10) by not buying beans for their families. They each hope to take home 7 kgs of maize, saving about 72,000 ($20) shillings purchase price not paid.
The VICOBA closed 2024 with:
Savings of 9,380,000 shillings ($2,680)
Interest from loans given 520,000 shillings ($149)
Income from:
Farming business 1,200,000 shillings ($343)
Liquid soap business 250,000 shillings ($71)
Bee honey project 320,000 shillings ($91)
More than just money saved, the staple crop garden has brought members’ families together, improving relations in a healthy VICOBA. Previously they were not used to working together but since they are starting to work as one group, we hope to see many other achievements from this merger. Agricultural land available at affordable rent is scarce in Kikondo, so the group will not have more land to expand their staple crop growing. They proposed to operate another 1-acre staple crop for earning income in the first season of 2025.
The VICOBA has started achieving from working as one team so they dream of expanding into other ventures as a group. Building on their growing success, they hope to open a stationery shop in Kikondo.
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