By Rhyman Agaba
Agro-tourism is quickly changing the face of Kayunga district and in the process, putting money in the pockets of many farmers.
Bwamulamila village LC1 chairperson Mukasa Fred expressed his joy on behalf of his fellow residents over the increased number of tourists.
“Our children have also benefitted from this project,” he said, referring to the 75-acre-wide Kaynela Farm within their vicinity.
These remarks were made during a weekend-long two-day excursion organised by Avian Conservation Uganda Society (ACU) and hosted by Kaynela Farms Ltd, which is a family-owned agro-tourism business that offers a wide range of products and services.
During the excursion, Ismail Hassan Maaruf, an environmental consultant, photographer and agriculturalist shared his experience of managing snakes in their natural habitat.
Faizo Rashid Serunjogi, the founder and director of Kaynela Farms, said they first acquired the farm in 2016, starting out with only 20 acres and gradually grew its area space to cover the present 75 acres that the massive farm now sits on.
“It was 20 acres at first, we did the normal farming, but ideas came in afterwards, we said let’s do the tourism bit, we then added another 11.7 acres then five later on,” he added.
Serunjogi listed inflated land buying as one of the challenges his farm has had to endure: “You want to expand your ideas and everything, but people look at you as money, they start making the land more expensive than usual”.
Peace Kayesu, Kaynela’s managing director, said the business specialises in growing fruits and vegetables, as well as raising livestock.
The farm has been endorsed by government-owned bodies such as the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) as well as Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) who signed an agreement to supply Kaynela with wildlife.
Kayesu told New Vision Online that Kaynela’s primary focus is on sustainable and organic farming practices, using natural methods to grow their crops and raise their animals.
The farm is lit and exclusively powered by solar and utilizes drip irrigation to ensure year-long farming. They expect to add Zebras, Impalas and crocodiles in the near future.
ACUS involves local communities in conservation through sensitisation programmes, building an online information resource centre and using mass media for public education.
Chairperson of ACU executive committee Godfrey Elasmus Tumwesigye told the village residents that bird species such as the grey-headed Kingfisher and black and white mannikin are all present in this habitat.
Tumwesigye educated the tourists about the various bird species that had been sighted on the extensive farm and listed some of them.
Jenniffer Ayebare, the chairperson of the national co-ordinator for the Uganda Women Birders Club told New Vision Online that the Common Bulbul, Willows Wabler, Piac Piac, Black-winged Kite and Black-faced Waxbill were among the species her team sighted on the farm on Saturday.
