By Rosemary Tukundane
Every day, we eat and enjoy vegetables in many forms, either in sauce, fresh as salads and as medicine.
Our families remain in need of this nutritious supply every day. If you don’t buy them from the market, you have someone that delivers them at your gate and an average family spends between sh5,000-20,000 on vegetable every day.
Prof Diana Nambatya the CEO Kwagala Farm is here to inspire you to become your own farmer using the small space you have at your home.
Nambatya says Ugandans have to be encouraged to do urban farming.
“My farmyard sits on half an acre with the home, training facility, main factory for fertilizers and the gardens,” she added.
On this farm Dr. Nambatya prides in having several vegetables, cows, and poultry.
Key things to kick start your farm
- Determination and zill is the most difficult thing to start any business, it’s not about the money because if you are determined, you can use little money to start up a successful project.
- Seeking knowledge before you venture into any business is important. Have focus, intentions and look around to see who I must consult and target market.
- Materials used to grow the crops like bottles, polyethene bags, car tyres, buckets, basins, soil and charcoal.
- Making sure that you can prepare your organic manure.
- A water reservoir for watering particularly in a hot season for water supply.
How to turn an urban farm into a business amidst the challenges
Urban farming like any other business has challenges but not too many to scare you from joining the race as listed below
- Distribution, space, production capacity, concerns with the neighbors and finance challenges.
- First plant your own food and then supply it to your neighbors to beat the challenges of the market.
- Learn how to market your produce for income and as you grow, you get market from supermarkets, famous markets like Nakasero and market them online.
She added that her partnership with vision group, world bank, embassy of the Netherlands has contributed to her success and has so far trained 2,000 women and youths.
Urban farming occurs when someone living in a city or heavily populated town repurposes their green space to grow food and the surplus is sold to the neighbors for money.
