Grace Sebadduka, 38, lives with a severe physical disability and is wheelchair-bound. His legs and hands are weak, but this has not hindered him from being an active farmer.
He is passionate about agriculture and will go out of his way to acquire knowledge and take his garden to the next level. He attended the Harvest Money Expo at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole in Wakiso and shared his story with RITAH MUKASA.
Defying odds
Sebadduka is a mixed farmer. He owns half an acre of land in Kira division, Wakiso district and another two acres in Mubende district.
He grows matooke, cassava, sweet potatoes, maize and beans for commercial and home consumption. He sells his produce to homes vendors.
Sedadduka is not an ordinary farmer; he is not limited by his physical disabilities. He defies all the odds stuck against him to make it.
He suffers from polio and quadriparesis, a condition that causes muscle weakness in legs and both arms, hence affecting his mobility.
This has been his life since he was about 15 years old, which would give him many reasons to sit back and wallow in self-pity.
However, he refused to live that way and chose to be self-sustaining, living by the adage; disability is not inability.
On how he manages, Sebadduka, a husband and father of three children says: “I work with my wife, children and three nephews.”
His elder brother died years ago, living behind three sons who are now under Sebadduka’s care.
They are 22, 18 and 15 years old and his biological children are 14, 12 and three. He started his garden on 100ftx100ft plot of land and kept buying more.
He says they till the land, plant, weed and harvest together. During busy seasons, he hires labour to help plant, weed or harvest.
“We are close, which makes it easy for us to work together. Whatever we sell, we sit down and plan,” he says.
From the farm proceeds, Sebadduka is able to feed his family and pay school fees for his children and nephews.
He is also saving to buy more land, expand his farm and venture into large scale commercial farming.
He is quick to add that: “Agriculture is profitable if you invest wisely. Passion is also important. There are many opportunities for families and persons with disabilities.”
Sebadduka implores persons with disabilities (PWDs) to embrace agriculture for better livelihoods.
He says many PWDs wallow in self-pity and some resort to begging yet they have land, which is a valuable resource they can use to get themselves out of poverty.
“If your hands are too weak to dig, leverage the support system you have. You can also find ways of benefiting from the agriculture value chain,” he says.
Farming for over 25 years Sebadduka fell in love with farming when he was little, drawing inspiration from his maternal grandmother who raised him after his parents separated.
In fact, from an early age and all through primary school, he aspired to be a farmer, not a doctor or lawyer or engineer, the professions many children fuss over. He always farmed with his grandmother.
All was well until Sebadduka turned 15. He fell ill. It started with a headache which progressed into polio.
He was first admitted at Mityana Hospital and when his health deteriorated, he was referred to Mulago Hospital, where he stayed for a year.
He gradually lost his hands and legs and by the time he was discharged, he was fine healthwise, but could barely do anything for himself.
He never went back to Mubende. Instead, he stayed with his mother in Kira. However, as they say; desperate times call for desperate means.
With time, Sebadduka learnt to make art pieces for sale.
He saved and bought his first plot of land (100ftX100ft) and started growing crops with the help of his brother and friends.
Years later, he married and continued saving while buying more land. He currently owns half acre in addition to two acres in Mubende, where he has a matooke plantation, cassava and ground nuts.
His nephews help to supervise to ensure his workers do the right thing. To keep his garden thriving, Sebadduka uses manure from his neighbours’ chicken and goats droppings.
He also rears 10 birds and three goats. Despite the milestones, Sebadduka faces challenges that hold him back from achieving his big plans.
For example, he says, he is looking for funds to buy more land, mechanise his garden and increase yields.
He also wants to add value to his produce in order to fetch better prices and buy an irrigation equipment as well.
Expo is a game-changer Sebadduka attended the expo on Sunday February 16, the last day with his friend, Christopher Byakuteleka, in tow.
Byakuteleka wheeled him around as they visited the different stalls. On why he attended he says; “Days before, I watched many amazing stories and products from farmers on TV. I was motivated to attend and see for myself.”
“Indeed, I have learnt and experienced many great things. The big bunches of matooke, fruits and pumpkins plus large animals and modern machines have blown me away,” he adds.
He also interacted with different successful farmers. At the end of the day, Sebadduka did not leave empty-handed. Aside from the knowledge he acquired, he also bought seeds and fruit tree seedlings.
“Disabled or not, we should all use the available resources in agriculture and fight hunger and poverty,” he says.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Sebadduka purchasing seedlings during the Harvest Money Expo.
