Emmanuel Kalemaearns a living from growing vegetables such as beetroot, eggplants, tomatoes and sukuma wiki.
Kalema, who owns Emma and Sons Vegetable Farm Producers, located in Kamuli district, says the reason he started the vegetable growing business is that there was a need to create employment for youth in his community.
He also sought to improve nutrition in his community by helping people have access to a balanced diet.
‘’I sell each cluster of vegetables at sh500 each and get sh10,000 to sh30,000 depending on how the day runs. In a month, I can earn up to sh1m which I use to pay my two employees, look after my family and also re- invest in the business,” Kalema says.
Kalema has had a positive impact on his community by teaching youth how to make nursery beds and grow high-quality crops as a way of youth getting employed in the vegetable growing business.
He has also encouraged families to eat vegetables during every meal so that the problem of malnutrition is decreased.
Kalema won the Alumni Wezesha Award 2022 organized by Wezesha Impact, a non-profitable organization whose main objective is to deliver a practical experience for youth to develop entrepreneurial skills, and test ideas. This enables youth to start and grow businesses.
He received a sh1m cash prize, which he said he will use to buy a water pump to help him in watering his vegetables since he plants vegetables throughout the year.
