By George Bita April 11, 2023
Although Primary two school dropouts are by common standards termed failures in life, Patrick Kyakulaga has defied the odds to turn into a successful farmer.
“I was not very comfortable with academic work. So I chose to leave Naimuli Primary School, Luuka district and fend for myself at a tender age,” Kyakulaga recalls.
According to him, as a child from a poor family, his immediate challenge was to make his way out of poverty as soon as possible.
The 55 year old currently owns a 20acre urban farmland in Buwongo village, Nakalama sub-county of Iganga district.
He has a tree plantation, dairy section, goats and a poultry house spread out on the expansive farmland.
Genesis
In 2015, after proving his prowess in the business world, Kyakulaga used sh300m out of his savings to gradually acquire the expansive 20 acre territory in the suburb of Iganga municipality.
He proceeded to plant eucalyptus trees as a pioneer project on the farm that now boasts of numerous enterprises organized under Gajoc Investments Limited.
Trees project
Geoffrey Byansi, the farm manager explains that the trees cover eight acres of the farm land.
“We invested about sh20m in setting up the artificial forest on location. The money was used in clearing the ground, planting and weeding,” Byansi says.
He reveals that each of the plantings of eucalyptus and pine bought from Bukaleba farm in Mayuge district, cost sh1, 000.
He adds that so far the wood from the forest has been vital in constructing shelters for cattle, goats and poultry.
Dairy
Kyakulaga narrates that he has 10 local breed cows on location but with plans to sell them and replace them with cross-breeds.
“The new herd is of a zero-grazing category. I have already invested over sh25m in buying the 10 heifers and constructing a shelter for them.
He adds that paddocks are being set up to grow enough fodder for the heifers.
Goats rearing
Kyakulaga says last October he embarked on a project of rearing goats at his farm.
“I used sh15m from timber sales to buy local breed goats. We expect to sell them in urban markets whenever demand arises,” he assures.
Poultry project
Kyakulaga notes that the farm currently has 700 chicks and 300 chickens as well as 100 turkeys.
He invested an estimated sh7m in buying the chicks plus setting up the poultry house on location.
Water supply
According to Byansi, water is crucial in day-to-day running of the farm enterprise.
“We could therefore not solely rely on unreliable supplies. A sh7m solar water plant came in handy making us have water all year round,” he assures.
The system has two 5, 000 litre capacity tanks to keep water pumped by a submersible pump. Another 5, 000 litre tank at the farm house is used to harvest rain water for farm use.
Security status
According to Byansi, the establishment has been fenced to boost the security detail on location.
“The chain link fence cannot easily be compromised by thieves. We also have two dogs that scare away those planning to steal farm property,” he says.
Farm labour
Byansi discloses that the farm has six workers who take home a monthly wage package of sh300, 000.
“However, we also occasionally take on casual labourers. These are needed during construction, planting, weeding and harvesting times and are paid per work done,” he says.
He laments that use of labourers from the village is problematic as they are easily swayed by detractors to stop offering services or even indulge in theft since their homes are in the vicinity.
“As farm management we have got a solution to this dilemma by looking for labour from far off regions. When you get workers from Teso or Bunyoro region they can’t use the local language to relate with locals and therefore work well as they tend to only mind their own business,” Byansi says.
Risks involved
Kyakulaga says in farming, there is a risk of suffering great loss after getting involved in one venture.
“That is why I have chosen to have a variety of projects at the farmland. If one fails in a particular season, I can compensate with profits from another section of the farm,” he says.
He adds that interaction between his animals and those of neighbours could end up causing disease outbreaks at the farm.
“I have overcome this risk by fencing the entire farmland. It is difficult for any contact to take place with other animals from the neighbourhood,” he claims.
Farm sustainability
Florence Kyakulaga, his wife, explains that she is tasked with making weekly reports about the farm’s activities.
“I make entries of all sales and expenditures. It is one way we can tell whether the venture is profitable or making losses,” she says.
Winifred Kyakulaga, a daughter, adds that all family members are involved to ensure that the business stays afloat with or without dad’s presence.
“He carefully placed it under Gajoc Investment Ltd which is a family company. Hence all of us have shares in the venture,” the daughter reveals.
Community correlation
Sospeter Magumba, the Buwongo LC I chairman appreciates Kyakulaga for setting up an artificial forest in the urban neighbourhood which acts as a windbreaker during storms.
“We also buy chicken and other farm products from his farm. This saves residents from moving to far off markets,” Magumba says.
Bio safety concerns
Byansi says they use artificial insemination to make sure only good breeds are produced at the farm.
“Our fence keeps away stray animals that may spread diseases to the farm population. It also saves us the expenses involved in seeking services of a vet,” he says.
Farming knowledge
Kyakulaga says he takes part in farmers’ seminars and workshops to boost his farming knowledge.
According to him, the farm manager is knowledgeable about key farming skills and utilises these well to improve the farm status.
“I have also used foreign tours to China, Dubai and Japan to get vital farming tips. Learning is a continuous process so I cherish getting more info as much as possible,” he notes.
Good farming practices
Byansi notes that they utilise wastes from the animal houses to get organic manure for the farmlands.
He adds that disinfection troughs have been strategically positioned on location to ensure disease-causing germs are not brought into contact with the farm animals.
According to Byansi, the disinfectant is changed every four days to ensure a fresh solution is in use.
“We dug up trenches in the trees section to trap runoff rainwater. This is one sure way of holding water for a longer time so as to maintain the moisture content of the soil,” he says.
Mistake made
In 2018, Kyakulaga had ventured into keeping pigs at the farm. However, his piggery project turned out to be an inconvenience to neighbours prompting him to abandon it.
“I realised I had made a mistake to set up a piggery in a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood. So I had to sell off the 120 pigs I had started with,” he explains.
He says it had cost him about sh10m to set up the structure and purchase the pigs from a farm in Jinja district.
Hamidu Kawanguzi, the Nakalama LC3 chairman recalls how local complaints about a piggery in the village forced Kyakulaga to do away with it.
“Some locals even threatened to poison the pigs. That would have been a huge loss to the farmer,” Kawanguzi states.
Future prospects
Kyakulaga anticipates turning the farm into a learning centre within two years’ time so that agriculture students and fellow farmers can benefit.
He says plans are underway to buy more territory from his willing neighbours so as to have ample space for visitors to sit down and learn in a serene environment.
“I equally want to have a value addition department here. The milk could be used to make yoghurt or ice cream while a hatchery would help us use eggs to get chicks for sale,” he asserts.
Learning lessons
* Try and fail but never fail to try.
* A journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step.
* Put God first in whatever venture you embark on.
Who is Kyakulaga?
1977- Joined Naimuli PS in Luuka district in P.1
1978- Dropped out of school to start doing odd jobs for cash.
2004- Started using his business dividends to trade in Dubai, UAE
2011- Visited Japan and got interested in afforestation.
2015- Used his savings to start tree planting on his 20acre farmland in Iganga town.
What others say
Charles Kiwanuka, farmer from Busei zone, Iganga municipality
Kyakulaga has proved that once you have the vision you can accomplish any venture. He went even further to show that farming can be done successfully in an urban setting.
Jane Nabirye, resident of Iganga municipality
The farm in a town environment gives us an option to buy from a farm gate. Prices there are friendlier compared to market rates.
Dr. David Muwanguzi, resident of Iganga municipality
Farming is not an easy venture. Kyakulaga needs to be commended for having come this far.
