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Denis Mugisha, a teacher at St. Donozia Kisubi Boys’ Primary School, Wakiso has transformed his earnings from the time he decided to grow vegetables during the first COVID-19 lockdown.

Having plenty of time of luxury, Mugisha embarked on vegetable growing using the vacant school land, he requested Rev. Father Jude Kaweesa, the head teacher to use it.

Starting to farm

The science teacher embarked on rearing 100 broilers on the schoolland. “I used these as a learning sample so that I can improve on my skills of catering for them,” he says.

Rearing chicken meant that Mugisha had a lot of waste from their coup. “I realized that the chicken dung was piling there,” he revealed. “I wanted to do something with it.”

Mugisha then got another piece of land and ventured into vegetable growing. He grew vegetables like spinach, eggplants, cabbages, and dodo. To get to the market, Mugisha had to approach the roadside vendors in Kisubi town who sell the vegetables.

“I sell each bundle for sh. 500 and offer two of them free of charge,” he says.

Every day, Mugisha could earn sh30,000 after sales from vegetables. Since the vegetables were earning him a daily income, it compelled Mugisha to add on piggery.

This enabled him to access adequate fertilizers for his vegetables. With the rearing of pigs, the manure increased and Mugisha added to his farm planting matooke. He commenced with ten suckers.

“I took care of them in the first covid 19 lockdown,” he said. “Within one year, he had started harvesting exorbitant bunches, to an extent they attracted people within and outside the community to come and see the magic I put in my small plantation.”

Besides the greens, his farm is a model one in the community where villagers who are interested in farming come and pay attention to it. “They learn how I manage to grow such large and healthy bunches and also want to try it,” he says.

Furthermore, Mugisha offers those interested in starting the project seedlings and suckers free of charge.

In addition to that, Mugisha’s garden has eased the burden of the school accessing some commodities.

“I provide the school with eggs, vegetables, and sometimes matooke every week,” he says.

Mugisha also uses his garden as a model one for pupils when they have something to learn regarding farming.

For those pupils finding it hard to have pocket money, Mugisha advises them to engage in vegetable growing. “They do not have to wait for their parents to give them money, but to make sure that they can afford it,” Mugisha urged.

Some pupils do not have land at home, Mugisha advises them to use sacks and grow vegetables on the verandah. Once the vegetables are grown, he provides a ready market for them from the teachers and his women vendors.