Kikuube farmers to boost commercial food production after dumping hoes for tractor

KIKUUBE - Farmers in Kikuube District’s Kiziranfumbi Sub-County have abandoned hand hoes for a modern solution: a tractor worth over sh100 million, donated by the World Food Programme (WFP) to revolutionise agriculture.

The Buhumuriro Tukorerehamwe Farmers’ Co-operative Society, representing 250 smallholder farmers, will now mechanise cultivation of maize, beans, soybeans, sugarcane and coffee across 1,000 acres of underutilised land.

For years, farmers tilled land manually, leaving over half of their acreage uncultivated due to labour constraints. 

“We’ve struggled to open even 500 acres with hoes,”  Josephat Friday, the co-operative’s chairperson, said.

“This tractor arrives just as we prepare for the planting season—it’s a game-changer.”

The tractor, lobbied by NGO Ripple Effect and funded through WFP’s Agriculture and Market Support Project, required a shillings 35 million co-payment from the co-operative. Friday emphasised its dual purpose: boosting members’ productivity while offering affordable hiring services to neighbouring farmers.

The leaders of farmers, led by Josephat Friday, the chairperson of the cooperative receive the tractor from Ripple Effect officials. (Credit: Peter Abaanabasazi)

“Our goal is wealth creation for all, aligning with the Government’s vision,” he added.
Kikuube’s farmers face steep hurdles, including limited mechanisation, poverty-driven subsistence farming and competition for scarce tractors.

Kikuube town council commercial officer John Ariguma praised the initiative but warned against mismanagement.

“Tractors donated to groups often end up in private hands. We must avoid this,” he said, referencing district-wide vandalism of agro-machinery.

While handing over the tractor to the farmers on August 8, 2025, Ripple Effect team leader Expert Lutaaya stressed the shift from subsistence to commercial agriculture.

“This tractor isn’t just for ploughing, it’s a tool to transform farming into a business,” he said. The co-operative aims to achieve food security, income growth, and community-wide empowerment by maximizing land use 26.

As the tractor’s engine roared to life at the handover ceremony, farmers envisioned a future where mechanisation breaks cycles of poverty. “No more backbreaking labour,” Friday said.