Nakaseke farmer powering farm with solar, biogas, ingenuity

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On a breezy mid-morning in Nakaseke, the steady hum of a solar pump blends with the lowing of cattle scattered across a 60-acre expanse.

At first glance, this homestead of Grace Nawutekateka and her husband, Godfrey Kansiime — the chairperson of the Kanyabulo Dairy Farmers Cooperative — looks like any other dairy enterprise in Uganda’s cattle corridor. But step closer and you discover an energy revolution taking shape.

Here, sunlight, cow dung, and rural ingenuity are powering a thriving business, uplifting a community, and redefining what is possible for smallholder farmers. Eyebrows are raised upon seeing biogas being made out of cow dung.

This is done beside the cow shed in a dome-shaped biogas digester — simple in appearance, yet the beating heart of transformation within the household.

Each morning, farmhands sweep cow dung into a channel that feeds into the underground unit. Inside, bacteria break down the waste, releasing clean, smokeless biogas.

“What used to attract flies now fuels our stove. It cooks faster than firewood or charcoal. There’s no smoke, no soot, and the kitchen stays spotless,” Nawutekateka says as she stirs milk over a steady blue flame.

Before biogas, her family, like many rural households, -spent hours collecting firewood or buying charcoal.

Kitchens were smoke-filled, and health risks were real. Today, firewood expenditure has dropped to nearly zero, and the family no longer contributes to deforestation in a region grappling with rampant charcoal burning.

The biogas system also produces slurry, a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser.

Spread across pastures and banana gardens, it has improved soil health, boosted yields and reduced the family’s reliance on costly chemical inputs.

The transformation has not gone unnoticed. Curious farmers from nearby villages routinely visit to learn how animal waste can be converted into usable energy and valuable fertiliser.

Solar powers production

While biogas revolutionised her kitchen, solar power has electrified the entire homestead. Two years ago, the couple acquired a solar-powered water and energy system worth sh90m through a partnership involving Heifer International and MOSTa pulveriser used to process hay.

Benefits

• Reliable water supply has improved cattle hydration and health.
• Cold storage prevents milk spoilage during bulking and processing.
• Mechanised fodder processing boosts feed efficiency and milk yields.
• Lighting has improved security and enabled evening farm work.

“Solar removed our biggest worries — blackouts and the long walks to water sources. Now, we plan our production confidently,” she says with a smile.

Micro dairy industry begins

With stable energy, Nawutekateka finally turned to what she had always dreamed of — value addition.

Using solar-powered refrigeration and biogas heat, she now processes about 15 jerrycans of yoghurt every week.

Each three-litre jerrycan is sold for sh80,000 in Nakaseke and Luwero markets.

She also makes traditional products such as bongo, masunde, and ghee, which are popular among older consumers.

Her once-ordinary kitchen has evolved into a buzzing micro-processing hub. Wooden cans line shelves, ladles clink in rhythm, and the sweet aroma of yoghurt fi lls the air as she and her team of village women slice fruit, stir mixtures, and package finished products.

Three years ago, she began employing three women and two youth, offering them both skills and income. Some earn by supplying raw milk at sh1,000 per litre; others earn wages through processing and packaging.

“Value addition opened our eyes. Milk is no longer just milk. It is school fees, meals, and a business. With clean energy and knowledge, we have created something bigger than we imagined,” she says.

Empowering women

Nawutekateka’s impact reaches far beyond her farm gate. In 2022, after training from Heifer International, she mobilised 15 women to form a women’s wing under the Kanyabulo Dairy Farmers Cooperative.

Their goal was to strengthen milk bulking, improve hygiene, and explore small-scale processing.

The group now bulk milk daily, keep records, plan finances and maintain strict hygiene.

Payments are shared transparently: farmers are paid sh1000 perlitre delivered, while profits from processed products are shared according to individual contributions.

They also host between 15 and 25 visiting farmers each month, to learn how women-led enterprises can tap into renewable energy to transform rural dairy production.

Edna Nyamaka, a project manager at Heifer International, calls women like Nawutekateka “the backbone of Uganda’s dairy sector.”

“By embracing renewable energy. They are turning subsistence farms into enterprises and rural households into small industries,” Nyamaka says.

The model home is proof that renewable energy is not just an environmental solution, it is a pathway to prosperity and rural transformation. In a nutshell, Nawutekateka’s farm aligns with Uganda’s renewable energy and dairy sector strategies.

Challenges faced

Despite the progress, Nawutekateka acknowledges obstacles. Solar and biogas technologies remain expensive for most rural households without subsidies.

Accessing affordable loans is also a challenge, especially for smallholder women processors.

“We were fortunate to receive support,” Nawutekateka says.

“But every home deserves this technology. It saves time, money, and the environment.”

Scaling up her dairy products will require improved packaging, consistent supply, certification, and better transport to reach supermarkets in Kampala.