Kigezi clerics urged on driving wealth creation through smallholder farming

_______________

Kigezi region-based religious leaders have been urged to champion wealth creation in their communities by promoting modern, intensive farming practices on small pieces of land.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa made the appeal on Monday, November 17, 2025, during a feasibility and learning tour at Kana Model Farm in Rwengaju, Kabarole district, where the delegation of bishops, priests, pastors and Muslim leaders observed how a 1.3-acre farm is generating a net monthly income of sh17.6 million.

The visit was organised following a meeting between Kigezi leaders and President Yoweri Museveni, who asked Tayebwa to lead religious leaders on a practical tour to witness small-scale commercial agriculture in action.

Learning mission

Tayebwa said the delegation included all Anglican bishops from the Kigezi region, senior Catholic clergy, Pentecostal leaders, and Muslim representatives.

“I've led a delegation here of religious leaders from Kigezi. This is a combination of the meeting that Kigezi leaders had with His Excellency, the President, a few months ago. This study tour aims to forge a way of having church leaders helping us as a government to have politics of cohesion and unity within the region,” Tayebwa said.

Secondly, Tayebwa said the tour’s objective is to “See how the Government can work with the church and the religious institutions to fight poverty, in short, to spread the gospel of socio-economic transformation.”

He said the President recommended the one-acre model to the region because of severe land fragmentation and rising food insecurity.

“When you look at the household surveys of Kigezi, you find that average land holding per household is even less than 0.5 of an acre. In addition, reports have been showing that food insecurity in Kigezi is increasing, even poverty levels, because if you don't have food security, then you have a threat of poverty,” Tayebwa noted.

Richard Nyakana addressing the religious leaders. (Courtesy)

A model farm built from only two chickens

Richard Nyakana, the owner of Kana Model Farm, shared the journey of building the enterprise from a single 100x100ft plot he inherited as a boy, and two chickens given to him by a family friend after the death of his parents when he was 13.

“In 2009, I was in the youth council, and when the President passed around and said people should work for both food and wealth. My fellow youth and I went to the President's rally and picked motivation from there,” Nyakana said.

He added, “My father's friend gave me two chicken. After one and a half years, they had multiplied to about 28. Unfortunately, thieves came and broke my structure.”

With support from a farmer group, he secured a shillings three million loan in 2010, rebuilt the project and gradually expanded the flock to 200 birds. Today he runs a 10,000-bird poultry unit, 5,000 of which are layers producing 150 trays of eggs a day.

“At the moment, 5,000 are now laying, getting 150 trays of eggs every day. And a tray of eggs here goes for sh10,000 on wholesale. It generates about 1.5 million. When you deduct the costs… you remain with a net of about 500,000 shillings, which adds up to shillings 12 million as net at the end of the month,” he said.

Diversified activities powering a small farm

The farm operates four key enterprises: poultry, dairy, a feed processing unit, and farm-waste recycling. Nyakana said the four pillars of the farm are: food security, household income, value addition and marketing, and home improvement and hygiene.

Dairy unit

Nyakana started zero-grazing in 2014 with two cows. The herd has grown to 13, with eight currently being milked.

“Every day we are able to sell 130 litres of milk every morning. The calves are consuming 21 litres, and home consumption is five litres daily. A litre of milk here goes for sh1,200 shillings farm gate,” he narrated.

He said the dairy unit generates sh3.6m in net profit monthly despite spending sh70,000 a day on feeds and labour.

Feed processing plant

“We are processing feeds for livestock. Every day we are generating one ton. On each kilo, we are earning 100 shillings as net profit, which gives us 100,000 daily, and 3 million as net profit a month,” Nyakana said.

Regarding farm waste recycling, Nyakana said they sell two lorries every month, with each lorry costing shillings 300,000, bringing it to shillings 600,000 a month as net income.

Nyakana also uses cow dung to produce biogas for cooking, and dries some of the manure for processing into chicken feed or fertiliser.

Overall, he employs 15 workers on the small farm. “Our total net balance is 17.6m,” he said, adding that his target is “at least 30m per month by increasing manure production and adding value on manure.”

A model for land-constrained communities

Tayebwa told the clergy that Kana Farm was selected because its methods can be adopted by ordinary families.

“Everything here can be done by an ordinary person — from the shades, the way they are made, to the means being used, but the earnings are enormous,” he said.

He said religious institutions must encourage households to improve land use. “You find the whole four acres is being split between the children, or you're just planting Irish potato… yet you can make it more productive. Some of these institutions have land that is empty, so we are encouraging them to also make that land more productive,” Tayebwa said.

The Deputy Speaker added that Nyakana’s progress demonstrates the potential of small farms. “I've been coming here. Now I left when he had six cows. Now he has 13. His incomes have been growing and he is projecting to go to 30 million from net income of sh17 million,” he noted.

Religious leaders commitment

Reverend Andrew Agaba, the director for Household and Community Transformation in the Church of Uganda, said the tour was arranged at the request of President Museveni and coordinated by Tayebwa.

“Poverty has no boundary. It doesn’t know a Muslim, it doesn’t know a Catholic… This brings us together as an inter-religious community,” he said.

Agaba said land fragmentation, low market prices and rising household pressures have slowed economic progress in Kigezi.

“This prompted the President to ensure that he organises for us this agriculture tour into Nyakana’s home. We are the voice of the voiceless. The main objective is to ensure that ourselves become agents of change,” he said.

He added that religious leaders must empower their congregations with the knowledge gained from the model farm.

“I believe the bishops, the Catholic priests and the Pentecostal leaders will emulate what they have seen here for impact and change within the community of Kigezi,” he said.

Nyakana urges youth to embrace farming

Nyakana encouraged young people to adopt a mindset of hard work and discipline.

“I just want to encourage young people that please, it is hard work, discipline, commitment, that you can start very small and succeed. There is no money in these offices. There’s money in farming,” he said.

He added that Uganda’s potential remains largely untapped. “The population is growing, people need to eat. We have good weather, good soils, energetic young population, but we are in an impoverished country. That means there is a gap in legislation vis-à-vis the reality in the population,” he highlighted.

He appealed for policies compelling Ugandans to engage in food production. Nyakana said the farm plans to expand beyond the 1.3 acres by acquiring up to 20 acres for poultry and feed preservation.

He said a major challenge is acquiring technology for long-term feed storage and called for exposure to advanced smallholder systems in countries such as the Netherlands and the US.

Tayebwa said the tour would continue to Kakumiro District, where leaders will visit another model farm recommended by the President.

The Deputy Speaker said the goal is to equip religious leaders with practical knowledge they can take back to their congregations to fight poverty and promote economic transformation.

“We want to encourage people to learn from those who are doing well. The aim is for those who have land to make it more productive,” said Tayebwa.