He quit his office job at 27, earns sh25m from farming

Mar 16, 2009

IT was a perfect case of letting the only bird in hand fly away only to go hunting for another among the multitudes in the wilderness. This would be a hard decision to make and when, at 27, Lawrence Mutimba tendered-in his resignation to take up large sca

Everyday up to the end of this month, The New Vision will run a series of stories on wealth creation role models from all over the country for Ugandans who would like to learn from them to generate wealth from our natural resources

By Joel Ogwang

IT was a perfect case of letting the only bird in hand fly away only to go hunting for another among the multitudes in the wilderness. This would be a hard decision to make and when, at 27, Lawrence Mutimba tendered-in his resignation to take up large scale farming, he was treated with disdain.

“My colleagues scorned me,” he recollects. “They said my weird decision would make me die a miserably poor man.”

By the early 1960s, Mutimba was a 16-year-old happy teenager having passed his Senior Two examinations, an equivalent of O’level today. However, he failed to pursue further education because his father, Peter Mpoomye, a parish priest, could not raise the school fees needed for him to go back to school.

He joined Ngogwe Cooperative Society where, two years on, he married Eve Mutimba.

Due to his loyalty, conviction and skillful execution of tasks, he served for 11 years, having regular transfers to Bamunanika, Kasawo and finally Nakaseke cooperatives.

By the time he resigned in 1973, Mutimba, who started as a store officer earning a sh55 (equivalent to sh300,000 today) salary, had risen to the rank of assistant cashier.

“My salary had risen to sh350 (about sh800,000 today),” he says. “My resignation shocked many people, even Ssalongo Mayanja, my boss, because I was earning a lot.”

Numerous attempts by Mayanja to force Mutimba into revoking his decision yielded no fruits. “He could not imagine a person resigning at 27 years,” Mutimba says.

“My friends said I was leaving the best job and were convinced I would come back begging to be reinstated.”

Mutimba used part of his savings to buy farm inputs and three acres of land in Nsanvu village, Buikwe sub-county in Mukono. He planted coffee, maize and potatoes.

Soon, he bought four more acres of land at sh1,600. Today, his arable land surface has expanded to 30-acres, planted with clonal coffee, matooke and yams.

He has also taken up dairy farming, incorporating 15 cows. Mutimba sells his kibooko (unprocessed coffee) at sh1,400, occasionally processing it and selling at sh2,500.

He has since grown in stature and income, earning sh10m from matooke, sh13m from coffee and sh2m from milk.

“I earn sh25m annually,” he says. “But the biggest priceless item I have got from farming is fame and popularity.”

Because of his prominence, Mutimba was elected Buna marketing cooperative enterprise.

He is also the Buikwe National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) farmers’ forum vice-chairperson, the Buikwe NAADS lead farmer, and a life member of Mukono District Farmers’ Association (MUDIFA).

As a lead farmer, he got sh1m to boost his agri-business. “I used the money to buy fertilisers,” he says. The numerous trainings in modern farming by NAADS has enabled him to acquire new and better farming skills.

“If you want to be as strong as a donkey, don’t eat donkey meat. Rather, eat what it feeds on,” he says.

Several farmers from Mukono, Soroti and as far as Sweden, Norway and Denmark regularly visit his farm for agro-research and skills development.

Mutimba has no regrets for resigning his cooperative job. “I am doing well, better than most office holders today.”

He has built a permanent house, educated his children and foresees even better things ahead of him.

Mutimba has since found merit in an old adage: “Do not give a starving man fish to eat, but teach him how to fish and he will never starve again.”

“It was because of the skills I got that I am what I am today,” he says. He uses family members to work on his farm. I do not have to spend money to hire workers.”

Mutimba cautiously uses weed master to get rid of weeds in his farm. “It is dangerous to weed coffee and matooke using a hand hoe since it cuts veins that feed the trees,” he says.

His family has farming roots. Eve Mutimba, his wife, owns a local poultry project where she earns ‘a decent income’.

She currently has 22 cocks and 18 chicks. “I sell cocks between sh18,000 and sh20,000,” she says. “This helps me to earn some income,” she says. “I do not have to rely on my husband for everything.”

Ronald Vvube, one of her children, started Mutimba agro-forestry project, a youth scheme intended to boost tree planting.

Vvube, the chairperson, says with an eight membership, their group seeks to encourage youths to engage in tree planting.

“We have 3.5 acres of land. Pines have been planted on two acres and 1.5-acres used for Musiizi trees growing.” he says. “This project is a long-time investment. We will be millionaires when our trees mature in 15 years time.”

The group also has a tender to supply local schools with maize. They plan to have 10 acres, intercropped with trees and food crops. Their project is growing, having earned sh3m from their first year.

Vvube, a teacher at Nile High School, says: “I foresee a bright future. I will resign my teaching job at an appropriate time to take-up farming.”

With the Government supporting mechanised farming by providing tractors, Mutimba says the move is not well-thought through.

“Tractors are only good when opening-up virgin lands,” he says. “I am already an active farmer. A tractor cannot help me weed or plant coffee or matooke plantation.’

Instead, the government should make available modern seeds of coffee and cotton and fertilisers, among others, to boost farming in the country.

The Government should also ensure the Uganda commodity exchange becomes more effective in setting quality control laws on coffee as well as fix its prices.

Fishing has illegal fishing laws and policy, yet coffee has no law against harvesting premature seeds, he says.

“This will help us get rid of middlemen and sell directly to buyers,” he says. “NAADS sensitisation work should be left to lead farmers because they know how to make it in farming.”

Mutimba foresees a bright future, earning as much as sh35m in five-year’s time. “I will not expand my 30-acre land surface, but use modern farming skills to reap more,” he says.

------------
FACTFILE
------------
Name: Lawrence Mutimba
Location of farm: Nsanvu village, Buikwe sub-county, Mukono
Enterprises: Keeping local chicken, dairy farming, tree planting, coffee and banana growing.
Size of land: 30 acres
How he started: Resigned at 27 and used his income to buy 3 acres of land and farm inputs
Winning formula: Uses family members to till and maintain the farm.
Contact of farmer: 0772440348

------------------------------------------------
Urban farming can be a viable option

By Joshua Kato

Every week, Emma Mwebe’s family spends sh15,000 on assorted vegetables. The family owns an unused strip of land, running along the perimetre fence. Mwebe would save the money spent on purchase of vegetables if she practised urban agriculture.

Not that urban farming is illegal. KCC recently said they are in the process of discussing a policy on urban agriculture.

Urban agriculture is practised on an organised basis in many cities around the world. For instance, 54% Canadians and 72% Russians who dwell in the urban regions, grow vegetables. In Kampala, city authorities estimate that only 35% of people living in the urban areas engage in urban farming.

The high value of land has made it impossible to have conventional farms around the city. Many people would rather construct buildings than have farms.

However, some degree of agriculture can be practised inside or within the precincts of fences of these constructed buildings. Residents of for example, Kololo and Muyenga, where almost every single piece of land is fenced, should have space at least within their flower gardens to grow vegetables.

Chicken keeping is another sector that can be implemented on a small scale by urban dwellers.Two hundred chicken can do well in a 10x10 feet room while a dairy cow can do well in a 20x20 feet space.

“I keep chicken in one of the three rooms that form my boysquarters. I have 50 local chicken that do not only cater for my domestic needs but are a means of getting income,” says Sarah Kutta, of Kisaasi.

Local chicken or even hybrid chicken can be easily kept in a small room within the fence.

Contrary to what some people think, keeping limited numbers of chicken, for example 50, is not labour intensive. Most of the work can be done by you and those who reside with you.

Looking after chicken involves giving them food and water on a regular basis. If one weighs the merits of keeping chicken in one of the rooms in the boyquarters, against renting this same room out, using it for chicken rearing comes on top. At the moment, a full grown local cock costs between sh20,000 and sh28,000. On a monthly basis, typical families eat chicken at least six times a month. This means that they spend at least sh150,000 every month on chicken. Keeping chicken will also save you expenses on eggs.

Open grazing of cattle is out of the question in Kampala, since the city laws disallow it. However, zero grazing can be practised.

Zero grazing means animals do not graze in open fields. Instead, these animals are fed at home. Indeed, there are many people in and around the city who keep at least one cow.

That 20x20 vacant land in the corner of your fence, or behind your house is ideal for zero grazing. Constructing the shelter to the required standard may cost about sh300,000.

Acquiring the heifer may cost between sh500,000 and sh1m. This may sound like a lot of money, however, when you start sharing the dividends, you will realise how good an investment it was.

If well fed, a single cow is capable of producing at least 25 litres of milk per day. An average family consumes two litres of milk per day, at a cost of sh2,600, adding up to at least sh90,000 per month. With a cow, this family’s domestic milk consumption may rise to around three litres per day, since they will start drinking concentrated milk.

On the other hand, a cow produces an extra 22 litres that are sold off at sh800 each, bringing in sh16,000 per day. This amount is not only able to maintain the cow, but also cater for other domestic needs.

Pigs are another option in urban farming. A single female needs at least 10x10 space for the shelter. Every after four months, it will produce piglets that may be sold off at between sh70,000 and sh100,000.

Vegetables are an important nutrient to people. However, in and around the city, people buy vegetables from markets. And yet, every city dweller has a chance to produce his or her own fresh vegetables.

Tinned or sacked farming is one of the ways through which vegetables can be planted in a home. For example, egg-plants, dodo, nakati and even cabbage can be planted in either tins or sacks resting on or near one’s verandah.

They can also be planted within your flower section. Select a 20x20 space in your flowers section and plant it with vegetables.

It is common to find lengthy strips of good soils, running along the inside of a residential fence. These strips of land can be used for a variety of crops, including bananas, rows of cassava or potatoes.

“I have six banana plants, planted alongside the fence. At any one time, at least one of them has got a bunch or bunches at different stages of maturity,” says Getu Kizza of Bukoto, Mukalazi Zone.

On average, an urban family buys at least seven bunches of matooke per month. At sh9,000 each, this is around sh61,000 spent to purchase Matooke. And yet, with 10 plants of bananas planted along the fence, one can have at least three bunches from the lot every month.

Fruits like mangoes, avocadoes and guavas, can all be planted within the compound or along the boundary of one’s plot.

“There is nothing comparable to harvesting fresh food from your own garden. On a lighter note, “it has even helped me show my urban born children that food does not grow in Kalerwe market, but it is planted and looked after to maturity,” Kizza says.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});