He despised farmers, now he advises on farming

By Stella Naigino

Before he took on farming, he used to despise farmers calling them low income earners.

Today Juma Sentamu is among those who advise others to invest in farming because of the returns.

He says through farming he is sure of a meal at the end of the day and also his children’s basic needs are met by the income he gets from farming.

Sentamu and his wife grow egg plants

He deals mostly in growing egg plants, tomatoes and pumpkins which he says have changed his life.

How he started

In 2013, Sentamu rented land to venture into farming on the advice of his friends.

He started with maize and beans for subsistence but later ventured into various things.

Today he is a farmer of all seasons in Miytana district.

Sentamu also rears kroilers

How he does his work

As the planting season approaches, Sentamu prepares his garden so that he plants in time.

He first plants his seeds in a nursery bed, after three weeks, he transfers to the main garden.

He says applying manure is very important to ensure soil fertility so that the crops grow very fast.

Sentamu grows pumpkins among other things

However, much as other farmers buy fertilizer from him, Sentamu rears chicken so he uses his chicken droppings as fertilizers though he sells some to other farmers hence earning from the droppings as well.

He has over 200 kroilers which he also sells at sh25,000 per bird. His egg plants and tomatoes earn him about sh2m per season.

The pumpkins are sold depending on the size although most buyers are hotel owners.

This has changed his life and his way of doing things.

Sentamu has acquired several plots of land and also been able to take care of his family