Peter Vundru, 23 years old, is from Adjumani district in Uganda and was forced to drop out of school, due to a lack of income for school fees. Being a resourceful man, staying unemployed was not an option. Inspired by his parents who had a backyard garden for their livelihood, Peter started growing tomatoes, cabbage, and okra and has become a successful entrepreneur and model in his community.

In September 2021, Peter’s farmers’ group called Ama Ebeku, with 20 members (6 women), was selected as a beneficiary of the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP). The project is implemented by SAA-Uganda in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and funded by the Government of Japan. The programme promotes Market-Oriented Horticulture farming in refugee-hosting sub-counties of Adjumani district. Under the project, a market survey is conducted ahead of the season to help farmers identify marketable produce to grow.

“I was equipped with good agronomical practices, such as proper site and quality seed selection, timely land preparation and proper planting, timely weeding, pest and disease management, line planting, right seed rate, and farming as a business among others,” Peter said. “This year, I planted 40 gms of Asilla FI and 100 gms Rio- grande tomato varieties in January 2022 on 2 acres of land using the skills I acquired; and for the first harvest, I got 18 boxes which earned UGX 7,200,000(USD1,868). Later on, I harvested 12 more boxes worth UGX 4,800,000 (USD1,316),” he added.

From his profit, Peter bought a motorcycle and better-yielding seed varieties for the next season. He has since become a model farmer that supplies tomatoes in his community and the main district market, Awindiri.

Peter plans to buy a small-scale solar-powered irrigation system to use during dry spells and fence off his farm to keep livestock out. He is also giving back by employing youths who have dropped out of school due to financial restraints.

Retrieved from SAA E-Newsletter, issued in January 2023 with Focus on Market-oriented Agriculture