Deogratious Egeru
Meet Deogratious Egeru, Ripple Effect's Enterprise, Development & Innovation Coordinator, based in Kampala.
My role with Ripple Effect involves developing and delivering business training to farmers, supporting them in building organisations that will run as enterprises and opening up access to markets, credit and other financial services.
During the Covid lockdown I turned my hand to growing, like many people around the world at that time. I had a chance to reflect on the work I had been doing to help farmers establish businesses, and it was clear I could become a living example of the enterprise opportunities offered by farming.
Developing my own farm as a business
Agribusiness is now not just something I talk about, it’s what I do. I have a two-acre plot of land, which is the size of the average landholding in Uganda.
I’ve set it up as a model farm where I’m growing crops and rearing rabbits, pigs and goats, which I’m happy to say are bringing me a good income. I plan to expand the businesses to include aquaculture, poultry and dairy farming.
My plan is to demonstrate to young people across our region how much can be achieved with integrated agricultural enterprises on just two acres of land. My ambition is to get this smallholding earning 50 million Ugandan shillings (UGX) a year: the equivalent of a government staff might earn.
Want to hear good news stories from Africa, get involved in fantastic fundraising and be part of exciting events? Fill out your details below and we will keep you updated by email.