Mr. Tinkamanyire James 67 years old, a resident of Rweshende, Ntungamo district is considered a senior citizen in Uganda. Tinkamanyire started farming way back in the 1990’s since it was regarded as lifestyle that for every adult man and woman in the area.

He initially used to only practice zero grazing in the early 1990’s but now does both cattle keeping, vegetable growing, and fishery to mention but a few.

In his early years, Tinkamanyire practiced farming using agro-chemicals which he says used to destroy the soil fertility, incurred high costs buying them which reduced his profit margin after harvesting.

He recalls the good old days that he travelled all over the world to places like America in 1995 under the Heifer project as a Ugandan representative. He was among the most successful implanters of the project since his cow used to produce 48 litres of milk a day for eight months.

“I could not believe that me the villager from Rushende was the one flying to these dream destinations like the US and Israel,” Tinkamanyire recalled.

Coincidentally, his daughter Ms. Nahabwe Peskin was among the lucky few people that were invited my PELUM Uganda for a KHEA Farmer training in the year January 2022 on which she transferred the knowledge and skills unto them as a family entirely.

This excited him a lot since he always desired to learn about organic farming but did not know where to acquire the knowledge and skills. This love to know about organic farming had resulted from the various Agricultural trade fairs and work shops he had attended where they were always warning them about rejection of their hot pepper on the international market due to use of chemicals which made them have low quality

After the training by PELUM Uganda, he was able to form an organisation together with other farmers called “Rweshande Organic Farmers Association that intends to teach and spread the message of Agroecology within their home village and neighboring places.

Tinkamanyire has been able to train farmers as a multiplier on the KCOA project under PELUM Uganda to make organic fertilizers from coffee husks, ash, water mixture, maize bland, molas, yeast, manure tea that he says have done wonders for the yields and appearance of his plants.

Tinkamanyire testifies to eating more healthy food due to growing organic food in less than a year since he only began in January 2022. He says he is at less risk of diseases as he learnt form the training by PELUM Uganda and helps soil and environment preservation. The profits he gets from his farming are more since organic products are cheaper but last longer in the soil unlike artificial products that need weekly rejuvenation.

For more information visit; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9kBXeafjoo&t=5s

Success story collection – done by Ezra Kalule – KHEA Project Officer – PELUM Uganda,

Edited, reviewed&uploaded by Magino Pamella-KHEA Communications Officer-PELUM Uganda and Biovision Africa Trust Kenya

Author: Pamella Magino

Ms. Magino Pamella joined PELUM Uganda on 1st Oct 2021 as Communications Officer for the KCOA-KHEA project. With 9+ years in Communications and Marketing, she specializes in Public Relations, Business Development, and Marketing. Pamella holds a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication (Public Relations) and is a Certified Member of PRAU. She has worked with organizations like The Nile Basin Initiative and Victoria University Kampala, crafting strategies that drive positive change