By Shivan Ayebare
The Minister of State for Finance, Henry Musasizi, has urged residents of the Kigezi sub-region to adopt intensive farming as population growth continues to put pressure on agricultural land.
Musasizi said land shortages in the region require households to make better use of the space available, including reducing the size of residential compounds to leave more land for farming.
He made the remarks while presiding over the graduation of 318 women from Rubanda District who completed a 12-day skills training programme at the Uganda National Institute for Teacher Education (UNITE), Kabale Campus.
The women received training in agricultural value addition, entrepreneurship and business management under the government’s Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) Project, funded by the World Bank.
Musasizi, who is also the Rubanda East Member of Parliament, said households could earn more from small pieces of land by combining crop growing, livestock keeping and other agricultural activities.
He encouraged the graduates to share the skills they had acquired with other residents and urged farmers to consider the profitability of their activities before investing.
“If you’re going to grow beans, matooke or peas, you should first establish how much profit you’re going to make,” Musasizi said.
Rubanda District Woman MP Evelyn Ninsiima Kikafunda welcomed the training, particularly in organic manure production, saying it would help farmers reduce their dependence on chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
She said the skills would also enable women to improve production while adopting farming practices that protect the environment and human health.
Some of the graduates said the training had equipped them with skills in financial literacy, customer care and income-generating activities.
Hellen Kyokusiima, a beneficiary from Bubare Town Council, said the knowledge gained would help women improve their businesses and household incomes.
However, another beneficiary, Judith Byoruganda, asked the government to support women entrepreneurs in obtaining certification from the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to enable them to access international markets.
She also called for further training in packaging, branding and value addition to improve the quality of their products.
The GROW Project Coordinator, Dr Ruth Aisha Biyinzika Kasolo, said all 318 graduates had been profiled to establish their business needs and monitor their progress.
Kasolo said she would begin following up on their projects in January 2027 and reward beneficiaries whose businesses demonstrate outstanding performance.
Rubanda West MP Bruce Balaba Kabaasa pledged to work with district leaders and fellow legislators to find ways of supporting the graduates and helping them train other women in their communities.
Rubanda District Principal Assistant Secretary Elly Mucunguzi said some beneficiaries had already received funding under the GROW Project, while efforts were underway to help others access government financing.
The GROW Project is a five-year government programme running from 2022 to December 2027, funded through a US$217 million World Bank grant.
It supports women-owned businesses through access to finance, business training and other services intended to help them expand their operations.
