The Smile of a Big Harvest

By Sabino Munguci, a farmer in the Nutrition and Income Generation Intervention project. Sabino is 47 years old and is the father of six children. He lives in Odulugo village.

TEREGO DISTRICT, UGANDA – When I was growing tobacco, I had to wait 6 to 7 months after planting before I could earn any money, which made it very difficult for me and my family to pay for school fees and household necessities. 

But then I started growing vegetables with support from East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation (EWS-KT). After being trained on seedling production, soil and water conservation, fertiliser application, and crop protection, I began to grow my own eggplants. After 3 months, I can now earn 30,000–40,000 Ugandan shillings (US$9–$11) on a weekly basis. 

This short production cycle has enabled me to have more than one growing season in a year, and the extra income has made it possible for me to manage my village saving groups. I am now planning to increase the acreage for production and have bought seeds of other crops like tomatoes, cabbages, and leafy vegetables, which I will grow in different seasons for a steady income.

I want to thank the EWS-KT team. Because I can provide economic security for my family, we now live a happy life in our home.

Nutrition and Income Generation Intervention (NIGI) improves access to and consumption of nutritious crops and increases income for refugees and hosts in refugee settlement areas in the West Nile Region of Uganda. This project is co-funded by Netherlands Embassy Uganda and is managed by EWS-KT in collaboration with Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation.