PDM success stories in Busoga show how small investments can transform lives

COMMENT | NANTEZA SARAH KYOBE |  What can Sh1 million mean to a family struggling to make ends meet? For someone running a booming business, it may seem like a little amount. But for a farmer who has spent years watching opportunities pass by because of a lack of capital, it can be the start of a life-changing journey.

Across Busoga, the Parish Development Model (PDM) stories of beneficiaries offer a practical answer to this question. From piggery and poultry farming to goat and cattle rearing, modest investments are helping households diversify their income sources, acquire land and build homes.

These stories demonstrate that small investments, when put into productive use, can create opportunities that extend far beyond the initial funding.

In Bugiri District, Taaka Naume is one such example. After receiving Sh1 million through PDM in 2023, she invested in piggery, starting with two pigs.

One pig produced seven piglets, and Naume sold five at Sh50,000 each, earning Sh250,000. She retained the other two to expand her enterprise. In a subsequent litter of six piglets, she sold five for another Sh250,000 and kept one for breeding.

She later sold the male pig for Sh400,000 and invested in crop farming on rented land, earning UGX 1.6 million.

By saving and combining income from piglet sales, the sale of the male pig, and crop production, Naume accumulated enough money to purchase land worth Sh3 million. She continues to rear pigs and grow crops to support her livelihood.

Another beneficiary in Bugiri, Fred Bogere, chairperson of Namayimba East B Village, started his piggery enterprise in 2022 with UGX 970,000.

Bogere started with two pigs and expanded his business by selling piglets. Over time, he diversified into goat and cattle rearing. At the time of our visit, he had eight goats, eight pigs, one cow and a calf.

He said he sells fully grown pigs for amounts approaching Sh1 million per animal, depending on size and weight.

In Kasule Ward, Namayimba Town Council, Bugiri District, Nandyose Daphine Ruth has also used PDM funding to strengthen her poultry business and venture into other agricultural activities.

Ruth received Sh1 million in 2024. She invested Sh 200,000 in 10 hens at Sh 20,000 each and Sh 160,000 in two cocks at UGX 80,000 each, adding to her existing small poultry business. She spent the remaining Sh 740,000 on poultry feeds, veterinary drugs, and improvements to her rearing facilities.

Her first sales generated Sh 480,000 from selling 12 hens at Sh 25,000 each and six cocks at Sh 30,000 each.

Rather than confining herself to poultry, Ruth used part of her earnings to purchase an expectant goat, marking her entry into goat rearing. She also retained some of her poultry for breeding.

At the time of our visit, six hens were incubating eggs, while four others were caring for chicks. Each hen was producing between six and 10 chicks.

Ruth later invested proceeds from her poultry business in maize farming. Although she already owned some land, she had previously lacked the capital to cultivate it. Earnings from the poultry sale enabled her to plant maize and harvest three bags from her small piece of land.

In Jinja District, Nabutono Topista, a resident of Railway Cell in Walukuba West Ward, has used PDM-supported poultry farming as a foundation for investments in livestock and housing.

Topista started her enterprise in 2023 after receiving Sh 970,000 from the Sh 1 million allocation, with Sh  30,000 deducted as back charges.

She invested Sh 540,000 in 60 one-month-old chicks at Sh  9,000 each and spent the remaining Sh 430,000 on poultry feeds. When the birds matured, she sold all 60 hens at Sh 30,000 each, generating Sh 1.8 million in sales revenue.

Topista invested Sh 1 million of the proceeds in 10 goats, each costing Sh 100,000, on her daughter’s advice to rear goats. She saved the remaining balance, totalling Sh 800,000.

She later ventured into cattle rearing with guidance from the veterinary doctor, treating her goats. She sold the 10 goats and purchased a pregnant cow, which subsequently gave birth to a calf and began producing milk.

The cow produced 10 litres of milk daily, with five litres collected in the morning and another five in the evening. Selling the milk generated approximately Sh 10,000 a day.

As her enterprise developed, Topista sold the calf after it matured into a cow for Sh 2.4 million. She combined the proceeds with other savings to begin constructing her own house, which was nearing completion at the time of our visit.

She also sold goats for Sh 1.2 million because of limited space and used the money to purchase iron sheets for the house. She continues to rear livestock and had three cows at the time of our visit.