Tumwebaze fruit farm (T.F.F) is a family private, small scale integrated agricultural farm, which sits on 3.7 acres of land. It was established in 2004, majorly as a fruit producing farm, producing mangoes, guavas, paw paws, grapes, passion fruits, apples, oranges, strawberries, gooseberries, among others.
Through time, the farm has expanded slowly shifting from mainly fruit production to other enterprises like; livestock production (dairy, piggery, and rabbits)
Poultry keeping – broilers, Kroilers, geese, pigeons, guinea fowl, etc
Fish farming in tarpaulins or tanks like tilapia, catfish, mudfish, Mirrocup, etc
Food security, at home which includes Matooke growing, legumes, vegetables, etc
Bio gas production and other minor enterprises that are still upcoming.
Urban farming like sack gardening, bucket farming, polythene farming etc
Annual crops intercropped into main crops
Medicinal shrubs
Value additions of milk products, wine making, fruit salads, fruit juice, etc
OBJECTIVES OF TUMWEBAZE FRUIT FARM
To increase household incomes among the family and community members in the area
To conserve and protect the environment
To fight ignorance and poverty through skills and capacity development.
To share ideologies among group members as a means to discover new talents
To alleviate household poverty through modern farming technologies
To start different enterprises/projects and encourage others to join them
To improve nutrition of members and communities around Mityana and Uganda at large.
To establish a fully-fledged agricultural value chain system that creates more job opportunities for jobless members.
TUMWEBAZE FRUIT FARM VISION
To ensure sustainable social-economic development of the community through understanding and administering modern sustainable agricultural projects.
TUMWEBAZE FRUIT FARM MISSION
To supply high quality agricultural products, i.e., fruit production and improved seedlings of different variety of fruits both to local and international farmers, so that the group realizes progressive livelihood in income generating and environmental protection.
TUMWEBAZE FRUIT FARM AMBITION
Eradicate / reduce poverty in house hold through farming.
TUMWEBAZE FRUIT FARM GOAL
To identify and exploit opportunities at our disposal to improve the status of agriculture as a source of income in Uganda.
SERVICES OFFERED
We train farmers and prospective farmers
We sell our agricultural products
We offer agricultural consultancy to various farmers across the country, at a reasonable cost.
POVERTY REDUCTION
Its anticipated that, in the long run, when we sale seedlings, fruits, fish, poultry, piglets, rabbits, milk products, wine, and Matooke, it will be fetching enough income to the house hold, thus improving our standards of living and protect the environment.
GENDER RESPONSIVENESS
Tumwebaze fruit farm employs both male and females, which include, widows, school drop outs, single mothers, people with disabilities, orphaned boys and girls of 18 years and above.
OTHER BENEFICIARIES
The community will be the indirect beneficiaries due to some employment opportunities.
The farm is used as a demonstration site for training farmers, and prospective farmers, women groups, secondary schools’ students offering agriculture and entrepreneurship, students doing their internship and industrial training from different agricultural institutions, colleges and universities, religious leaders and government employees
The farm intends to provide market linkages for fruits, fish, and animal products.
Seedling propagation, value addition of fruits and procession of wine.
BENEFITS IN IMPLEMENTING THE PROJECT
Improved standards of living
Employment opportunities
Skill development
Improved health (nutrition)
Protecting the environment
Awareness within the community
Exposure in farm activities and use ………. Etc.
CHALLENGES
Tumwebaze fruit farm faces so many challenges in farming, rearing of animals and birds;
The farm is not well fenced so there is need to fence the entire 3.7 acres set aside for fruit farming and fish farming for security reasons
Changes in climatic conditions
Pests and diseases infestation
High labor inputs
Water storage
Fake agricultural and animal drugs
Instability in market prices
Natural hazards e.g., hailstones, drought, (weather changes)
High power tariffs in pumping water from the borehole.