A mechanisation initiative supported by the Local Economic Growth Support (LEGS) Project is improving agricultural productivity and reducing production costs for farmers in Kabarole District.
Robert Abigaba, a resident of Munsiso Village in Kabende Sub-county, says access to a tractor through Kijura SACCO has significantly transformed his farming activities.
For years, Abigaba relied on manual labour to prepare his farmland, a process he describes as both costly and time-consuming. The delays often affected his ability to plant crops on time, ultimately limiting production.
“Since the SACCO acquired the tractor, it has made a big difference in our farming activities. The time spent preparing land has reduced and we are now able to plant within the right season,” Abigaba said.
Before the introduction of mechanised ploughing, he depended on casual labourers to prepare his land at a high cost.
“Previously, it would cost about Shs250,000 to prepare an acre using labourers and it could take up to four days,” he explained.
Due to the high costs and slow pace of manual land preparation, many farmers could only cultivate small pieces of land.
However, Abigaba says the availability of a tractor through the SACCO has reduced the cost of land preparation and improved efficiency.
“Now we pay about Shs120,000 per acre using the tractor and it is done in a very short time,” he said.
The reduced cost and faster turnaround have enabled him to expand his farmland.
“Before we started using the tractor, I was cultivating about nine acres. But now I have expanded my farmland to sixteen acres because preparing land has become easier,” he said.
Abigaba also reports a significant improvement in crop yields, particularly for maize.
“When we were farming manually, I would harvest about five to seven bags of maize per acre. But after we started using the tractor, the yield increased to about ten bags per acre,” he said.
According to him, deeper ploughing by tractors improves soil productivity by burying grass and organic matter that later decompose and enrich the soil.
“When a tractor ploughs, it goes deeper into the soil and buries grass and debris which later turn into manure. This improves soil productivity and increases yields,” he explained.
Despite the progress, Abigaba says the demand for mechanisation services in the area remains high.
“One tractor is not enough because many farmers want to use it. If government could provide another tractor and even a planter, it would help us maximise production,” he said.
The tractor used by Abigaba was acquired by Kijura SACCO in 2024 through support from the Local Economic Growth Support (LEGS) Project.
The project is funded by the Islamic Development Bank through the Ministry of Local Government and implemented by the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC).
Under the arrangement, government contributed 60 percent of the cost while the SACCO raised the remaining 40 percent.
The LEGS Project aims to improve livelihoods by supporting farmer groups and SACCOs with equipment and other resources to boost agricultural production and household incomes in 17 districts across the country.
