MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE STORY

On the left: Mr. Kalaija in his new banana garden and on the right he is monitoring his old banana plantation.

Name of Story Teller: Omuhereza Kalaija

Sub-county: Harugongo

Parish: Nyantabooma

Village: Buharani supper

District: Kabarole

Person recording: Kwesiga James.

Change domain Livelihood.

When it happened: 2015

Am called Omuhereza Kalaija aged 63 years living at Harugongo Sub-County, Nyantabooma Parish, in Buharani supper village.

In the year 2013 we were taken to Mbarara and Bushenyi with few of my neighbors for the banana exchange learning visit. The most disappointing part is that none of us took work in banana so seriously as we were still interested in Irish potatoes and Onions knowing that they were the only paying enterprises in this village amidst the fertile expanse land many of us own

In 2014, an extension officer from KRC visited me in my own shabby and mismanaged banana plantation, we invited my neighbors and we had a training in banana agronomy. KRC extension officer kept coming to my banana plantation to give onsite advice and to me it was very a shaming to get the advice and when the officer comes back to check I had not put what he taught me into practice. This kept me working harder to please the KRC officer and in return it was only me benefiting not the officer. My family and I had less than an acre of banana plantation as the rest of the land had been reserved for onions and Irish potato farming.

I maintained my banana plantation using the knowledge and skills gained from the trainings in banana agronomy and currently I harvest on average 35 bunches of bananas per month and sometimes buy a few bunches from my neighbors of which I sell in Ntoroko at a price between shs18000-20,000 for big bunches and between shs10,000-13,000/= for small bunches and sometimes sale to Mubende markets where I was connected to by Byamukama Kalaija my son who works there at a price between 18,000 and 22,000 for small and big bunches respectively. My income has now improved and the benefits are so enticing. I get the income between 630,000 to 800,000shs per month. I can now comfortably afford to pay workers and I have already expanded my plantation to four acres and have a target of five acres. I will expect to be harvesting over 100 bunches of banana per month.I even regret for not starting right away in 2013 after the banana exposure visit. Thanks to KRC for continued trainings and follow-ups in banana agronomy.