2 Heifers from NAADS Transform Women’s group in Lira

Members of Omito Women’s group in Lira district did not to wallow into self-pity and regret as most women do. The 15 women who make up the group have envisaged opportunities in the moments of difficulty by channeling their energies into farming.

For the last 10 years, they engaged in bulking of agricultural produce and it was the savings and loaning out of funds to group members that brought them together. They are located at Anywalonino village, Omito ward in Adyel division.

According to their chairperson 30-year-old Evelyne Agalo, in 2016, the group took a bold decision to start an income generating activity. That is how they approached the implementers of NAADS for the much needed support.

Upon construction of a housing unit for the heifers, two in-calf heifers were delivered to them from NAADS.

Evelyn Agalo

Currently, we get about 20 litres of milk from the two heifers and we think it is far way below what farmers from western Uganda get from their heifers.

The good news however, is the fact that there is ready market for their milk. With a litre costing between sh1,500 to sh2,000, our consistent customers are corporate companies within Lira Municipality.

As one of the strategies to increase on milk production, our plan is to acquire a bigger portion of land outside the municipality to plant high nutritious fodder to feed on their heifers and increase on the number of heifers. We want the heifers to give us more milk, we have the desire and will to be model dairy farmers.

On top of selling milk, we also sell manure to farmers within the district and a small truck costs about sh70,000. In a year, we earn about sh1m from cow dung alone.

Benefits

Using the income from milk sales, the women have provided employment to a one Kenneth Tia, an orphan who dropped out of school while in senior two. They want him to use the monthly earnings to go to a vocational institute and pursue a hands on course.

Challenges

Their biggest challenge is the existence of resistant acaricides to the ticks and their failure to conduct artificial insemination at the right time.

Their future plans include buying high quality breeds from western Uganda and planting high value fodder to improve on the heifer’s milk outputs.