“ One time I was passing by and found what they termed a 2-hour seminar at the sub-county. Then I decided to attend it. In that seminar, they said farming is not only about digging. One can do other things like bee keeping etc. So, I picked that advise “
The Life as Beekeeper
Who belongs to your family / who is living with you?
Me, my wife and 1 son. I also take care of 3 orphans. So, we are 6 in the family.
How has bee keeping changed your life?
In fact, it has changed my life economically because it has helped me raise capital. Last year I managed to buy many goats, I think seven, from sale of honey. I also now use some of that money to pay laborers who dig my garden. In this place, we get good harvest from the gardens, so if you don’t dig, then that is a big problem. You will lose a lot of money.
What does being a bee farmer mean to you?
Well, I take it as my profession because after technical college, I did one interview and the salary was very little. I decided to concentrate on bee keeping. As I said, I am very lazy in digging. So, what I do is that I have mobilized many people around, and they are all bee keepers but on small scale. Now I collect what they produce…yes, I am now an aggregator. So, you can see, I got market for them and I also cut down transport cost for them. So, when I bring the honey to you, you buy and these people here also get good money. Now I’m doing well. That means a lot to me.
What is the most important thing in your life?
The most important thing in my life is To live a good life. I want to at least buy a nice car and also drive.
What would you like to change in your life?
I want to change my economic life and get out of poverty and become some important person in my community.
What are your biggest challenges and how do you plan to overcome them?
The biggest challenge I face is manpower to do my work. There is a lot of work to be done, but manpower is hard to get. Everybody tends to concentrate on their work, especially when it is so busy time for garden work.
So, for me my plan is to raise enough capital and engage others to work for you. That is why when I get money from selling honey, I use some of it to pay people to dig for me.
What do you do to enjoy yourself?
Some beers at least. You can go to the trading centre and take some beers. But if there is no money, you stay at home just
Which place would you like to see once?
If there was that opportunity, I would like to visit some place outside Uganda.
I have not travelled much, so even going up to Kampala, I would be happy