Related Articles
BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU
PAKWACH: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2025
In Panyimur, a town council bordering Lake Albert and River Nile in the West Nile district of Pakwach, fluctuations in the water level and reduction in the population of mukene (silverfish) are causing anxiety.
This, coupled with limited adaptive capacity to cope with the disruption has upended the livelihoods of many households, the majority of whom depend on buying, processing and selling of mukene.
A silent revolution is underway in Panyimur, where 11 women and nine men farmers have come together to form the Panyimur Farmers Group Enterprise. This women-led enterprise is shifting away from absolute reliance on fish mongering to goat farming, creating alternative revenue streams for the participating members.
Hassan Mawuzu, a member of the group, has embraced this shift wholeheartedly. The enterprise originally began as the Fungaroo Savings and Loan Association, but under its new direction, it has invested in improved goat breeds using a nuclear goat model.
For Mawuzu, the daily routine of harvesting grass and banana leaves to feed the goats has evolved into an exciting business opportunity.
As the goats’ kids playfully jump up and down on the floor of the wooden shelter and in between the paddocks separated by wire mesh, a lively atmosphere is generated.
“It is a joy to watch,” says Mawuzu, as the group’s 49 goats have grown by 17 kids since their acquisition in November 2024.
Their children also join in sweeping and collecting the goat droppings for manure to be used in the vegetable and crop gardens.
Safety for the goats is provided by 68-year-old Donald Wanirwoth, a group member who also provided the one-acre piece of land on which the project was established. Apart from feeding the goats inside their house, Wanirwoth takes the goats for grazing outside.
The establishment of Panyimur Farmers’ Group Enterprise was a result of strategic intervention by Palladium with funding from the United Kingdom International Development (UKID) under the climate smart jobs project (CSJ).
Palladium is a company with a vast track record of creating strategies, building partnerships, mobilizing capital, and transforming societies in Uganda and elsewhere.
The organisation’s supportive role came in with capacity building and UGX.25m financial credit adding to UGX.10m members’ contribution.
The other groups that Palladium has supported in northern Uganda are Rubangangeyo Farmers Group Enterprise that invested in a sheller under the service model for post-harvest equipment in Kiryandongo refugee settlement, Konya Farmers Group Enterprise that invested in a tractor under service model in Kiryandongo district and Kok Can Ni Kweri Farmers group enterprise that invested in tractor in Dokolo district.
Donald Munguromo, the resident veterinary officer for the Panyimur farmers’ group enterprise, says the uniqueness of the goat rearing project is seen in the smart organisation and active participation of especially the female members.
They have not started selling goats yet, but the women pool small monthly collections, which they use to pay the veterinary officer’s wages, purchase medicines, and cover water bills.
In addition to financial challenges, the vagaries of weather affect the goats through insufficient milk production to support the growth of the kids, many of whom are weak.
The catchment of mukene fish and its price fluctuates with the position of the moon in that when the moon is shiny, the mukene fish is in scarcity and price shoots up to UGX.650,000 but when there is darkness of moon or absence of moon, the mukene fish is harvested in plenty and the price subsequently drops down to UGX.350,000.
This situation is expected to be overcome once the goats multiply to a number which the group can start selling.
Palladium supplied local goats (does) brought from Kenya, Tanzania and other parts of Uganda plus two South African breeds male Boer goats for cross breeding.
Initially the goats were hostile to each other on the farm, but they have now grown accustomed to each other creating a harmonious atmosphere, however, any foreign intruding goat into their grazing area is collectively chased away as if by instinct to preserve their territory.
Once ready for reproduction, a process of natural synchronization shall take place whereby all the female goats will be injected with hormones, and they are then allowed to mix with the male hybrid goats so that at least 80% of the goats conceive at once.
The idea is to ensure that the goats multiply quickly to allow the farmers to start supplying goats to the local market and when they start realizing profits, then they will repay the Palladium credit.
Christine Madawun, the speaker of Pakwach district and the area councillor Panyimur town council, has commended the group members for the decision to diversify their source of income away from fish business, saying that their contribution towards boosting the local economy was noteworthy.
“Women in Panyimur are slowly transitioning from trading in fish as a sole source of income by diversifying with commercial food production and promoting sustainable energy technologies. They are actively engaged in planting trees and by doing this they are promoting conservation of the environment. Through their associations they have schedules for cleaning water sources, mainly tap water and boreholes," explained Madawun.
She added: “some groups of women in Panyimur have been trained by Uganda wildlife Authority on energy efficient technologies by making charcoal stoves that emit less carbons and consume little charcoal.”
