Kasaru Katooma Farms

Our inclusive green enterprise is leveraging on agricultural innovations to address food insecurity, unemployment and climate change. Our work is based on climate smart agriculture innovations to defy-seasonal rain-fed subsistence agriculture to build sustainable all-year-lean cost farms. The business is building strengths on innovations to produce bulk and add value to branded food products. To impact on the wider community our mixed enterprise demo commercial farm and out growers are to produce quality food in a sustainable manner and on commercial basis. 1000s of targeted out growers are to learn and be assisted to adopt resilient technologies to increase yield, quality and income. Our customers will save money, enjoy naturally safe, delicious and nutritious food al all year round hence solving food insecurity. We are looking to building a million dollar company that will impact 1000s through direct employment and to the attraction of tourists, local farmers and leaners.

Food insecurity is the underlying challenge being addressed whereby 86% of the total population in Uganda is food insecure. The company is solving a big problem because food insecurity has been perpetual, year in, year out and it’s affecting close to 100% the population. The agricultural sector employs over 70% of the working population yet it contributes less than 30% of GDP. The allocation of about 5% of the total budget to the agricultural sector is a mismatch between the location of labour and opportunities for economic growth. Uganda’s youth unemployment stands at between 64% and 70%, and about 400,000 youths are released annually into the job market to compete for approximately 9,000 available jobs. The cost of climate change inaction in Uganda is 20 times greater than the cost of adaptation estimated at between US$3.1b and 5.9b per year by 2025. Our Company directly address food insecurity, hence reduces malnutrition, women and youth unemployment, climate change impact and poverty.

Our solution is a mixed, climate smart, commercial and demo farm in agro tourism supporting farmers to create wealth using climate smart agriculture innovations (CSAI) established in all year round productive and lean cost farms. We apply and promote proven CSAI in mixed farming to generate multiple revenues and to safeguard against climate change. The company directly produces fresh, safe and hygienic crop and animal products as it expands successful products, high yield & resilient crops and animal species. We technically and materially support out growers to replicate her mixed enterprise model, add value and market aggregated products under one brand. Our company leverages on its superior brand by offering agro-tourism services to local and international tourists. The Company will apply and diffuse climate smart innovations to defy seasonal rain-fed agriculture. Identified unconventional innovations include hydroponic feeds, surface forage, black soldier flies’ proteins, irrigation, vertical farms, planting basins, biogas, solar and on farm research.

Firstly, as an inclusive green enterprise, target subsistence and urban farmers to scale up their knowledge and adaptation of climate smart agricultural technological innovations. Our target is to increase productivity per acre by reducing rain fed-subsistence farming from 82% to 40% of the target community. At household level, our target is that 70% of the project households should attain sustainable food security with diversified revenue streams for a better living.

Secondly, our enterprise targets 1000s of unemployed youth, women and men through creation of jobs. The jobs will be created through co-producers (replicators), out growers and direct employment at different values’ chains levels. There are 1000s that will increase their incomes as casual workers, suppliers, transporters, trainers, processors, extension workers and builders.

In the long run, our agro tourism component will create jobs in form of tour guides, homestay hosts, entertainers and hand craft makers. We will tap into the international markets for foreign exchange within 5-10 years.

In Uganda the agricultural sector is a source of livelihood of over 80% of the population. We are less industrialized hence agriculture is key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. With increased urbanization, there is increasing food demand globally putting pressure on natural resources. In my country the majority of farmers are smallholder who cannot manage the complex market requirements. Our purpose is to apply climate smart agriculture innovations is to run demo commercial farms and an out grower system in producing food to enhance food security globally, employment, poverty reduction and overall economic transformation.  

We are a company run as an inclusive business to create rural wealth using all year round, integrated and lean cost farms.

So, we apply, demonstrate and diffuse climate smart agriculture innovations, expand successful products, high yield and resilient species.  Our enterprise is about generating multiple revenue streams to safeguard growers against severe weather conditions and seasonal market uncertainties.

As a commercial demo farm, we will directly produce fresh, safe and hygienic food. Also as a collective business model, we’re focused to enable 1000s of grassroots youth, women and agro-entrepreneurs’ access to sustainable markets. Therefore the enterprise will partner with farmers, technically and materially support replicators (out growers), aggregate, add value and market high value agro products under one brand locally and internationally. We are to obtain international certification for niche markets like Fairtrade.