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Crossbred Savanna Goat breeds at Ainomugisha's farm. Photo by Stuart Twinomujuni
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With the increase in Uganda’s internet penetration rate currently standing at 11.77 million people (24.6%), we bring you the impact of digitalization of agriculture of a farmer who is showcasing how best anyone can embrace the digital world on our farms. This farmer is using WhatsApp to tell what his engagements are with the people he works with. He talks to potential clients on the platform where most people spend a lot of time on things that do not bring them money.
On a hilly village of Bwoma in the Ryeishe sub-county, Bushenyi district is where we found Maxima Ainomugisha, who had been interested in farming for years.
He cut his ribbon into agriculture in 2015 after completing his Master’ degree in ICT at Kampala International University, (K.I.U)
Armed with Knowledge he acquired from his grandfather, who was a great goat farmer, he used what would have been his capital to buy 20 local goats.
His projection was to crossbreed them and maximize profits as a young goat farmer, a dream he put into reality after he acquired a savannah buck that was given to him by his long-time family friend, Jacqueline Tugume.
With time, the goats had multiplied to 50 heads.
Two years later, Tugume a goat farmer herself, introduced him to a WhatsApp group, The Goaters Network which is based in Kiwanda in Kampala which she created way back in 2015.
Tugume was looking to connect with other farmers in the hope of sharing ideas and helping each other solve common problems among which was better goat prices.
At the time of Joining, Ainomugisha had over 50 goats.
From the onset, group conversations tended to yield much more towards the fact that they were being terribly cheated by traders and middlemen.
Members of the group cried that no matter where they took their goats for sale, they were always pushed to the wall until they sold it at unfavorable prices and for that reason, they combined to form a centralized market in Kiwanda, a gazetted location where they would be able to bypass the traders and sell the goats to the final buyers themselves.
‘’When I badly need money, I just go on the group, make noise, and definitely the interested buyer will send money on my phone and take it’’. He explains.
The group of young, educated workers is determined to change the goat farming business forever but besides helping members get the right price for their goats, they help each other minimize mistakes at the farm.
‘’Goats especially at a younger age tend to be difficult to take care of. They die due to different diseases but members share knowledge and tips on the group and this has helped us greatly’’. He points out.
The group of now 200 members, Ainomugisha says, is now focusing on breeding high-quality goats in order to increase numbers.
Since goat farm was all he had as his personal source of income, Ainomugisha advanced into other projects such as passion fruit growing, Apiary, and cattle keeping in order to get a side income.
On a family land, he used four acres to plant passion fruits which he markets on the same Whatsapp platform to potential buyers for his fruits.
