For many smallholder farmers in Buluguyi Sub-county, Bugiri District, farming is more than a source of food. It is a pathway to a better future. For 32-year-old Stella Kwagala, soybean farming has opened the door to increased income, new investments and renewed hope for her family.
Stella is a member of the Nsango Self-Help Group. Before the group was established in her village, she regularly walked four kilometres to the Buluguyi Sub-county headquarters to attend weekly training sessions under the Stimulating Agribusiness for Youth Employment (SAYE) project.
“When the SAYE project started, I walked from Nsango village to the sub-county headquarters every week to attend training with a few of my friends,” Stella recalls. “Fortunately, the project later expanded to our area, and the Nsango Self-Help Group was formed in our village. My husband and I joined, and the training was brought closer to us.”
SAYE is implemented by Heifer International in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and local partners, including ASIGMA, CURAD, the Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Uganda (FSME) and Financial Sector Deepening Uganda(FSDU). Through the group, Stella and her husband received training in mindset and behaviour change, informal savings and lending, line planting and improved crop-production practices. The knowledge transformed how Stella approached soybean farming.
During Season A of 2025, Stella purchased 40 kilograms of 6N soybean seed for UGX 40,000 and planted it on two acres. She applied the practices she had learned, including planting in rows and using organic fertilisers and pesticides. At harvest, she collected 983 kilograms of soybean. She sold 800 kilograms at UGX 2,000 per kilogram, earning UGX 1.6 million.
Encouraged by the results, Stella expanded her production during Season B of 2025. She planted 103 kilograms of seed on two and a half acres and harvested 1,240 kilograms of soybean.
“I had never seen a harvest like this in my life,” she says. “I have grown soybean since I got married, but I had never achieved such results. The training taught me the importance of planting quality seed. I previously harvested about 80 kilograms from an acre, but today I can harvest about 400 kilograms.”
Stella sold 1,000 kilograms at Busia Market for UGX 2,000 per kilogram, earning UGX 2 million. She retained the remaining 240 kilograms as seed for Season A of 2026.
The income enabled Stella and her husband to purchase a Bajaj motorcycle for UGX 2.5 million. They turned it into an additional source of income by operating it as a boda boda in Kampala. While Stella manages the farm at home, her husband works in the city, earning between UGX 40,000 and UGX 50,000 a day.
“My husband sends me money to invest in the gardens and support our family,” Stella says. “Before joining SAYE, we struggled to meet our needs. Today, our family is doing well.”
Stella is already looking beyond her present success. She plans to build a permanent home and invest in more cattle and goats to strengthen the family’s livelihood.
“I believe we will build our permanent house in the near future,” she says. “I also want to buy more cows and goats. These investments will help sustain our family for years to come.”
For Stella, a small investment in quality seed has grown into far more than a successful harvest. It has created new income streams, strengthened her family’s resilience and given her confidence to plan for the future.
“I encourage other young people in my community to join the SAYE project and take advantage of the opportunities it provides,” she says.
