agriculture 5 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
From Job Loss to Urban Farming Success: Arihomugisha's Resilient Agribusiness Hub
Anne Arihomugisha transformed her life and home into a thriving urban agribusiness hub after losing her government job. She started with simple vegetable growing in pots and has since expanded into a diverse, climate-smart farming model. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/farming/how-arihomugisha-turned-despair-into-thriving-urban-agribusiness-hub-5486878
Losing a stable government job after 17 years left Anne Arihomugisha in a state of despair, questioning her future. However, instead of succumbing to the setback, she chose a path of innovation and resilience, repurposing her home in Kitala Village, Entebbe, into a vibrant urban agribusiness centre.
Her journey began modestly in October 2018, pooling resources with local women to cultivate vegetables. Arihomugisha started with indigenous greens like dodo, grown in pots on her veranda. Her initial earnings of Shs1,000 felt like a significant victory, marking the beginning of a profound personal and professional transformation.
By 2021, her venture evolved into JERO Farm, a testament to turning personal tragedy into a flourishing enterprise. Arihomugisha’s half-acre residence is now an environmentally friendly agribusiness hub, showcasing small-space utilization and recycling. She practices organic farming, integrating vegetable gardens, hydroponic systems, and livestock like hens, goats, cows, and fish.
She emphasizes the interconnectedness of her farm, where livestock feed plants and vice versa, utilizing resources like azolla for bird feed and cow dung for biogas. This closed-loop system not only supports her household needs but also serves as a model for climate-smart urban agriculture. Arihomugisha actively promotes organic produce, sharing personal health benefits, including improvements for her husband’s cholesterol and her mother’s mobility.
Furthermore, she has adopted hydroponic farming, a soil-less technique that allows her to grow various lettuce varieties year-round. This method generates a steady income of at least Shs700,000 monthly with minimal input costs, demonstrating its cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability in urban settings. Beyond food production, her farm includes a healing garden with medicinal herbs, designed for relaxation and stress relief, combating the effects of city pollution.
Arihomugisha advocates for government policies supporting urban farming, highlighting the underutilization of urban spaces. Her initiative aligns with broader efforts to promote sustainable agriculture and food security in Uganda, as emphasized by figures like Lillian Nakigozi of the Women Grow Initiative.