URUKUNDO FARM
A Farm is Started
Our goal for the farm was to be self-sustaining. The growth was constant if slow. Starting out, we employed a manager and three cowboys (farmhands). We also had internship students from other schools who helped with farming.
The Urukundo farm started with a coop of 40 chickens. In Rwanda, if you have a few chickens you have a chicken farm. The chickens were living and playing on the same land as our boys. Boys and chickens do not mix so we needed to move the chickens so next we purchased land and built the first chicken house. Our chicken business grew until we had over 4000 chickens. We sold 200 broilers monthly sold to restaurants and hotels and our 200 layers produced 190 eggs each day. They were both eaten and sold. Chicken manure was sold as fertilizer to neighboring farmers. Their manure fed our Bio Gas project. The Cowboys also cared for cows that gave us milk and also pigs.
Urukundo started farming vegetables on the hillside; not an easy task. Both terracing and irrigation were necessary. We grew our own cabbage, lettuce, carrots, beans, peas, red beets and maize.
Our Cowboy washing the pig.
Farming Today
Our needs have changed and so has our livestock and farming. The land, once used for livestock and agriculture, is now occupied by the school buildings. Subsequently, we downsized our farm.
We now have two pigs who bare piglets that are sold. Our four cows supply milk for the kitchen with any extra sold. 200 layers continue to give eggs to both eat and sell.
