How a drawing of the future sparked a transformation in Busoga
Elijah Wanume, a 47-year-old farmer from Kavule E Village of Busoga, Uganda, still clearly remembers that parish meeting. Like many others, he arrived thinking it would be another routine discussion about farming challenges. Instead, he found himself sketching a picture of his household, visualising how he organised his farm, what he struggled with, and where he hoped to be in five years.
Looking at the drawing, something became obvious. His poultry, crops, and livestock were all there, but instead of planning ahead, he was reacting to problems as they arose.
When planning becomes practice
That moment marked Elijah’s introduction to Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP), a process that helps farming families pause, reflect, and deliberately plan their future collaboratively into a more intentional farming strategy. Rather than introducing new technologies first, PIP begins with a mindset: visualising goals, organising resources, and agreeing—together—on how to get there.
For Elijah’s household, planning quickly turned into action. He reorganised his small poultry unit, which had once consisted of just five hens. With better timing, coordinated hatching, and consistent care, losses dropped sharply. Within months, the flock had grown to more than 80 birds.
The changes didn’t stop there. Tick control improved. Napier grass was planted. Banana and coffee were intercropped again. Soil management became intentional. Today, Elijah’s family sells milk every day and is preparing to shift to zero-grazing.
But perhaps the biggest shift is invisible. Farming is no longer guesswork. It is coordinated, discussed, and planned. Elijah now mentors 14 neighbouring farmers, sharing not just techniques, but a mindset. In Kavule E, one household’s clarity is quietly reshaping an entire village.
“Even the garden is planned”
In Nansololo Village, a new phrase has entered everyday conversation: even a garden is planned.
The saying comes from the household of Babirye Prossy and her husband, Constantine. The couple used to farm separately. Each managed their own small plots. Money came in—but also disappeared quickly. Tasks overlapped. Long-term goals were never clearly discussed.
Things changed when they sat down together to map their household. Using a simple “family tree” exercise, they listed their crops, livestock, income sources, and responsibilities. For the first time, they could see how fragmented their efforts had been.
With a shared plan, priorities became clear. Labour was pooled. Decisions were discussed. The poultry unit, once just two hens, has grown to 26 birds. Income from sales now goes toward agreed goals: buying school supplies, improving their home, and saving for the future.
A farm that became a classroom
At 60, having farmed for decades, Edith Awula thought she knew it all.
A retired teacher from Kasozi Parish, she had relied on experience and instinct for years. Once Edith and her family developed their very first action plan, they presented it to their parish priest for blessing, symbolizing their commitment to change and the seriousness with which they would pursue it.
Edith’s ten beehives now bring in about UGX 120,000 each month—income she describes as “a blessing that came with clarity.” With her confidence growing, she is preparing to establish a 1,000-layer poultry unit, something she once believed was far beyond her reach.
Today, her farm is more than a livelihood. It is a learning space. Neighbours visit to learn about fodder, goat housing, vegetables, and beekeeping.
Edith smiles at the idea that she is teaching again—just without a chalkboard.
When a region rethinks farming
Elijah, Prossy, and Edith live in different villages, but their journeys follow the same path. First came a shift in mindset. Then, a shared household vision. From there, a clear plan—and finally, visible improvements in productivity, income, and cooperation.
Participatory Integrated Planning does not begin with inputs or infrastructure. It begins at the household table, with conversation, drawings, and decisions made together. Across Busoga, families are starting to see their homes not just as places to live, but as systems to manage—intentionally and collectively.
How does individual action leads to collective change
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