Betty Ndugga, a female entrepreneur in Uganda

Coffee has traditionally been Uganda’s top export crop. However, since 1993, coffee wilt disease has destroyed over 12 million plants here, forcing many small-holder farmers to abandon their coffee plantations. However, now a wilt resistant variety has been developed, bringing new hope for small holder farmers. Betty Ndugga is a local entrepreneur providing farmers with these seedlings. Betty used to be a clothing trader in the capital Kampala, but after her husband died, she returned to her village and joined a local farmer field school, supported by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, where she was trained in coffee production, after which she decided to establish a nursery. Demand for her seedlings is high, as can be seen by the success she is making of her business. Although she may now be a land owner, as a widow, Betty is well aware of the vulnerability of female headed households and her nursery provides work for such local people, women like Mary Nakityo. Betty’s seedlings are also being bought by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority who distribute them to farmers while also providing training in a drive to revive the sector. Many of these farmers had previously abandoned their coffee plantations but now there is a real sense of optimism. And with such security, farmers in this Saving and Credit Organisation are making plans for a more sustainable future by re-investing their savings into their agricultural activities. Much of this ability to plan for the future has come about because of the work of local entrepreneurs like Betty Ndugga, who are making a good living from agriculture while also helping their communities to prosper.

LOCATIONS: Luwero District, Uganda
SHOT: October 2016
SOUND: Natural, English, Luganda
LUWERO DISTRICT, UGANDA:
1. Farmer chopping down a coffee tree suffering from coffee wilt disease
2. GV of coffee nursery
3. Entrepreneur, Betty Ndugga, in her coffee nursery
4. Betty showing the coffee varieties to camera
5. SOT Betty Ndugga, Entrepreneur (Luganda):
This is the coffee which is not resistant to the wilt disease. And this one here is the new variety.
6. Betty Ndugga working in her nursery
7. GV of nursery
8. SOT Betty Ndugga, Entrepreneur (Luganda):
This is where my first nursery was established. It used to stop here. Then I expanded the nursery all the way up there to the end.
9. Workers in the nursery
10. SOT Betty Ndugga, Entrepreneur (Luganda):
This land belonged to my parents who died. And after I had learned how to raise the coffee seedlings I started to operate this nursery as a business enterprise. I wanted to be able to look after my family because I am a widow. Now I lost my husband.
11. SOT Mary Nakityo, Coffee Nursery Worker (Luganda):
Some women workers do not have husbands but they work on their farm in the morning. Then at nine or ten o’clock they come to the nursery to work and lunch is provided for us workers. We use our earnings from the nursery to pay school fees and meet our family needs, like medical treatment for the children and to buy soap and things we need.
12. Seedlings being unloaded at a large gathering of farmers
13. SOT Zaam Namutaane, Coffee Farmer (English):
Today I’ve taken 250 seedlings that after like, some 2 years to come, I will be able to yield, then I sell and I add on my income, educate my children, look after my family, and all their basic needs. I think in the future life will be good because of that.
14. Farmers gathered in a Saving and Credit Group
15. SOT Eva Nakonde, SACCO Chairperson (Luganda):
We think maybe we should stop lending out our savings as we have already improved our homes. But instead we should save money so farmers like the coffee growers can buy a group-owned truck. So we can take our produce to the market with it.
16. Betty Ndugga at the distribution centre followed by the coffee nursery

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