Grace Ntege Nabagala is the owner of the farm in Luwero that Empowering Nations has been blessed to have access to. Grace cares deeply about the women in the EN program and offers her farm as a resource for them to not only learn about ethical farm practices but also to buy produce and ECO-coal for small business purposes. The relationship between the farm and the 6 women who received business loans is recently beginning but we are very hopeful for the future of this partnership.
The Method
Currently, two of the six women who received micro-finance loans are launching produce and charcoal businesses in the local market. The women plan to buy wholesale produce from Grace at a relatively low price and then sell it in the market for a higher retail price. This will result in a greater profit margin for these new businesses while maintaining ethical and sustainable practices.
What We Have
- Piggery with over 50 healthy pigs
- Free range chickens
- Banana Plantation
- Water well
- Wide range of Produce
- ECO-Coal
What is ECO-Coal?
The goal of ECO-coal is to make charcoal out of agricultural waste to then sell to the women in the EN program. Charcoal is one of the primary demands in Uganda and therefore has huge potential to make a large profit in the marketplace. The process of making ordinary charcoal results in deforestation and negative health conditions which is why we are excited and eager to introduce a new approach. Many other organizations are participating in this process and we are excited to be a part of it. This involves burning and carbonizing agricultural waste (dead banana leaves and corncobs) into ash, mixing it with water and cassava flour and then pressing it into charcoal briquettes. The goal is that this will be made by the workers on Grace’s farm and sold to the IGNITE women at a low cost for them to then sell in the market at a higher price.
