For a long time, Nakalawa Jane Rose struggled to provide for her family. A single mother of six children and one of the pioneer members of the Nakasenyi Agali Awamu Farmers Field School, her life was marked by uncertainty and hardship. By the time COSMA began working with the cooperative, three of her children had already dropped out of school because she could no longer afford school fees and scholastic materials. Two of her younger children were still in lower primary school, while her youngest child had not yet started school.
At the time, Jane owned only a small piece of land and lived with her children in an unfinished house. Like many smallholder farmers in the community, she practiced subsistence farming with low yields and limited income, making it difficult to meet even the family’s most basic needs.
Her turning point came when COSMA encouraged her to lease one acre of land for commercial farming. Through the cooperative model, she received maize seeds and fertilizers on credit, alongside agronomic training in improved farming practices. Equipped with better knowledge and access to quality inputs, Jane was able to significantly improve the productivity of her farm.
After repaying the agricultural credit she had received, Jane reinvested the remaining income into leasing an additional acre of land. As her farming skills improved and the size of her cultivated land increased, so did her harvests and household income. Over time, she accumulated enough savings to purchase her first piece of land, measuring approximately half an acre, where she planted high-value perennial crops including coffee and bananas.
Today, Jane’s journey reflects the transformative potential of community-based agricultural empowerment.
As of 2026, she has acquired four pieces of land totaling approximately three acres, largely dedicated to coffee and banana farming as long-term sources of household income. In addition, she continues to lease land seasonally to grow crops such as maize, beans, and sweet potatoes.
To strengthen the sustainability and profitability of her farm, Jane diversified into piggery farming, creating an integrated farming system that minimizes waste and maximizes productivity. Part of the maize she produces is used to feed the pigs, maize stalks are used for mulching her coffee and banana plantations, while animal manure is applied as organic fertilizer on the farm. This circular farming approach has helped her reduce production costs while improving soil fertility and farm sustainability.
Her proudest accomplishment has been completing her family house and returning her children to school. One of her sons has since completed a vocational course in building and construction, her second-last born is currently in Senior Three, and her youngest daughter is in Primary Seven.
Jane has also intentionally passed on farming knowledge to her children. During school holidays, they participate in age-appropriate farm activities, helping them appreciate agriculture not only as a source of livelihood, but also as a pathway to resilience and self-reliance.
Today, Nakalawa Jane Rose stands as a powerful testimony of how access to cooperative support systems, agricultural training, and affordable farm inputs can help vulnerable rural women rebuild their livelihoods, educate their children, and create lasting economic stability for their families.