Experience Kigezi
We are three students from TU Delft: Remko, Stijn and Maxime. Together with Godfrey Munezero and Seed2Feed, we plan to set up a greenhouse in the Kisoro region that will improve food security.
Godfrey Munzero (28) is a young entrepreneur who lives and grows in the Kisoro region in Uganda. The area is known for its mountain gorillas and volcanoes. Kisoro is a region at 1800 m above sea level. This means that the days are warm and the nights are cold, which is ideal for growing tomatoes. Godfrey organizes cycling tours through the region and previously had a small greenhouse measuring 10 by 5 by 2.5 meters.
Godfrey's goal is to switch to fully covered cultivation, something that is not actually done in his region yet. Indoor cultivation is better because you can influence things such as humidity, temperature and using less pesticides. Godfrey is an organic farmer and hopes to inspire more farmers in the Kisoro region to switch to protected cultivation. Besides being better for the environment, it is also a good way to deliver better and nourishing vegetables to the local population. Hopefully this will lead to better living conditions in the region. Godfrey experiences the usual challenges related to (protected) cultivation of vegetables, including dealing with soil fertility, seed quality, diseases and pests, temperature and humidity. Together with him we will solve these points to achieve our goals. Seed2Feed will also help us tackle these goals using their knowledge of horticulture and cultivation.
Our plan is to build a larger greenhouse together with Godfrey. This greenhouse should be 20 by 8 by 4. The greenhouse will collect its own water in a tank. Switching to a larger greenhouse will lead to greater production for Godfrey. He will supply schools, the local market, supermarkets and hotels in the region.
Where does your money go?
Your money will be used to build the greenhouse. Think of installing posts and UV plastic, but also buying the seeds and furnishing the greenhouse. Growing tomatoes requires a lot of attention and in terms of care, tomato plants especially need a sunny position and warm, well-fertilized, water-permeable soil. That is why we also plan to install an irrigation system and water pump with Godfrey. This will ensure that his tomatoes improve not only in quantity but also in quality.
What do you get in return?
For a donation of various amounts you can receive items as a gift! For example, a mug, a nice cup of tomato soup or a bag of tomato seeds to grow your own plants!
