Building a Poultry Business with a Plan

In Nsiima Bulondo, Kamuli District, Uganda, Hadijjah Kayaga is working towards a goal she once had to approach one step at a time: building a poultry business with 300 birds.

For Hadijjah, the difference is not simply the number of chickens she keeps. Through INSPIRE’s Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) approach, her family has learned to look beyond immediate needs and plan for what they want to achieve in the future.

“INSPIRE has helped my family understand the value of planning ahead. My husband and I now plan and grow the business together,” Hadijjah says.

Turning an idea into a business

Before the support, Hadijjah’s ambition was clear, but turning poultry into a growing business required more than simply keeping birds. Through the Twezimbe Butende Poultry Entrepreneurial Group, PIP farmers received training in business planning, record keeping and goal setting. They also learned to approach poultry as a business rather than only as a farming activity.

INSPIRE connected the group with Uzima Poultry Company, giving farmers access to quality chicks, farm inputs, technical training and links to larger markets. For Hadijjah, these connections have helped make her business goal more practical.

“Having reliable partners has helped us understand how to plan the business and connect our production to the market. We now have a clearer idea of where we are going and what we need to do to get there,” she says.

The support also helped Hadijjah access finance through the group’s connection with Mbulamuti Tunikire SACCO. Seven farmers from the poultry group received loans totalling UGX 11.5 million (approx. €2,700). Hadijjah received UGX 1.2 million (approx. €280), which she has invested as part of her longer-term household plan.

A business with room to grow

Hadijjah’s 100 birds are a step towards her target of 300. She now plans to expand her poultry house so that she can accommodate the larger flock.

For her, the biggest change is having a shared direction for the household and a practical plan for turning that direction into reality.

“My goal is to have 300 birds. I am not there yet, but I am working towards it. With the planning, the support from my husband and the connections we have made, I can see how we can grow the business,” Hadijjah says.

Her experience reflects one of the principles behind INSPIRE’s approach: helping households develop their own plans, while connecting them with the knowledge, finance, inputs and markets needed to act on those plans. In Hadijjah’s case, the ambition remains hers but she now has a clearer path towards it.