100km from Kampala lies a 100 acre jewel in organic farming – Ewaka Demonstration Farm, the flagship farm, orchard, and training site of Mambya Art Foundation. The farm cultivates over 50 varieties of vegetables, fruit trees, and herbs, alongside goat farming.
Attracting regular visitors, Ewaka serves as a learning hub for farmers keen to learn organic farming techniques and purchase quality seedlings and seeds. The farm strictly avoids chemical fertilizers, employing natural pest control methods such as intercropping garlic plants and using garlic water sprays to deter pests.
The 100 acre site has a ‘living’ perimeter fence planted with various shrubs and trees to increase soil health and biodiversity on site. All planting decisions are made using an holistic approach which considers its impact on neighbouring plants, the climate of the site, the biodiveristy of useful insects and birds and the soil health.
Farmers also visit to explore high-market-potential crops like chili and to understand the benefits of integrating tree planting with other crops.
Under the expert management of Joel and Steven, both of whom have specialized in organic agriculture and agroforestry, the farm has planted numerous trees throughout the site to provide shade, enhance soil moisture retention, reduce temperatures, boost biodiversity, and mitigate wind impact.
The site benefits from the expertise of Managing Director Gillian Atukunda, a senior advisor at Holland Greentech, a prominent horticultural company in Uganda. Gillian is dedicated to building the capacity of the Ewaka team, aiming to transform the farm into a model of efficient, sustainable farming that benefits people, plants, and the environment.
Currently, Ewaka Demonstration Farm successfully cultivates a wide array of produce, including tomatoes, eggplant, carrots, spinach, sukuma wiki, cabbage, avocado, mangoes, jackfruit, soursop, bananas, pineapple, muvule, musisi, macadamia nuts, mugavu, beetroot, beans, moringa, maize, hot pepper (kamulali), green pepper, pawpaw, onions, coriander, lusina, lemon, and guava.
Want to visit the farm? Contact kerry@mambya.org to book a tour
