Pallisa Peasants Embrace Poultry Farming Through Hatch for Wealth Initiative

What the report says

Dokolo Post reports that a savings group in Pallisa District has grown into a poultry-focused livelihood project with 290 members. The Hatch for Wealth initiative, started by social worker and Crane Financial Services Director Emmanuel Oboi, combines daily saving with small-scale poultry farming to help households move beyond subsistence agriculture and generate income.

According to the report, Oboi said members were first encouraged to save UGX 300 a day before poultry was introduced as an enterprise that can work where land is limited. He described Pallisa and the wider Bukedi Sub-region as among Uganda’s poorer areas, saying a change in financial habits and attitudes was central to improving household welfare. The project promotes poultry as a source of both food and cash, with eggs reportedly selling at about UGX 400 each.

Senior poultry trainer Erina Mooka advised participants on stocking density, ventilation, dry litter, hygiene and disease prevention. She recommended Noiler and Kuroiler birds for rural farmers because they can produce both meat and eggs, and said improved breeds should not be dismissed as too costly to feed. The report says she also told farmers that buyers were available for eggs, including in large quantities.

The training included accounts from farmers already involved in poultry. Peter Okiria of Gogonyo Sub-county said he expanded from 10 chickens in 2010 to about 1,500 birds and now produces dozens of egg trays daily. Other participants said the programme had improved their understanding of poultry management and encouraged household saving, with one farmer planning to expand his flock by buying 120 chicks.