Rev. Shem Turyahikayo, a retired Church of Uganda reverend, is among the many residents of Rukungiri District whose lives have been transformed by the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) piggery project.
At 64 years old, Rev. Turyahikayo has successfully overcome a difficult and financially unstable retirement period after he and members of his group, Kayungwe Model Farmers and Piggery Project, received six hybrid pigs from the MSC piggery demonstration farm in Rukungiri.
The demonstration farm is run by Dr. Sam Akankwasa under the Rukungiri Producer Cooperative Union.
Out of the six pigs distributed to the group, Rev. Turyahikayo received two pigs two years ago.
With training from MSC and Dr. Akankwasa on proper piggery management and effective use of small land, he applied the knowledge gained from the model farm. He managed the pigs well, leading to successful breeding and rapid expansion of his piggery enterprise.
“I retired from being a Reverend of Kayungwe Church of Uganda seven years ago. When I had just retired, I was redundant and not productive at all because I was not engaged in any serious income-generating activity. I had planted coffee plantations, but I did not see them as a serious business. Life was really not okay, but when I heard about the MSC program where they train people how to rear pigs and also give free improved breeds, I went there, listened, learned, and with my group we got six pigs,” Rev. Turyahikayo explained.
He said he did not initially realize how much the pigs would change his life until they began reproducing.
“I was happy when, out of the six pigs that my group received, I got two pigs as the chairperson. I became even happier when the two pigs gave birth and started multiplying. It reached a time when I, who received only two pigs as seed capital, had 38 pigs in the sty,” he said.
As the pig population increased, Rev. Turyahikayo began selling some of them. With the proceeds, he diversified his income sources by investing in a milling business.
“Out of the 38 pigs, I sold 34 and remained with only four. I used the money to buy a second-hand milling machine at Shs 3.5 million. This machine mills maize, millet, sorghum, and cassava for people, and in a day I earn not less than Shs 20,000 from it,” he said.
He noted that before acquiring the machine, he used to transport his harvests to town for milling.
“Back then, I would take my harvests to town for milling, but now that I bought my own machine, I mill food for home consumption and also for other people as a business,” he added.
The piggery project has also boosted his crop farming activities by providing manure for his gardens.
“The piggery project has also helped my other projects like coffee and banana plantations to grow healthy using the manure that I get from the pigs,” he said.
Reflecting on his journey, Rev. Turyahikayo said the transformation has significantly improved his family’s welfare.
“Life was not easy to the extent that even taking children to school was hard, but now with these projects, they study easily,” he noted.
Despite the success, he highlighted the high cost of pig feeds as a major challenge. However, he credited MSC experts for training farmers on alternative feeding methods.
“Feeds are expensive, but MSC taught us alternative feeding methods, including the use of grass, which has helped us a lot,” he said.
He urged the government and MSC to continue supporting farmers.
“We thank the government and the Microfinance Support Centre for this initiative, and we ask you to continue supporting us with more pigs,” he added.
Rev. Turyahikayo is the chairperson of Kayungwe Model Farmers and Piggery Project Group, which has 20 members. Each member now owns pigs.
According to the group members, only a few initially received pigs, but after reproduction, piglets were shared among other members. Today, all members are actively engaged and progressing with their projects.
One of the beneficiaries, Liberty Agatha, expressed gratitude to MSC during a visit to her farm in Kayungwe.
“I received one pig. My pig gave birth to eight piglets, and in the second phase it gave birth to nine more, enabling me to have 17 pigs in just two years. I have managed to sell some and handle other life challenges,” she said.
She added that piggery has given her a new sense of purpose.
“Before these pigs, I had no plans apart from waking up, going to the garden, and coming back. Nowadays, I have what I call a business that gives me income I never expected,” she said.
The Microfinance Support Centre, in partnership with the Rukungiri Producer Cooperative Union, continues to distribute pigs as seed capital to organized farmer groups under its piggery demonstration project. The initiative targets rural communities to increase household incomes and stimulate local economic growth.
The piggery model farm also provides hands-on training, ensuring beneficiaries acquire practical skills before receiving pigs as seed stock.
Dr. Sam Akankwasa said the project has shifted farmers from traditional pig rearing to improved breeds and modern practices.
“Before we started distributing free improved breeds with support from the Microfinance Support Centre in partnership with Rukungiri Producer Cooperative Union, people were rearing local breeds. Now, people have improved pigs and are equipped with modern pigsties. With access to manure, plantations have also improved, adding more money to people’s pockets,” he said.
With visible results across the districts of Rukungiri, Rukiga, Mitooma, Kanungu, and Ntungamo, the MSC piggery project continues to stand out as a successful model for rural livelihood transformation.
