Judith Bakirya

Judith Bakirya is a Ugandan permaculture farmer. She was named one of the BBC's 100 Women for 2019.^[1]

Early life and education

Bakirya was born in the Bugosa District of Uganda, and raised on a farm, though she did not initially intend to be a farmer.^[2] As a child, in addition to working on her family's farm, Bakirya and her sisters attended school.^[2] At her primary school she qualified for a scholarship to the prestigious secondary school, Mt St Mary's College Namagunga.^[2] She later qualified for a government scholarship to attend university, and earned a Masters in health and development from Birmingham University in the UK.^[2]

Career

In 2000, Bakirya quit her job at an NGO in order to return to farming.^[3] Using her savings and a small loan from the village Savings and Loans Association, she founded Busaino Fruits & Trees.^[2] In 2014, she won the Best Farmers competition sponsored by Vision Group, the Netherlands Embassy in Uganda, KLM Airlines and DFCU Bank.^[4] The prize included a chance to exhibit at the Source of the Nile Agriculture Show^[4] and to attend agricultural exhibitions in the Netherlands.^[5] After this, she opened her own exhibition centre for traditional medicine and culture in Uganda's Jinja District.^[6] In 2017, she began the National Agro-Tourism Institute in Jinja to further promote Ugandan agro-tourism and education.^[7]

Bakirya now runs Busaino Fruits & Trees as an agro-heritage fruit farm of more than 1,000 acres, with a heavy emphasis on agro-tourism and education regarding environmentally sustainable farming practices.^[2] In 2019, this work led to her recognition as one of the BBC's "100 Women" for the year.

References

1. "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
2. "Judith Bakirya: The Ugandan Farmer Cultivating More than Just Fruit". She Inspires Her. 4 January 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
3. "'You can make money and preserve the environment'". BBC Sport. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
4. "Jinja Agriculture Supplement: Best farmers to exhibit in Jinja". New Vision: Uganda's Leading Daily. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
5. "Amsterdam flower fair impresses Ugandan farmers". New Vision: Uganda's Leading Daily. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
6. "How awards changed farmers' lives". New Vision: Uganda's Leading Daily. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
7. "Launch of the Agro-Tourism Institute at Busaino Fruit Trees & Herbs". Resource Center for the Africa Agribusiness Academy. 8 July 2017. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2019.