I first heard about SocioTech in late 2021. Our local counsellor called a community meeting to explain what was happening and after that Charles Bisimwa and his colleagues began training. What they said made a lot of sense to me – they say we should use our God given talents to create food and make business.

At that time, I already had some experience with farming, but a lot of what SocioTech taught us - mulching, soil preparation, trenches, correct plant spacing distances – was new to me. I was sceptical at first, because it all seemed like a lot of effort. All that digging and collecting of tins and grass and bones is a lot. It took a while to get all that done but once you get through those early stages, this way of farming actually makes life easier. Because soil that has been treated in this way is so good, plants grow strong and healthy with much less effort than it took before. They need less water because the soil retains moisture through mulching. And then when the tunnel came, things got even better. No birds or rats can get at my spinach and cabbages. No hail or excessive sun can harm my plants.

When you look at the crops I grow, you can see that this soil is good. My trees give me a lot of fruit. The carrots, beetroots and onions that come out of my soil are so big. The spinach is very green – you can see that it is healthy. And then when you taste it – it is so delicious. The only thing I don’t like about SocioTech is the price of the seedlings. They are so expensive, but they are good quality, so I don’t complain too much.

This long-term saving of time and effort is important to me, because I like to work alone. Working with other people is always difficult. There are always disagreements and resentments. I like to keep it simple. If I need extra people for a particular job, I ask my children, but beyond them I prefer to work alone.