A Season of Promise at Maleba Farm: Maize and Coffee Growing

Maleba Farm is built on the vision of integrated mixed farming, an approach that allows compatible crops to grow together in ways that strengthen the land, improve yields, and ensure long-term sustainability. A clear example of this method can now be seen in the fields, where maize and coffee are growing side by side. Coffee, planted last year, has successfully taken root and is now showing healthy growth, while maize is thriving alongside it. This is the time of the rainy season, and the steady rains have created excellent conditions for crops to flourish, offering strong signs of hope for the future of the farm.

It is important to note that the Maleba Farm project has already begun. With the limited funds received so far, meaningful progress has been made—land has been prepared, crops planted, and a working foundation established. These early steps clearly demonstrate that the project is viable and already bearing fruit. At the same time, many acres of land still remain uncultivated, representing both a challenge and an opportunity as we continue to expand the work. 

Alongside current cultivation, preparations for the avocado farm are underway.

Trees are being carefully cleared, and the resulting firewood is being prepared for use by students, ensuring that farm resources are used responsibly and in service of the wider community. In the fields, Mr. Bukozo, who oversees daily farm activities, is actively guiding workers on proper farming practices. He emphasizes careful weeding techniques that remove weeds without damaging crop roots and ensures close monitoring of plant health. Regular inspections help identify early signs of disease or pest attacks so that appropriate treatments can be applied in a timely manner, protecting the crops and improving overall productivity.

Maleba Farm is more than a farming project—it is a long-term investment in food security, education, environmental stewardship, and community empowerment. As the years progress, our goal is for the farm to become self-sustaining, generating its own resources while continuing to serve the community and support future generations.

We humbly ask our friends and benefactors to continue praying for Maleba Farm and to consider supporting this important work. Your generosity—whether through online donations or by sending a check to the address provided on our website—will help us cultivate more land, strengthen infrastructure, and move closer to full sustainability. Every prayer and every contribution play a vital role in turning this vision into a lasting reality.

At this stage, most of the work at Maleba Farm is done entirely by hand.

Maize planting is carried out manually by workers using hand hoes rather than tractors. For this reason, the maize is not planted in perfectly straight rows as it would be with mechanized farming.

This reflects both the dedication of the workers and the reality of limited resources. 

The same applies to weeding and harvesting. As the maize continues to grow, weeds are removed by hand to avoid damaging the crops. When harvest time comes, workers will again rely on manual labor—carefully cutting the maize, gathering it by hand, and packing it into sacks before transporting it to storage. While this approach is labor-intensive, it provides much-needed employment and income for local women and young people.

At the same time, this method presents real challenges. The lack of farming machinery, especially tractors for land preparation, planting, and harvesting, limits the scale and speed of cultivation. Access to basic mechanized equipment would greatly improve efficiency, increase yields, and allow more land to be brought under cultivation. For now, however, limited funds remain a major challenge.

Despite these obstacles, Maleba Farm continues to move forward with determination and hope. The project not only focuses on food production but also seeks to create employment opportunities so that women and youth can earn a living and better support their families. Each acre cultivated by hand represents both hard work and a commitment to dignity, self-reliance, and community well-being.

We kindly ask our friends and benefactors to keep Maleba Farm in their prayers and to consider supporting this effort financially. Your generosity—through online donations or by mailing a check to the address listed on our website—will help us acquire essential equipment, expand cultivation, and create more stable jobs. With continued support and God’s blessing, Maleba Farm will steadily grow into a self-sustaining project that uplifts families and strengthens the entire community.