Farmer's Pride

KOGERE VILLAGE GUEST FARM
5 bandas, Half Board, Full Board Restaurant,





Welcome to
Kogere
Village Guest
Farm- Kasese – Uganda; East Africa.
OUR FOOD OF THE SEASON
RESTAURANT
Enjoy your meal in our relaxing envirolment.
At the guest farm, we offer you fresh local produce of the season from Rwenzori Mountains; having not traveled many Kilometers around the world directly supplied by indigenous farmers converting slash and burn conventional agriculture to organic farming practices and prepared to order in our kitchen. where possible this is grown in our demonstration gardens.
Our Cooks are trained in both traditional and international fare and are always willing to prepare to your individual taste.
We invite you to come and enjoy our environment and try our different dishes.
While at Kogere Guest Farm, please ask out staff for details about out different types of dishes.

BREAKFAST:

Among others; for breakfast you will be served with:
Fruit Juice, choice of fresh juice ; choice of eggs, herbal tea, bread, sausage, peanut butter, yoghurt natural…………

LUNCH :

PACKED LUNCH:

SNACKS :

LOCAL DISHES:

SUPPER:

How will this product support community development?
How will this product support conservation?
Answers:
• Increase household income generation from selling organic food
• Increase knowledge of new farming techniques
• Increase nutrition and food security among the members
• Increase exposure to new cultures, people, and foods
• Strengthen governance and community development
• Increases appreciation and protection of protected areas and wildlife
• Increase positive activities for youth Increase knowledge through industrial training for hotel schools

View Pictures :

At the Gate we ask all drivers to reduce speed as they drive inside.





Couples Cottage with a resting balcon

One person's cottage

Private Toilette for Willing Volunteers  see below:

 

Nature Plants around the cottage -Makes life better during the day.

Very Early in the Morning; Nature walks are 

conducted along the hills- see above.  Also

visit: http://musabulicentreforsustainableliving.blogspot.com/

Remarks by External Volunteer

Kogere Guest Farm  Volunteer Assessment

Background

Kogere Guest Farm  was the vision of the late John Baptist Kisembo, a well-known entrepreneur in Uganda. He sat on many advisory boards and self-taught himself about the tourism and biofuel industry. He was very interested in fusing the two concepts at his home through the Kogere Village Guest Farm, Candlenut trees, and the community farm. Unfortunately, he died before he could finish his dream. I met him at the World Tourism Day Workshop in Kasese town in 2008; he was invited as a key tourism player in the area. I promised to come and give my input on his community and business ventures; I did visit him and his projects three times before his death. In a year and half he was able to construct for bandas, two latrines, and showing facilities, an office block, curio shop, guard station, and volunteer housing, as well as landscaping for the whole compound. This is when he tragically died shortly after his return from Ethiopia.

The wife, Naome Kisembo; the driver, Jackson; and the restaurant manager had faith they could keep his vision alive. They’ve done so for the last six months. They are limited by technical know-how and business and organizational development. I think they would make a decent site for a volunteer, whether short term or 2 year.

Volunteer Needs

The organization has returned to its infancy, where Naome and Jackson are trying to sort through his papers and files and reconnect with supporters. They will need help in organizational framework and maintenance. They also need help with good record keeping and good governance.

Kogere Guest Farm  does have an updated business plan, but the current implementers cannot understand it and may not have internal revenues to implement it. A volunteer could help with translating the business plan into actions and future goals of the organization and alternative ways of funding it.

Apparently, the late JB Kisembo did create a website for this organization, but the current implementers can’t access it and don’t know how to use the computer well, let alone, update a website. A volunteer could also help with marketing skills improvement, computer skills training, and creating marketing materials.

Kogere Guest Farm  is trying to call interested people together to start a community farm organization to grow organic food to sell to hoteliers that cater to foreign visitors. The organization also hopes the community farm will be the start of a holistic training centre where households are trained in conservation, organic farming techniques, health, savings, computers and internet, life skills, and others. A volunteer that specializes in organic farming and/or co-op business functions could greatly assist NPV develop this product, but this probably needs to be a long term placement.

This group is very open to ideas and has great patience. Naome, director of projects and Jackson, the transport officer and farm manager speak English. So, I believe a volunteer from Europe or the United States will be able to communicate effectively with this group. Also, I’ve never been asked for support by this group even when there are in their worst state without their supporter. This group has had many interactions with westerners and I have no doubt they could get along with different types of people.

The great thing about this site is that they already have a very nice banda set aside for volunteer accommodation (photo to the left). It would need small repairs to make it livable. They even have a luxury latrine set aside for a volunteer as well (photo to the right).

I believe this could be a good site for many different types of volunteers.

Project Needs

Project Need Description	Group Responsible
Community sensitization on tourism and conservation linkages
Organizational structure within the community to allow benefits to be spread evenly among community member
Constitution and good governance for community farm group
Farm supplies and equipments for community farm
Member familiarization with other community farm group
Organic Farming technical advice
Architecture technical advice of farm layout and restaurant
Funds to build community farm and restaurant
Business, Administration, and Marketing technical advice
Computer and Website technical advice
Development of marketing materials
Tourism Industry familiarization with products

Budget Item	Cost
Community sensitization on tourism and conservation linkages
Business and Organization development support
Member Study Tours
Construction of Community Farm and Restaurant
Organic farming training of trainers
Familiarization Trip for tour companies and hoteliers
Development of marketing materials, including website
Development of Internet Cafe

About us:

http://musabulicentreforsustainableliving.blogspot.com

Primary Contact Information	Kogere Village Guest Farm Contact: Ms. Naome Kisembo, +256 (0)774337500
Brief Description ·      Kogere Village Guest Farm (Banda : accommodation) ·      Campsite ·      Community Farm & Training Centre ·      Organic Restaurant ·      Craft Shop, internet cafe	The project operates in Rukoki, Kasese District. The guest farm and proposed community garden is just off the Kasese-Fort Portal Highway, 5km North of Kasese Town and South of Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP) Headquarters. -The project focuses on conservation and livelihood improvement.  Conservation interventions include sensitization of members and non-members about the importance of protecting the national park and the wildlife through environmentally friendly business practices like recycling and holistic use of products.  Livelihood improvement interventions are primarily tourism and organic farming activities. -Currently, the Kogere Village Guest Farm has 4 not-self contained twin bandas and 2 non-self contained single rooms available for accommodation. The organization hoped to hire locals to staff the restaurant and hotel, but the curator died along with internal revenue to do so. -The organization hopes to call interested people together to start a community farm organization to grow organic food to sell to hoteliers that cater to foreign visitors. The organization also hopes the community farm will be the start of a holistic training centre where households are trained in conservation, organic farming techniques, health, savings, computers and internet, life skills, and others. -Tourism management is uncoordinated, price for each product not established and no clear mechanism for managing service delivery.
Potential Community Development and/or Conservation Support ·   How will this product support community development? ·   How will this product support conservation?	Increase household income generation from selling organic food Increase knowledge of new farming techniques Increase nutrition and food security among the members Increase exposure to new cultures, people, and foods Strengthen governance and community development Increases appreciation and protection of protected areas and wildlife Increase positive activities for youth Increase knowledge through industrial training for hotel schools
Target Markets ·   Who would this product be sold to?	Lodge Eco-friendly, responsible, sustainable tourism, or budget travelers Local and international Visitors Tour operators Farm ·         Community members in Rukoki & Musabul ·         Hoteliers in the area
Potential Partners ·   Principal organization ·   Support organizations	·         Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA)-Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP), RMNP ·         Local Governments – Kasese District Local Governments ·         Tour Operators – focus on operators that take visitors to RMNP or QENP or operators interested in green or sustainable tourism ·         Hoteliers- Equator Snow, RMS, Ruboni Community Rest Camp, Turaco, Margharita Hotel, White House, and others ·         Non-governmental Organizations – NAADS, KURIKA, DENIVA, EcoTrust, US Peace Corps ·         Private Good Samaritans- RobTex Enterprises Kasese ·         Associations of local communities specializing in craft making, cultural dancing, guiding, or other tourism focused groups.
Mechanism	The land is already secured and the area is demarcated. The community farm organization will draft a constitution, and elect executive committee. Members will register as households and pay membership fees. Then some members will need to familiarize themselves with similar projects through study tours (Masaka &Bwindi). With the help of an expert designer or agriculturalist, the group will plan community farm layout (include farm house and store). The group will acquire a volunteer/consultant for advice on organic farming. The group acquires seeds and began cultivating and planting. Alongside the community farm maturation,   Kogere  guest farm will make a proposal for organic restaurant and solicit for funds. Once the farm and/or lodge is finished and nursery functional, the group will invite community to see to enlist more members. Community Farm leaders will inspect members’ farms and consult where necessary. Meetings will then be held to discuss food collection and selling of food stuffs. A Familiarization trip will be organized for Hoteliers and tour operators to visit the Kogere Village Guest Farm and community farm. After this familiarization trip, the community farm group will start selling and delivering food stuffs to hoteliers and supplying own restaurant. Lodge, Internet Café and Community Training Centre will open.

SWOT

Strength Have Land for community farm and lodge Have buildings for lodge & farm Have area for camping and events Latrines and bathing facilities Have a 4WD vehicle Water & Power connected Have 2 computers Incomplete Restaurant building Good Security Acceptance/Support in community Eco-friendly Vision Business Plan

Weakness Lack of knowledge in organizational management, organic farming, marketing, computer, internet, and accounting. Lack of knowledge to interpret and put business plan into action Limited understanding of the industry Lack internal revenue mobilization Location-not known area for tourism Self-maintained road Restaurant incomplete Low standard of Banda

Opportunity Selling tropical food to Hoteliers is a unique product in the area Budget and eco-friendly Travelers enjoy the place Researchers or long-term visitors could easily be accommodated Interest tourists to come see where their organic food comes from (value addition) Game Drives/Private Hire of Vehicle Access to volunteers and NGOs in the area Lodge & farm located on tourism route between QENP and RMNP

Threat Limited income generating activities within the community Loss of member participation due to sickness or disease Poor food yields due to poor seed quality, soil preparation, or inclement weather Local and National Security Risks