The Challenge: Climate Change and Threats to Traditional Busoga Livelihoods
Climate change is causing increasingly prolonged droughts across Uganda, putting the traditional Busoga livelihoods—centered on food and sugar cane farming—at severe risk. Unpredictable rainy seasons and the ongoing degradation of once fertile soils threaten the food security of the Basoga people, leading to starvation, disease, and crop failure.
The health and well-being of the Busoga communities in Eastern Uganda are closely tied to the land. As agricultural productivity declines, these communities face rising malnutrition, increased illness, and social challenges such as conflicts over shrinking grazing lands. Additionally, this crisis contributes to lower school enrollment, higher rates of early childhood marriage, and harmful practices like female genital mutilation (FGM), all exacerbating the cycle of extreme poverty.
Meanwhile, widespread monocrop farming reliant on chemical pesticides, herbicides (including glyphosate), and genetically modified seeds further endangers health by increasing risks of diseases such as cancer and autism. This dependency traps farmers in a harmful cycle of expensive seed purchases, chemical use, environmental degradation, and worsening poverty.
The Solution: Integrating Regenerative Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security in Busoga
The key to reversing the worsening food insecurity and environmental degradation in Busoga lies in combining modern innovation with traditional knowledge through regenerative agriculture. This approach offers the Busoga community a reliable, nutritious, and organic year-round food source, empowering them to thrive socially and economically without losing their rich cultural heritage—celebrated worldwide.
By establishing an organic farm that incorporates permaculture principles alongside Syntropic Community Farming, Stone House Farm aims to bridge the gap between traditional Busoga lifestyles and contemporary food security needs. Our hands-on work includes planting diverse crops, trees, flowers, medicinal plants, and spices to create a thriving, resilient ecosystem.
This sustainable farming model emphasizes soil restoration, biodiversity, and natural resource conservation, which in turn revitalizes local ecosystems and fosters a healthier environment. Surplus harvests can be sold in local markets, generating income and financial independence for the community.
Through the integration of permaculture design, organic farming, animal husbandry, and regenerative agriculture, Busoga can regain food self-sufficiency—freeing itself from the unpredictable impacts of climate change, drought, political instability, and globalization.
Addressing these interconnected challenges requires sustainable, regenerative agricultural solutions that restore soil fertility, protect community health, and break the cycle of poverty in Busoga.
Stone House Farm: Empowering Busu Village Towards Food Security and Sustainable Living
Stone House Farm is proving to be a successful and sustainable solution to the growing hunger crisis in Busu Village. As food insecurity worsens, our farm is empowering local communities by encouraging the establishment of their own diverse, regenerative farms through practical programs such as seed sharing, permaculture workshops, farm design courses, and animal and poultry care training—backed by ongoing hands-on support.
By integrating permaculture farming into their daily lives, the people of Busu Village are becoming more self-sufficient and breaking free from the cycle of poverty. Maintaining traditional livestock practices alongside regenerative agriculture provides the community with improved food security, better educational opportunities, and an enhanced quality of life—all while honoring their rich cultural heritage and traditional values.
Sustainability is a core principle at Stone House Farm, reflected in every aspect of our eco-lodge and farm operations. We harvest rainwater, rely entirely on solar power, compost organic waste to enrich our soil, care for cows and goats, and creatively reuse single-use plastics and glass bottles as water feeders for crops. Guests are warmly invited to join us in farm activities, experiencing sustainable living firsthand.
Stone House Farm’s Goal: 100% Organic Farming with a Diverse Seasonal Harvest
Stone House Farm is dedicated to achieving 100% organic production, offering a rich variety of fruits, herbs, trees, crops, vegetables, and flowers—subject to seasonal availability. Our farm promotes biodiversity and sustainable agriculture to support food security and ecological health in the region.
Fruits
Our orchard includes:
Purple passion fruit, apple, avocado, mango (miyembe), bananas (ndizi, Bogoya, Gonja, Kisubi varieties), papaya (mapapali), sugarcane (bikajo), loquat, white sapote, strawberry, lemon (nimu), pink lemon, lime, orange (mchungwa), plum, tangerine (mangada), pomegranate, soursop (guanabana), huckleberry, jackfruit, guava (mapera), fig, kei apple, dragon fruit, coconut, and more.
Herbs
We cultivate a wide range of organic herbs including:
Lavender, English lavender, lemongrass, spearmint, chocolate mint, peppermint, marjoram, hibiscus, rosemary, thyme, basil, sage, fennel, parsley, coleus barbatus (ormeigwaya), cilantro/coriander, jasmine, aloe vera, fire bush, ginger, turmeric, bird’s eye chili pepper, jalapeño, habanero, scotch bonnet, bishop’s crown, lemon balm, oregano, sweet-scented geranium, lemon verbena, St. John’s wort, santolina (lavender cotton), and more.
Trees
Our diverse tree collection includes:
Moringa (Moringa oleifera), red cedar (mutarakwa), Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), royal palm (Roystonea regia), bottle palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis), white pondo, tipuana tipu, croton, Ugandan greenheart (sokonoi), wild sage (oleleshwa), acacia (olerai), gum arabic, whistling pine, white and red bottlebrush, mastic (Pistacia lentiscus), cape lilac (mwarobaini nusu), finger euphorbia, candelabra (Euphorbia ingens), Australian umbrella (Schefflera actinophylla), jacaranda, ormesigiyoi (Rhus nantalensis), japonica, candlenut, grevillea, ficus, cypress, African cherry (Prunus africana), bamboo, Java plum (Syzygium cumini), and many others.
Crops & Vegetables
Our seasonal crops and vegetables include:
Maize (kasooli), beans (bijanjalo), peas (mbaazi), black beans, climbing beans, cassava (muwogo), kale (sukumawiki), spinach, lettuce, cabbage, quinoa, potatoes, sweet potatoes, okra, cherry tomatoes, arrow root (nduma), chia, carrots, beetroots, peanuts, coffee, African nightshade (managu), spider plant, purslane, amaranth, cow peas, nasturtium, pumpkin (nsuju), squash, zucchini, chayote squash, spring onion, lentils, mung beans, napier grass, malabar spinach, asparagus, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, sunflower, and more.
Flowers
We offer Stone house famr and Busu village tours! Contact us for more information.