Judith Bakirya | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bugosa District, Uganda |
| Nationality | Ugandan |
| Education | Mt St Mary's College Namagunga |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham |
| Occupation | Permaculture farmer |
| Known for | Founder of Busaino Fruits & Trees |
| Notable work | Agro-heritage farming and agro-tourism in Uganda |
| Awards | BBC 100 Women (2019) |
Judith Bakirya is a Ugandan permaculture farmer. She was named one of the BBC's 100 Women for 2019. [1]
Bakirya was born in the Busoga Region 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]
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.