Our Story

How It Started

My name is Reagan Mitanda, and I am the founder of Unified Farm BLM. Three years ago, I returned to my village in Mpigi, Uganda, with one goal: build a sustainable business that could feed my community, support my family, and prove that small-scale farming is not just possible — it is profitable.

I did not grow up on a commercial farm. My parents kept a few local chickens for home consumption, but nothing that resembled a business. Like many young Ugandans, I spent time in the city working odd jobs, thinking that was the only path forward. But the city was expensive, opportunities were scarce, and I kept coming back to the same question: What do I have that I can build with?

The answer was right in front of me. My village had land, families who needed affordable protein, and a market for eggs that was always hungry. What it did not have was a reliable local supplier. Every egg in the local market came from distant farms or commercial distributors, driving prices up and freshness down. I saw an opening.

I started with 20 local chickens and UGX 80,000 (about $22). I did not have a big barn, fancy equipment, or formal agricultural training. What I had was a willingness to learn, a habit of reading everything I could find about poultry farming, and the stubborn belief that consistency beats perfection.

Those first six months were brutal. I lost nearly half my flock to Newcastle Disease because I did not know about vaccination schedules. I built a coop from scrap wood that leaked during the rainy season and nearly drowned my birds. I overpaid for feed because I did not understand nutrition ratios. I sold eggs to neighbours for too little because I was afraid to ask for what they were worth.

But every failure taught me something irreplaceable. That Newcastle outbreak taught me that prevention is non-negotiable. The leaking coop taught me that housing is an investment, not an expense. The bad feed deals taught me to build direct relationships with suppliers. The low pricing taught me that confidence in your product matters as much as the product itself.

By month eight, I had rebuilt my flock with vaccinated birds. By month twelve, I was producing enough eggs to sell at two local markets. By month eighteen, other farmers in Mpigi were coming to me for advice. And by year two, I realised this was not just a business — it was a model that could be replicated by anyone with a small plot of land and a little patience.

Where We Are Today

Today, Unified Farm BLM supplies eggs and poultry guidance to customers in Mpigi and surrounding districts. We continue to grow carefully, using our own records rather than presenting changing flock or production figures as permanent claims.

Our farm has grown from a backyard experiment to a family-run operation that creates local jobs, supports village markets, and proves that sustainable agriculture is possible on any scale. We are not a commercial mega-farm. We are a working example of what a focused small farmer can build in Uganda — one egg, one chick, and one farmer at a time.

Our expertise areas:

• Breeding and incubation: We use natural brooding and artificial incubation and record hatch results so that future decisions are based on evidence.
• Vaccination and biosecurity: We use written schedules and encourage farmers to confirm flock-specific programmes with a qualified veterinary professional.
• Nutrition and feed management: We compare feed use with production records and caution beginners against mixing rations without qualified guidance.
• Market access and pricing: We share practical lessons from selling locally while making clear that prices vary by location, season and buyer.
• Farmer learning: Our guides combine local experience with links to recognised animal-health and agricultural sources.

Why We Do This

I chose poultry farming because it is one of the most accessible agricultural businesses in the world. Unlike crops that need seasons, land, and perfect weather, chickens produce eggs daily and meat in weeks. A family can start with five hens and grow from there.

But our mission goes beyond profit. Every time we sell a tray of eggs, supply a farmer with healthy chicks, or teach a beginner how to build a coop, we're investing in our community. We're proving that you don't need to leave the village to succeed. You can build something right where you are.

What We Believe

Why Trust Our Advice

We write about our field experience, but experience alone is not enough for technical or animal-health advice. We separate observations from general guidance, show assumptions behind calculations, and link readers to recognised sources.

• Real experience: We explain what we observed and avoid presenting one farm's result as a guarantee.
• Local context: We farm in the same conditions as our readers. We deal with the same feed shortages, the same rainy seasons, the same market fluctuations, and the same veterinary challenges.
• Source checking: We consult recognised agricultural and animal-health resources and encourage veterinary confirmation for flock-specific decisions.
• Transparency: Prices and budgets are examples that readers should replace with current local quotations.
• Corrections: Readers can report errors, and confirmed errors are corrected openly.

Read our editorial and corrections policy

Looking Forward

Our goal for the next three years is to:

• Expand our flock to produce 2,000 eggs daily
• Launch a formal training program for new farmers in Mpigi district
• Build a community processing center for egg cleaning and packaging
• Connect with more restaurants, schools, and hospitals in the region
• Prove that a farm started with $50 can become a $500/month business

Whether you're a beginner looking to start your first flock, a restaurant needing fresh eggs, or an experienced farmer wanting to connect, we want to hear from you. Farming is better together.