Equity Bank Empowers Nursery Expansion and Green Livelihoods through Solar Irrigation in Lira

By Guest Writer

In Boroboro Parish, Gwengbar area of Lira City, Dopla Tree Nurseries has grown from a small backyard enterprise into a significant local supplier of tree seedlings. The transformation has been driven by the adoption of solar powered irrigation, enabling the business to increase production while supporting climate-resilient farming in northern Uganda.

Established in 2019 by micro entrepreneur Daniel Ocen, the nursery initially operated with limited resources. With no start-up capital, Ocen relied on manual labour and watering cans to irrigate seedlings. Maintaining tens of thousands of plants under Lira’s hot and unpredictable climate proved both labour intensive and inefficient. Workers frequently travelled long distances to fetch water and inconsistent irrigation resulted in seedling losses and limited production capacity.

In early 2025, Ocen adopted a solar powered irrigation system after learning about the technology through a Tulima Solar field agent. Following a site assessment, the company installed a system comprising two solar panels, a high-capacity pump, and a piping network that distributes water directly to the nursery beds.

The investment was made possible through the Results-Based Financing (RBF) Programme implemented by Equity Bank Uganda in partnership with Energising Development (EnDev) Uganda and GIZ. Through targeted incentives to solar system suppliers, the program improves the affordability of quality renewable energy technologies for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The installation has significantly improved the efficiency and reliability of irrigation at  opla nursery. Automated water delivery has reduced the need for manual labour, allowing workers to focus on seedling care, quality management, and nursery operations. As a result, plant survival rates and seedling quality have improved.

The business has also experienced substantial growth. Annual production capacity has increased from approximately 50,000 seedlings to about 200,000. Correspondingly, peak season revenues have risen from around UGX20 million to approximately UGX30 million.

Located along a busy roadside, Dopla Tree Nurseries now supplies seedlings to non-governmental organisations, institutions, and individual farmers engaged in reforestation, fruit production, landscaping initiatives and home designs.

Beyond commercial activities, the nursery has become an informal training site where Ocen mentor youth and women in nursery management and seedling propagation techniques, contributing to local skills development and livelihood opportunities. He currently has 12 trainees.

Encouraged by the results, Ocen plans to further expand the business by installing an additional solar irrigation system and solar powered security lighting.

This experience illustrates how access to affordable renewable energy solutions can strengthen rural enterprises, improve agricultural productivity and support environmental restoration efforts.

Dopla Tree Nurseries demonstrates the potential for solar powered technologies to enable small businesses to scale while contributing to sustainable land management and local economic development. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).