Glory Poultry Farm

Glory Poultry Farm is a privately owned business founded in 2008 in the city of Kigali, which has now expanded to a full-scale, innovative farm in the Nyagatare District. The farm produces and sells a range of animal and crop products, including pigs, chickens, eggs, milk, watermelons, and rice.  

Agatha, the founder and director of Glory Poultry Farm, started with the simple idea of breeding chickens and selling them to local supermarkets early each morning. Working as a civil servant in Kigali at the time, Agatha quickly found that her chicken and egg business was too successful, and she transitioned to full-time farming.  

As the business expanded, along with the animal and crop diversity, it wasn’t possible to develop these practices in the increasingly urbanised city of Kigali, and the farm moved to the Nyagatare District in the Eastern Province. More land and increased opportunity, combined with Agatha’s deft understanding of market and opportunity, resulted in continual growth and innovation, including maize farming to reduce the cost of chicken feed, pigs, banana plantations, and, of course, cows.  

Identifying customers and market opportunities, as well as gaps in the market for growth, Glory Poultry Farm has diversified its agricultural portfolio to take advantage of crop seasons. Limited by three-season crops, Agatha made the decision to plant continual crops of green beans and rice in the marshlands and watermelons. Customers range from government contracts to local producers, and the farm provides employment for 20 permanent workers and 200 casual employees.  

Glory Poultry Farm currently has 400 chickens and hens, with ambitions for 10,000 in the coming months and years. Construction is underway for a new chicken house to accommodate the additional poultry, alongside a separate building for sharing ideas and information about nutrition with the local community. Agatha’s ambition lies not only in building her business but also in encouraging a local market for better nutrition.  

"The circular food system is the process where nothing in the system is being wasted. From mouth now, the cow is digesting, it becomes compost, then manure, the cow dung itself, the pig dungs and whatever, those are going to be used for various activities in agriculture," Agatha Mukagacinya, Founder and Director.

Embracing circular practices, Glory Poultry Farm is in the process of developing a compost business from the various waste products on the farm. After working with Technical Assistance Providers as part of the CIRF training, and meeting other SMEs using circular agri-food systems, Glory Poultry Farm is looking to complete the circle and expand its business model with compost. Every new idea from Agatha and the team is building the business and improving their impact, both environmentally and within the community.