Agriculture
More than 90% of the employed Christians are engaged in agriculture. Most of the farms are small, with a mean of 5-8 acres (2-3 hectares) in the plains and 1.2 acres (.5-1 hectares) in the more hilly areas.
In general, the women contribute most of the farm labor. The balance of the population is engaged in either small businesses or work in government agencies located primarily in Tororo and Mbale towns.
The soils within the archdiocese are generally fertile. Most of the food grown in the plains is for subsistence, as follows: cereals (maize, finger millet, sorghum, and rice.), legumes/pulses (groundnuts, soybeans, cowpeas, and green beans), oil crops (simsim and sunflower); root crops (sweet potatoes, cassava, yams, and bananas), and other vegetables and fruits, some of which are exotic and indigenous. Cotton is the only cash crop grown.
In the mountainous areas, bananas (Plantains), beans, field peas, potatoes, and maize(corn) are grown, as well as a wide range of exotic and indigenous fruits and vegetables. Coffee (Arabica) is the main cash crop.
The raising of animals is generally confined to the plains. In many homes in the plains, the care of the cattle is the main enterprise of the men. They also maintain small livestock (goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, and poultry) on a somewhat marginal basis.
