Posted on November, 22, 2017 at 10:45 am
Farmers in the Land Husbandry Water Harvesting and Hillside Irrigation (LWH) project intervention area of Gicumbi district, Northern Province are optimistic of a bumper harvest this season 2018A due to land treatment and improved agricultural practices.
Thousands of small holder farmers in the area are looking forward to great maize and beans yield at harvesting and they will have enough food for their families and surplus for local markets.
LWH applied improved agricultural techniques, and proper land management through construction of bench terraces and check dams among others which turned the area into productive crop fields.
Land husbandry terracing works have enabled farmers to sustain cultivation and productivity on steep-slopes which has significantly reduced soil erosion whereby marginal and unproductive lands have been put back to use.
Before land husbandry technologies were introduced in several areas in Gicumbi district, being hilly and rugged areas prone to severe soil erosion, farmers suffered from chronic poverty due to unproductive land coupled with poor agricultural practices.
LWH which is implemented under the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources supports Gicumbi farmers by helping to empower them and strengthen agriculture development.
The majority of the crops are now at maturity level in most parts of Gicumbi. In interviews with these farmers said they were expecting a bumper harvest, as they had worked hard in planting and cultivating their crops in the terraces that were constructed by the LWH project which are seemingly promising.
“Life has never been the same since LWH started land husbandry works in our area. I am expecting great yield this season because the project taught us better farming practices. We have been organized in self help groups which has boosted my confidence,” Florence Nyirahakizimana, 40, one of the farmers in Gicumbi.
She adds, before the project intervention she used to harvest 100kilograms of maize on 30 Ares, but now she expects to harvest 1 ton.
Farmers cultivated maize on 60 ha and they expect to harvest 240 tons while beans grown on 305 ha will yield 1100 tons.
The project is supporting value chain development by enhancing the targeted farmers’ organisations to strengthen their marketing systems and partnerships with local financial institutions to create innovative financial products for smallholder farmers.
It also supports farmers to increase crop yields through capacity building trainings, agribusiness skills, financial literacy, and agronomy. Farmers also receive agriculture inputs, like seed and fertiliser, and services including soil testing and agronomic support.
“We were lucky to have LWH in our area. Traditional subsistence agriculture had affected our standards of living because we have been producing less than what our families would consume. This season I am expecting to harvest 600 kilograms of beans on 20 Ares because the project taught us better agriculture practices, “said Jean Claude Sekamana, another farmer.
In Gicumbi, strong farmer groups have been formed and trained on sustainable agricultural technologies, post-harvest handling, marketing, business planning, compost making, tree nursery maintenance and saving.
Gicumbi site lies in the sectors of Byumba, Kageyo and Mutete and Kisaro of Rulindo District. The total area of the site to be developed is 700 ha for rain-fed agriculture. The project beneficiaries are 18,338 from 3,906 households where women represent 38 percent. Direct beneficiaries are grouped into 178 Self Help Groups depending on plots proximity. Presently, the project has completed the land husbandry works on 685.60 hectares.
Source: Republic of Rwanda - Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI)