EASTERN PROVINCE

NGOMA  — The district Mayor Francois Niyotwagira, has appealed to grassroots leaders to heighten efforts of fighting soil erosion in order to ensure high agricultural production.

He made the call at a meeting with district, Sector, Cell, religious and heads of cooperative societies at the district yesterday.

The meeting aimed at laying strategies of fighting soil erosion and unveiling of exemplary hills known as ‘Agasozi ndatwa.’

Niyotwagira said that sector and cell leaders have previously been reluctant to fight soil erosion.

He gave the leaders up to October this year to stop the loss of top soils in the district.

"Economic revolution will yield nothing if we don’t fight soil erosion. We will only be harvesting for home consumption which might also not be enough,” he said, calling on them to rally residents behind the campaign.

He further called on the religious leaders to preach this gospel in churches. "This programme is for everyone not only certain individuals because it helps us all and that’s why we should all be concerned,” he said.

Terracing, rain water harvesting and planting of grass are some of the measures Niyotwagira said would be used to fight soil erosion.

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