A project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has contributed to soil testing in Rwanda by funding equipment, optimising farmers' practices and productivity through the right fertilisers that respond to soil and crop nutrient needs.

The "Capacity Development on Sustainable Soil Management for Africa – Rwanda” project, which was implemented from July 2020 through May 2023, also provided policy advice on fertiliser quality assessment, according to FAO.

During the closing workshop on the project in Kigali, on September 29, FAO indicated that the project has an impact on improving income, food security, and nutrition through sustainable management of soil resources in Rwanda.

It was financially funded by China through the South-South and Triangular Cooperation framework aimed to share from the South to developing countries, development solutions that have been tested and proven effective.

Under the project, FAO provided 18 pieces of efficient soil and fertiliser testing equipment – valued at around $100,000 (more than Rwf120 million) – to the Rwanda Agriculture Development Board (RAB) to increase the capacity of its Analytical Laboratory for Soil and Plants.

The project covered three commodities namely maize, Irish potato, and rice, which the Director General of Rwanda Agriculture Board, Telesphore Ndabamenye, said "are among major crops we grow here in Rwanda for food security purposes, but the productivity is very low and one of the challenges is soil status which needs to be changed.”

FAO representative to Rwanda, Coumba Dieng Sow, said the project has primarily focused on balanced fertilization – the use of the right ratio of nutrients that respond to soil or crop requirements.

She pointed out that most of Rwanda's population, close to 80 per cent, reside in rural areas and rely on agriculture as their primary source of sustenance.

Yet, soil fertility in Rwanda has been declining due to unsustainable practices that lead to the degradation of soil properties, physical, chemical, and biological, with soil nutrient mining, she said.

"This project was essentially meant to enhance capacity development in sustainable soil management and establish effective laboratory services for soil and fertiliser testing. This will help protect soils and promote sustainable utilisation of soil resources, ultimately leading to agricultural development and good agriculture practices in Rwanda,” she remarked.

Speaking during the event, the Director General of Rwanda Agriculture Board, Telesphore Ndabamenye, said the project is contributing to Rwanda's effort to shift from applying the same fertilisers for different types of soils which need different nutrients, to using soil-specific fertilisers that respond to crop needs for improved farm productivity.

It will also help to address soil degradation and acidity.

"We have been applying a blanket of fertilisers (same fertilisers). So, as we shift now from talk to action, let's build from what we did (before). We have been doing a lot; FAO has been supporting soil analysis countrywide. We have now new maps of soil fertility in different areas,” he said.

"So, we want to see this science be the engine of transforming the fertiliser industry in Rwanda. We need site-specific fertiliser recommendations. We have to respond to farmers' needs, using the right dose, right type of fertilisers and the time of applying those fertilisers,” he said.

The Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda, Wang Jiaxin, said "the foundation of agriculture rests upon soil, every crop, every harvest, every meal is born from the earth beneath us.”

But, pointed out, Rwanda is facing big challenges in agriculture including limited arable land, and the constant pressure of a growing population.

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Meanwhile, Jiaxin said, modern technologies can help address such challenges.

For him, there are various tools that can help achieve agriculture transformation in the country, citing precision farming, improved crop varieties, fertiliser application, laboratory utilisation, and efficient irrigation methods.

"They are the instruments of change and they hold potential to increase yields, to preserve resources, and elevate the standards of living for all Rwanda,” he said, pointing out that China is proud of contributing to Rwanda’s agriculture development.