FOR MANY DECADES, Daphrose Mukakamari lived a deplorable life due to poor output from the family’s major source of income– subsistence agriculture.

The resident of the rural Kansi Sector, Gisagara District grew sweet potatoes, beans, cassava and banana–sometimes mixing all of them on her small plot of land.

For her, life was a nightmare and each day came with  more trouble for the family.

That pushed her to try out something different.

That was a few years ago when the government introduced a programme to encourage the growing of selected high-potential food crops to increase productivity, ensure  food security and transit from  subsistence to commercial  farming.

Initially, Mukakamari says she opposed the programme because she didn’t understand how it would benefit her and instead chose to maintain her old habits.

"I preferred mixing several crops which was leading to  little output. I had done that for several years and didn’t understand how growing one specific crop could benefit me,” the woman, in her late 40s, says.

But as authorities kept pushing for change in mindset and relentlessly sensitised local farmers on the benefits of adopting commercial agriculture, Mukakamari decided to give it a try.

"I decided to give it a try to see how feasible it was,” she says.

Mukakamari chose to grow maize, a crop that was identified as suitable for the land in her area and the results have been enormous.

"Since then I have never looked back as I realised growing selected crops is far more beneficial than the traditional method of mixing crops,” Mukakamari says with a sense of pride.

From a pitiful lifestyle as a result of poor productivity, Mukakamari is now a stable farmer who is meeting the family’s needs.

"I now produce enough to feed my family and have surplus to sell,” she says.

Mukakamari says she used to get a few kilogrammes of yield but now reaps tonnes from her piece of land which she estimates to be about one third of a hectare.

Though unable to estimate the quantity she used to get from her farm, she says it was not enough to feed her family.

Makakamari says she harvested over a tonne of maize the previous season, sold part of the produce and kept some for domestic consumption and future growing.

"My life has transformed. I am now able to earn money from farming, something I considered impossible in the past,” she says.

Mukakamari says she is looking at ways of increasing her  the farm acreage in order to grow and produce more. She envisages to harvest at least two tonnes this season.

Improved productivity

Launched in 2007, the Crop Intensification Programme (CIP) seeks to increase agricultural productivity in high-potential food crops and ensuring food security and self-sufficiency.

It is through the programme that the government distributes subsidised fertilisers and improved seeds to farmers.

The programme mainly focuses on six priority crops namely maize, wheat, rice, Irish potatoes, beans and cassava

Figures show that the programme has greatly contributed to increased productivity.  The production of maize and wheat increased six-fold, that of Irish potatoes and cassava tripled, while the production of rice and beans increased by 30 per cent in the past four years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Farmers who spoke to The New Times in separate interviews attest to the change.

Innocent Ntiganzwa, a resident of Gisagara District, who chose to grow maize, is one of them.

Though he says it remains hard for him to give statistical estimates of how his production has increased, Ntiganzwa maintains that there is a ‘big difference’ between what he produced in the past and what he is getting today.

"My life has improved because today I am getting more produce. Growing maize has brought money in my family,” Ntiganzwa says.

Rewarding investment

Among the key challenges that still face smalholder farmers include limited land as well as lack of enough resources to invest in their farms, according to testimonies.

Poverty also still hampers efforts to increase agriculture productivity, they argue.

"Some people still fear to change from traditional farming to modern agriculture  and they continue getting poor yields from their farms,” Mukakamari observes.

Marie Uwizeyimana, another farmer, says smallholder farmers, particularly those in  rural areas, still need support in terms of capacity building,  introduction to new technologies and techniques as well as financial support.

"Some farmers have already made significant gains while others are still entrapped in the old traditional practices, which limit their production capacity,” she says.

To be able to improve their productivity and subsequently their welfare, farmers need to heed to experts’ advice of embracing best farming practices, says Leandre Karekezi, Gisagara District mayor.

"For any farmer to achieve increased productivity, they need to adopt best practices, including the use of quality seeds, fertilisers and adoption of selected crops suitable to their areas,” the mayor says.

"They also need to understand that crops need attention, time and money because the more efforts and resources you invest, the more yields you get.”