Four years ago, peasant farmers in Shyogwe and Nyamabuye sectors in Muhanga District used to harvest one crop of maize or beans once a year. The farmers mainly depended on seasonal rain to water their crops, and were also using poor crop husbandry practices.

However their fortunes started to change for the better when government built an irrigation dam in Rugeramigozi marshland in 2011, which allows them to grow  rice, the new adopted food and cash crop, throughout the year.

The rice growers, now under Koperative Imparaniramusaruro y’Abahinzi-Boroziba Rugeramigozi (KIABR, say the water dam and related irrigation infrastructures have boosted agricultural activities in the area. It has also enhanced crop yields and farmers’ earnings, thus improving people’s living conditions.

The two sectors served by the marshland are now considered a food basket for Muhanga and neighbouring districts.

The farmers have been able to increase yields from 0.5 tonnes per hectare to 4.5 tonnes per hectare presently, thanks to availability of water for irrigation at the dam in Rugeramigozi marshland.

About 1,220 farmers grow rice in the marshland.

Faida Mukamana, a farmer, says before irrigation was introduced, farmers used to get miserable harvests because rainfall was always irregular.

"I am now able to harvest at least one tonne of rice each season from my 16 hectare piece of land,” she says.

With the good harvests, Mukamana says, she has been able to build a permanent house that is connected to the power grid. She has also bought a dairy cow, three goats and one pig. She pays her for health insurance and school fees for her children with ease, Mukamana adds, saying the family’s nutrition has greatly improved.

She attributes her success to the fact that she is able to grow rice throughout the year and get bumper harvests, thanks to water for irrigation from the dam and the modern farming techniques she gets form agronomists. 

Mukamana’s success is not isolated; it is replicated across the two sectors. Madaleine Nyiransabimana, Kamondo Mariguerithe and Providence Mukarutesi are some of the other rice farmers in Rugeramigozi marshland, whose fortunes have changed for the better.

They say the new farming methods have helped them become food secure, noting that they are now able to have three meals a day. "We can now eat rice, which was in the past a preserve of the rich… we only ate such meals on special days such as Christmas. Economically, the crop has positively impacted our lives as we are able to meet all our family needs,” the elderly farmers say.

Challenges

Despite the success, farmers complain of low produce prices, saying the dealer contracted by the co-operative pays them peanuts.

They say the dealer buys the cereal at Rwf246 per kilo, noting that other buyers pay at least Rwf300 a kilogramme.

"Previously, we used to auction the rice and choose the highest bidder. But now, we are restricted to one company,” the farmers say. The issue of taxes is also affecting their profits.

"The money we earn is subjected to many charges, including the Rwf200 fee we pay to the district per acre as land rent. The Water Users Organisation levies Rwf200, and Rwf1,000 goes to the co-operative as management charges. All these fees eat-into our earnings,” they say.

Jean Damascene Uzabakiriho, the president of KIABR co-operative, however, says the price paid farmers is jointly discussed and agreed on with farmers in the general assembly.

"It takes into account all expenses spent on a 10-acre piece from field preparation to harvest time. It is also similar to what other farmers growing the same rice variety in different districts earn,” he explains.

Uzabakiriho says the agriculture and the trade and industry ministries always provide a list of accredited rice processing companies to all co-operatives, from which they choose.  He adds that any company selected commits to provide inputs or loans, as well as technical assistance.

He, however, notes that if farmers are not happy with the current buyer, Gafunzo Rice Mill, the co-operative can choose another one.

Evariste Niyonzima, the agronomist at the co-operative, says some farmers are still reluctant to embrace right agronomic practices, which he says affects crop yields.

"In other areas like Rwamagana District, the yield is 7.5 tonnes of rice per hectare for a similar variety.”

Peter Uwamahoro, the managing director of Gafunzo Rice Mill, says the price is reached at after comparing with other areas.

"We are working out mechanisms of how we will be assisting farmers, especially giving them soft loans and inputs. We have already set up a committee to assess the situation so that we start assisting farmers financially and technically.”

The increase in quality and quantity benefits both farmers and buyers, he adds. Uwamahoro says the miller hired 10 agronomists to provide the technical assistance to co-operatives that supply them rice.

He notes that increased output lowers operation costs, while better quality attracts more clients.

"We will help them sustain rice production in the area because this benefits us all,” Uwamahoro says.

About the co-operative

Rugeramigozi dam was built by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources in partnership with Rural Sector Support Project funded by the World Bank. Currently, KIABR is made up of 1,223 members, including 732 women.

The co-operative has a Rwf12 million share capital. It operates as a contract farmer for the rice miller.

During harvest time, farmers ferry the cereal from all zones to collectively-owned drying and storage facilities at the co-operative head offices.

The rice is later sold to the contracted miller.