The Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Tony Nsanganira, has urged farmers to make the most of the marshlands that have been developed to boost agricultural productivity.

Nsanganira said that government and its partners made substantial investments in revamping marshlands to make them cultivatable, challenging the farmers to capitalise on this to maximise output.

Nsanganira was speaking on Friday in Huye District, during a visit to the Mwogo Marshland, which has been revamped by Welthungerhilfe, a German private organisation promoting food security, rural development and the conservation of natural resources worldwide.

Marshlands are being affected heavily by the harsh effects of climate change. During the rainy season, soils are washed away by floods while in the dry season; the crops wither, which calls for proper management of the marshland.

Gaston Ndayisaba, the coordinator of the 120 ha Rusuli Marshland Development Project said the development of Mwogo Marshland started in 2007 and after two years, farmers started to get fields for cultivation.

He said currently about 240 ha of marshland and are used for cultivation twice a year while about 227 ha are used for rice growing.

The marshland is being used by over 2,000 farmers from Kigoma, Simbi and Rwaniro Sectors of Huye District.

"The marshland was in poor condition and people who attempted to grow sweet potatoes always got very low yields because their crops would be washed away by floods. But now we harvest six tonnes per ha,” said Michel Habiyambere, the president of KOAU Kigoma, one of the cooperatives growing rice in the Mwogo Marshland said.

Nsanganira told farmers to ensure appropriate application of both organic and manufactured fertilisers as well as other best farming practices to get better yields.

"The output per hectare can even increase to over 10 tonnes once best farming practices are embraced,” he said.

The farmers in Mwogo Marshland have a plan to construct their own dam on the marshland from which they will get water to irrigate their crops and even generate power through holding rain water from surrounding hills.

The minister pledged government support to ensure this goal is achieved.

Meanwhile, Ndayisaba said that out of the 120 hectares, they would grow rice on 70 and the other part will be left for ecosystem preservation purposes.

He said the marshland development is in line with combating effects of climate change but it also helps neighbouring residents benefit from them.

Ndayisaba said the Rusuli Marshland development works estimated at Rwf743 million, are expected to be completed within the next 20 months.

The Huye District Mayor Eugène Kayiranga Muzuka said the district has stepped up efforts to reclaim 350 ha of marshlands and there are still about 670 hectares that need to be reclaimed.

In line with marshland development under the Rural Sector Support Programme (RSSP), the government has revamped 6,440 hectares of marshlands countrywide, according to officials.

The marshlands have since become a source of income for more than 50,000 farmers, while paddy rice, which is mostly grown in marshlands, has increased by more than 70,000 tonnes annually.

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