Isaac Gashekero is busy giving instructions to a group of 20 farm hands as we approach his soya bean garden. We later learnt that the farmer was going to make a delivery to Mt Meru Soya factory in Kayonza District. The resident of Kabarondo in Munaga sector, Kayonza has become a millionaire through soya growing.

"We are expecting them to come and pick soya today (Thursday last week) so we have to be on time,” he said as he took us around the soya garden.

Gashekero earns millions from soya and other crops thanks to support from Business Development Fund (BDF).

He grows five hectares of soya beans, three hectares of maize and four others for vegetables every season. Gashekero harvests more than 10 tonnes of soya beans.

The 64-year-old farmer attributes his success as a soya farmer mainly to the support from government and BDF.

How he started

Like many other farmers, Gashekero had no land or start up capital when he decided to venture into agriculture.

He says there was no chance of securing a bank loan for farmers 20 years ago. The odds against him were also many as he never went to school. However, this was to work as motivating factor to work hard as a farmer.

"I started out as a farm hand, which helped me gain enough experience and skills. Later, I decided to go independent, venturing into maize farming initially,” he narrates.

He says he chose maize farming because of the high demand for the cereal at the time. Without any education background, the choice of living a better life was always going to be limited, he notes, adding that he always looked at farming as a ‘profession’ where one could earn a living.

Disaster strikes

In 2015, Gashekero lost almost everything he had worked for to drought, including three hectares of maize crop.

"I had invested a lot knowing the harvest was going to be good as always. However, due to the prolonged drought we experienced in 2015, I never harvested anything,” he narrated his ordeal saying he almost gave up on farming.

Like the old saying goes, "once bitten, twice shy,” Gashekero switched from maize growing to soya as the crop can cope well with the climatic conditions and soils in Kayonza. The crop is also easy to grow, "but most importantly, does best in full sun and in warm weather just like in Kayonza.”

"The crop grows well in rich soil with high nitrogen content. Soil should be kept moist for optimum growth,” he said.

BDF support

However, growing soya required a lot of capital. The farmer applied for loans in vain, until Business Development Fund (BDF) accepted to support him with Rwf5 million.

The Fund also gave Rwf1.5 million as guarantee to Tukyire Microfinance in Kabarondo, allowing the farmer to access the funding.

"I was, however, tasked to mobilise other farmers to form a cooperative. That’s how Abizeranye Cooperative was born,” he explains.

The cooperative started with only 10 members, but it has over 120 farmers registered as permanent members.

Government has also come on board and given us more land so that we can improve our productivity, he added.

He attributed the gains by farmers to the good leadership of President Paul Kagame.

Gashekero says he bought a modern irrigation equipment using the loan, which helped to solve the problem of drought and spur productivity.

"I harvest more than 10 tonnes of soya every season,” the model farmer adds.

Challenges

Despite progress, Gashekero says poor road networks are still a big challenge faced by farmers.

"Most feeder roads are impassable making it difficult for farmers to transport produce to the markets.”

Besides the question of price fluctuation for most crops is still unresolved. "For example, the price of soya beans has reduced from Rwf450 per kilogramme to Rwf400, and keeps on fluctuating throughout the season,” he adds.

Achievements

The father of 4 says he does not regret the decision to join agriculture and has indeed reaped big from the activity. From no land, he now owns more than eight hectares of land and harvests more than 15 tonnes of produce every season and makes more than Rwf6 million per year.

We have also managed to build a modern storage facility thanks to BDF support. Gashekero has since signed supply deals with Mt Meru and the East Africa Exchange (EAX).

Advice

He says ensuring that soya beans grow properly throughout the growing season isn’t an easy task, and requires right management approach with emphasis on quality. The crop also requires regular irrigation (for arid areas) and farmers must ensure proper post-harvest handling mechanisms.

He added that farmers should join cooperatives to be able to share skills and expertise, but also to have easy access to inputs including capital.

Despite the achievements and milestone registered in the agriculture sector, there is still need to link farmers to credit institutions, he said adding that the interest rates are still high making it difficult for the small scale farmers to access credit.

What people say about him

Odette Mutembeyire, a neighbour and farmer , said Gashekero loves his job and is always willing to improve.

Leopold Habimana, says Gashekero, is a friendly man who is always willing to share his knowledge with other cooperative members.