A ‘Strengthening Climate Resilience of Rural Communities’ project was yesterday launched in Gicumbi District Saturday.

According to Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA), the $32.8 million (about Rwf30 billion) project intends to increase the resilience of communities vulnerable to climate change in Gicumbi District and will directly support 150,000 residents.

In addition, it will provide other benefits to more than 380,000 people

The Ministry of Environment received the project grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Gicumbi District is inhabited by 440,000 people living in 98,000 households, and 81 percent of them earn a living through agriculture, according to Felix Ndayambaje, the Gicumbi District Mayor.

When it rains, Mayor Ndayambaje said, the vast tea plantations in the Mulindi marshland are damaged. In the last farming season, 5112 hectares of tea plantations were damaged and that affected 526 households.

"This project will be a solution to our district, either in helping increase production such as for tea and protecting the environment,” he said.

According to FONERWA, the ground-breaking project is one of the largest s in Rwanda’s green development and will run for six years.

It aims to restore and enhance the ecosystem in a sub-catchment of the Muvumba watershed, increase the capacity of communities to renew and sustainably manage forest resources, and support smallholder farmers to adopt climate resilient agriculture.

The project will work in nine sectors of Gicumbi District: Kaniga, Rubaya, Cyumba, Rushaki, Shangasha, Mukarange, Manyagiro, Byumba and Bwisige.

Speaking during the launch of the project in Gicumbi, Vincent Biruta, Minister of Environment said that the residents were faced with frequent disasters citing landslides and floods resulting from heavy rains.

Talking about the effects of climate change, he said that last year, about 250 Rwandans died as a result of disasters.

"In the last nine months of this year, Rwanda estimates that it lost about $230 million to disasters; that is a lot of money," he said.

And every year, the country loses about 15 million tonnes of soil that is carried away by erosion. This problem, he said, reduces the country's capacity to feed about 40,000 residents, adding that the monetary value of such land degradation is estimated to $34 million per year.

"This situation justifies why we should, in any way, take action so that we combat climate change effects," he said.

As a country that committed to combat such effects, he said, Rwanda adopted strategies contained in 2050 vision, which aims at achieving an environmental-friendly economy.

"For us to implement this vision, we affirm that we should provide residents with means to resist climate change effects. This project we have launched will increase Gicumbi District’s resilience to such effects,” he said.

Ayaan Adam, Director of Private Sector Facility at GCF said that heavy rains and mudslides are affecting the livelihoods of communities and droughts cause them to lose their livelihoods.

"We will continue to work with the Ministry of Environment to do more for supporting communities like you to deal with the impact of climate change.”

The project will also increase rainwater capture and storage to counter inter-annual rainfall variability, among other interventions.

"We hope this project will support in stopping some of the landslides and mudslides, also support in conserving water, and conserving the watershed for the dry season, and most importantly for supporting the community to have electricity, as well as housing that will support your livelihoods going forward,” she said.

In line with the green settlement, about vulnerable 200 households will be relocated from such risky areas and will be settled in two villages - one in Kaniga, another in Kabeza.

In the course of the six years of the project, it is estimated that 273,720 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent will be reduced or avoided.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com