The government is doing a quick assessment to identify farmers who might be affected by unusual dry spells.

The response follows different reports that many farmers and livestock keepers are facing the effects in some parts of Eastern and Southern Province as rains didn’t fall.

In August, The Rwanda Meteorology Agency had warned that parts of Eastern province and Southern province would likely face unusual dry spells similar to those that befell the country in 2016, 2010 and 1996.

The 2016 dry spell period was Rwanda’s longest drought in six decades and affected food security.

 More than 47,300 households with over 230,000 people, in 2016, suffered from the drought that hit the country, with Kayonza, Nyagatare and Kirehe districts in Eastern Province most affected.

 At the time, drought affected crops on 16,119 hectares of land in Kayonza District, 6,619 hectares in Nyagatare District and 750 hectares in Kirehe District.

The current rainfall season runs from September to December 2021.

However some farmers have reported lack of rains in some sectors of Eastern Province.

Audace Hirwa, Director of Documentation, Publication, Communication and Technology Promotion Unit at Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) told Doing Business that based on a quick assessment, 6,042 hectares were identified as sites requiring urgent irrigation intervention to help farmers, who had planted, and cope with unusual dry spells.

He said that 64 pumps have been deployed from RAB stations to support irrigation interventions.

"With this, 192 hectares will be covered but we still have a gap of about 75 hose pipes of 100 metres length each to be able to operate at optimum level,” he said.

He said that provisionally, four teams have been mobilized for the seven districts of Eastern Province for four weeks intervention.

"Depending on how the situation will evolve, additional measures will be taken accordingly,” he said.

The estimated total budget for intervention was Rwf172.8 million, he noted.

Reports which RAB has not yet confirmed show that over 10,000 farmers might be affected by unusual dry spells as hundreds of cows have died in Gatsibo, Kayonza and Nyagatare districts alone.

It is said that from October, an assessment is being carried out.

Farmers who recently spoke to this paper said it could worsen because drought had prolonged from May in some parts before rains started in the current season that starts from September to December.

"We face shortage of cow fodder during dry spells. Some cows even die. For instance this year dry spells lasted from May to almost October. My two cows have died. Milk per cow has decreased from 15 litres to five or even less,” said Serugendo Serge, a livestock keeper in Bugesera district.

Francis Nkurunziza, another livestock farmer from Mwogo sector, said that the prolonged spells reduced eight litres to four litres per one cow as grass dried.

"My six cows died during the recent prolonged dry spells,” he said.

Scientists have said that the unusual dry spells are being caused by climate change as the number of rainy days in Rwanda t has declined by between 35 and 45 days per year due to climate change considering the period from 1971

Due to global warming, trend analysis for the period 1971-2016 showed a temperature increase of 1.4°C has been recorded since 1970 causing unusual dry spells.

According to Hirwa, the RAB official, Rwanda targets to irrigate 102,284 Hectares by 2024.

The total area currently under irrigation is 67,100 Hectares composed of 37,273 ha of marshlands, 9,439 ha of hillside and 20,388 ha of Small Scale Irrigation Technology.

However, he said, it is not easy to irrigate far from water bodies as the investment cost goes high.