Horticulture farmers in Rubavu District are making significant strides in the fight against malnutrition, thanks to the support and training provided by Kilimo Trust Rwanda on smart agriculture.
Through the Good Food for Cities (GFC) project, over 2,000 smallholder farmers in Rubavu District have been equipped with the knowledge and skills to practice smart agriculture and ensure food security.
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One such farmer, Chantal Nyirabarekezi, 50, a mother of five, shared how the training has transformed her life, which includes cooking and feeding her children. By growing a variety of vegetables in her kitchen garden and learning how to properly care for them, she has been able to provide nutritious meals for her family.
"Kilimo Trust trained us to set up kitchen gardens and to take care of our vegetable produce, something that has helped me personally to improve on diet," narrated Nyirabarekezi.
Despite changing her mindset on cooking habits and feeding children with quality meals rather than quantity, Nyirabarekezi assures that with the construction of a cooling room at their KOTIBANYA cooperative, farmers can now store their produce in optimal conditions, preventing wastage and ensuring a steady supply of fresh vegetables.
This was achieved under the five-year Good Food for Cities Project running in Rubavu District from 2022 to 2026.
Speaking at the awarding ceremony on Thursday, August 29, 2024, Christopher Ayabagabo, who is the project coordinator in Rubavu District, explained that Kilimo Trust provides training to the farmers for good agriculture practices. Prevention of soil erosion, planting fruit trees, and proper use of fertilisers are also part of the training.
"This competition was organised towards changing the mindset in regards to combating malnutrition, and also aims to spotlight outstanding farmers and cooperatives to inspire continued excellence in promoting production and consumption of healthy and nutritious food among the community," Ayabagabo said.
Meanwhile, Kain B. Mvanda, Regional Programme Director of Good Food for Cities in DR Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania, highlighted that good agronomy practices delivered to the local farmers will help them embrace smart agriculture and protect the environment as well.
"We are addressing the many challenges where farmers still use poor practices, so we’re helping them to adopt good ones to increase production and at the same time make sure they’re taking care of the environment,” he said.
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For Rubavu District, equipping farmers with skills and training on improving diet is one of the significant measures to combat malnutrition and stunting cases, as Innocent Harerimana, Acting Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said.
During the ceremony, 61 winners were awarded with goats, pigs, sheep, hens, and agricultural tools across various categories, including the best cooperative, best farmers, best youth farmers, and best innovator.
About GFC
The Good Food for Cities (GFC) project is a 5-year initiative (2022-2026) implemented in Rubavu District by Kilimo Trust Rwanda and Rwanda Consumer’s Rights Protection Organisation (ADECOR) with funding from the Belgium Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD) through Rikolto SON.
The GFC project aims to increase production and commercialisation of healthy and nutritious food produced using regenerative and other sustainable production practices.
The main objective is to establish four operational commercial production enterprises and expand structured trade of 5,000 MT (1,000 MT annually) of healthy, sustainable, and nutritious food in response to specific market demand.