NORTHEN PROVINCE

GICUMBI—Residents of Byumba Sector are considering Umuganda community work a very important activity to realize development .

Unlike some Kigali residents who dodge Umuganda by locking themselves in their houses, upcountry people understand its importance in rebuilding both the country and the people.

"Community work is not forced labour,” says one resident of Byumba.

"It has been in existence in the Rwandan society for a long time.”

Besides Umuganda providing a solution to many developmental projects, it also brings people together as one society with common social, economic and political goals, national leaders say.

Byumba Sector has been planting grass, and digging trenches and terraces along hilltops to control soil erosion.

Gicumbi is one of the districts endowed with enough food for local consumption and also to sell to other parts of the country.

But like many other districts in Rwanda, Gicumbi faces a shortage of firewood and charcoal for cooking.

This explains why food in restaurants in town is so expensive.

Asked what remedy should be put in place to curb the firewood and charcoal shortage , Theodore Nkunzimana , an agricultural officer for the district, says that Rwanda’s Environment Management Authority should provide incentives to attract tree-growing.

Many countries in the world have used these incentives for floral revival.

Currently, a person with five hectares of trees is provided with Frw1 million for trees.

The farmer are asked to pay back half of that if they sell the plots.

At the end of the day, many people could be attracted in the tree growing business.

There will be enough cheap firewood and charcoal for every body.

"This will also reduce prices of food in restaurants and guarantee environmental protection, abundant water Sources from rain and protection from soil erosion,” Nkunzimana said.

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