KAYONZA – Farmers from the districts of Kayonza, Gatsibo, Rwamagana and Ngoma concluded a one-week training in modern methods of farming and entrepreneurship.The training, organised by the Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RWARRI), focused on the importance of cooperatives.The Programmme Coordinator, Belange Uwineza, said the training was in line with an initiative to improve farmers’ skills and knowledge in modern farming.He said that trained farmers have been multiplying and distributing mosaic- resistant and tolerant cassava varieties, and giving appropriate production tips to other farmers.He said that farmers recently adopted maize growing using modern methods that included use of artificial fertilizers.Uwineza said the training was, above all, aimed at helping farmers to form cooperatives, so as to enjoy the accrued benefits. "Agriculture is everything here, because over 80 per cent of our people depend on the sector.”"We want to come up with agro-based factories – food processing plants. We think agriculture is critical to us, and we are giving agriculture the due emphasis that it is supposed to have,” he said.The RWARRI field coordinator reiterated the importance of forming cooperatives as a basis of improving agriculture.He said that unless farmers form cooperatives they will never make reasonable profits.He added that they intend to go a further step into specialized technical training for the farmers."Agro-based cooperatives have thrilled in the region, which is why we found it imperative to give them entrepreneurship skills. They need the skills to properly manage their finances…the losses they incur are a result of poor management and administration,” he said.Claudine, 39, one of the trained farmers, said they had gained much in the training, especially, in the formation of cooperatives and project formulation."We can now manage our finance in a more scientific way…we used to do it haphazard hence giving room some people to cheat us. And as for the cooperatives, we now know how to effectively manage a cooperative,” he said.RWARRI is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the promotion and improvement of social-economic welfare of rural communities in Rwanda.