EDITORIAL: A better informed population is more productive

Land fragmentation has been a slow and ever present menace for the country. As years went by, a sub-divided family plot could hardly go around all family members due to the traditional high Rwandan birth rates. Land became a source of domestic conflicts and sometimes led to dire consequences and low production. With the majority of Rwandans living off the land, the only option was to find ways for more efficient production. At the beginning, the idea of land consolidation was viewed with a lot of hostility, but that was because communication from local leaders lacked direction. Today farmers are reaping the benefits of consolidating their land and growing high yield crops and getting access to mechanization. Areas such as the south-western parts of the country that were once prone to famines are today bread baskets because of improved information flow. Therefore, government bodies such as Rwanda Governance Board should put more efforts to make sure local government levels are equipped with efficient communication skills. If the local community is aware of the happenings in their localities, there would be no more cooking of data by local leaders to make false impressions on performance contracts. The people would be the first to point out discrepancies. Information is power and an empowered population is more productive and receptive to new ideas that could improve their lives. Had the people been well informed on the importance of land consolidation and modern farming techniques earlier, by now they would be registering even more success.

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EDITORIAL: A better informed population is more productive