Upcountry insight: Farmers begin another planting season

NORTHERN PROVINCE Farmers in Gakenke district have started cultivation of the second season, changing the crops grown in the previous season and consolidating small plots of land after a bumper harvest from the first season. Whereas the past farming method which was entirely mixed cropping had failed to bring substantial yields to fight poverty, the new method of growing a particular type of crop on a bigger peace of land seem to ensure increased food production out of which the excess is put up for sale. Farmers, who talked to The New Times, recently cited growing crops on hill sides and the swampy valleys, soil erosion, flooding over the cultivable land and lack of enough fertilisers as among the outstanding challenges they face. Agriculture is central to the wealth of many poor countries and in changing the lives of many poor people in the rural communities because it creates jobs while serving as a source of food for both local communities and urban centers. In Cyabingo Sector, Gakenke, farmers shifted from growing beans to maize in the large swampy valley of Mukungwa watershed after digging trenches for draining water. This is partly to ensure sustainable use of the available land. The Gakenke district Mayor, Damien Hakizayezu after inaugurating the onset of the second season in Cyabingo, observed that growing one type of crop at a time eases the monitoring while also ensuring optimum use of fertilisers.It also ensures ease of harvesting. Ends