As reported in this daily earlier in the week, Richard Niymwungeri the District Director of Planning and Economic Development urged residents of Rwamagama District to grow vegetables as a ‘path towards food security…’. This is one of many other interventions that can be explored. Agronomist Kelvin Odoobo lists other ways of ensuring food security. 1. Smallholder farmers can increase productivity on their small plots by minimizing soil degradation through erosion (soil conservation), use more inputs e.g. organic and inorganic fertilizer and crop protection chemicals, hence they can increase yield to cater for food and leave some for sell. Use improved technologies that will release crucial labor to seek for non-farm income. 2. The government can assist farmers into organized marketing boards where it can help them to access credit, obtain extension services, help to add value to their produce and assist in obtaining good prices for their produce. It can also help to increased access to water for watering crops, for livestock to drink and pastures to grow, improved trade terms for cash crops like coffee, tea. It can also put in place the legal and policy framework to encourage farmers, banks, private businessman, and international organizations to stimulate growth in the agriculture sector. 3. Improve women’s access because they provide the larger percentage of labor, to education and training, credit and rights to ownership of land can help improve food security. 4. Research into new varieties of crops that serve as staple food or can help stave off famine like grains or tubers with high yield potentials, resistant to pest and diseases and tolerant to water stresses followed by multiplication and adoption of these varieties. 5. Availability of accessible credit to farmers to invest in new technology with realistic collateral e.g. human collateral and which has realistic pay back periods synchronizing with earning seasons of the farmers. Kelvin OdooboManager – Agriculture DepartmentBalton Rwanda
