Farmers urged to embrace irrigation

NGOMA-KIREHE-As Rwanda strives to revolutionize agriculture, the Minister of Agriculture and Animal husbandry Dr. Agnes Kalibata, has urged rural farmers in the Eastern Province, to embrace irrigation. The Minister, who was addressing rural farmers, said that irrigation was the most effective means of increasing and stabilizing crop production. She said that modern agriculture involved application of fertilizers, mechanization and irrigation. Kalibata added that government’s major investment in agriculture should be backed by public seriousness, so that desired targets of production are reached. “Overdependence on rain fed agriculture has been our undoing. So it is high time we embraced irrigation. Our region is endowed with a number of water bodies,” she said. Francois Niyotwagira, the Mayor of Ngoma District, told Sunday Times that irrigation system under the popular land consolidation program would be easier. The Mayor said that the district had received enough tractors to allow mechanization for individual farmers. “The levels of agriculture production will definitely increase…we have enough tractors that farmers can hire on a rotational basis. We have been practicing irrigation only in swamps, but we want to push it further up land,” he said. He noted that reliable irrigation could also persuade risk conscious farmers, to invest in better production practices and to diversify into higher value farming systems. “Investments in irrigation infrastructure and technological know-how are important…Potential investors with huge capital could join agriculture, hence increasing production”. Marie Vianney Rucumu, a resident of Kirehe District, admitted that changing weather patterns and unpredictable rains make agriculture more risky. He noted that the greatest challenge had been finding ways of utilising the water resources more efficiently. “Promoting irrigation would of course enhance agricultural production. But, irrigation needs technology and machinery that most farmers don’t have. So, trainings and equipment are needed,” he said. Ends