RWAMAGANA–Farmers in Eastern Province have been called on to embrace the new technology of green house farming to maximize production.The call was made by agronomists in the districts who discussed with farmers ways to improve agriculture.According the agronomists, the technology was the most viable system of farming that farmers should use in this era, to get more profits from small pieces of land.The agronomists said bearing in mind the ongoing demarcation of land into smaller plots, farmers should look for more advanced ways of ensuring food security and income despite the challenges.Innocent Ukizuru, agricultural officer in charge of Rwamagana District, said that the technology had proved successful in some parts of the country.He noted that the system works well with horticultural crops such as tomatoes, carrots among others, and can produce good yields.“Farmers shouldn’t shy away from the technology on the pretext that it is expensive. One green house which can be constructed at a cost of Rwf 1.5m produces double the amount per year when utilized properly,” he told farmers.Theophile Kayigi, a tomato grower, admitted that farmers’ traditional ways of growing crops had to change. He said farmers had to embrace the new technology to make profits in a competitive global market.“The knowledge I gathered about farming, drove me to think that the majority of vegetable growers are using a lot of energy with minimum output,” the farmer said.The Ministry of Agriculture facilitates interested farmers to adopt greenhouse farming.
