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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Diogene Kimenyi is a farm manager of the ELIM PLUS FARM. He wakes up at five in the morning every day. His main activity consists of irrigating crops in a farm of 30-ha farm located at Cyabahanga, a remote rural village in the Nyagatare district in Eastern Rwanda.
The 32-year-old father never envisioned that his efforts in the farmlands would pave the way for neighbor workers in his remote village to pursue prosperous lives.
Farmers claim that the use of chemical fertilizers degrades soil quality and accelerates its aging process, particularly when applied over an extended period. This is what led Kimenyi Diogene to start producing organic fertilizer using solar energy, since the Eastern Province, where he lives, often experiences drought, resulting in low yields. He lives in the Cyabahanga village, Bushoga cell in the Nyagatare sector, Nyagatare district.
He said, “Before we had access to solar energy to irrigate crops and produce organic fertilizer, we harvested nothing. When the sun was too hot, the crops dried up immediately.”
He added that not only were crops destroyed by drought, but even crop residues and grasses they collected to make fertilizer would also dry out.
“Whenever we piled up crop residues and other grasses to make fertilizer, they dried out because of the sun. Once we saw they had dried, we lost all hope of getting fertilizer or even harvesting crops.”
How solar energy helps Kimenyi produce organic fertilizer
Agricultural experts in Rwanda encourage farmers to use organic fertilizer instead of relying solely on chemical fertilizer.
Kimenyi explains how solar energy plays a special role in making organic fertilizer.
“We collect crop residues, mix them with ordinary grasses and livestock waste. After creating a heap, solar energy helps us irrigate the pile until it becomes very moist. Once it is thoroughly wet, we store it for about 18 to 25 days. Normally, producing fertilizer the traditional way takes 30 to 60 days.”
He added that this method has not only helped them expand their farming but also generate income, since they sell the fertilizer to other farmers in Nyagatare District.
How has organic fertilizer expanded farming?
In 2024, Kimenyi received support from the SAIP project (Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Food Security Project). The support included solar-powered equipment that helps him irrigate the grasses he uses to produce fertilizer.
“I learned that SAIP was supporting farmers’ projects by providing irrigation equipment. I submitted my project and was lucky that it was selected. My project focused on mango farming across 8ha. But I also grow macadamia, beans, maize, and soybeans,” he explained.
He said that before having access to solar irrigation, a single mango tree would yield between 50kg and 80kg of mangoes, and only once a year.
“We used to incur losses because each tree produced very little. But now, each mango tree yields between 200 and 250 kilograms, and we harvest twice a year, thanks to irrigation even during the dry season. With 1,640 trees, we get sufficient yields. Previously, our mango harvest was worth between Rwf 800,000 and Rwf 1 million, but today it is worth between Rwf 2 million and Rwf 4 million.”
Through SAIP II, Kimenyi received support worth Rwf 9,038,103.
The Vice Mayor of Nyagatare District, in charge of economic development, Mr. Gonzague Matsiko, states that the support provided by SAIP has contributed to an increase in fruit production, and they hope it will continue to help them provide irrigation facilities to all farmers in the district.
In 2024, SAIP had set a target of bringing small-scale irrigation to 1,200 hectares. That goal was surpassed, with 1,367 hectares irrigated by the end of the year.
SAIP II also began with a target of 1,000 hectares but has already reached 1,078.5 hectares. More than 3,360 farmers have benefited from the project, 1,916 men and 1,453 women.
SAIP I (2018–2023, extended) and SAIP II (2024–2026) are funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) through the World Bank and implemented by the Rwanda Agricultural and Animal Resources Board (RAB).
