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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Some young people say that they are trapped in poverty due to a lack of employment or opportunities that could help them engage in income-generating activities. However, those who discovered the potential in agriculture and embraced it say that it helped them improve their livelihoods and generate money through farming.
Bigirimana Ildephonse, a 34-year-old man living in Buyoga Sector, Rulindo District, completed secondary school but couldn’t afford to go to university due to financial constraints. He turned to agriculture, as it was the only viable option that did not require significant startup capital.
Bigirimana Ildephonse wakes up at five in the morning every day. Her main activity consists of irrigating crops in a small 5-hectare farm located at Gashikiri, a remote rural village in Huye district in Southern Rwanda.
The 32-year-old mother never envisioned that her efforts in the farmlands would pave the way for women workers in her remote village to pursue prosperous lives.
He said, “After missing the opportunity to go to university, I began farming, although not professionally, because I didn’t know how to grow improved seeds or apply modern farming techniques to generate income. I was doing it with passion even though it wasn’t professional, but I managed to get a small harvest to feed my family, save seeds for the next season, or consume them until they ran out.”
He added that in 2020, he learned about a project called SAIP that could help him expand his farming operations and do it professionally.
“Agriculture mobilizers told us about a project called SAIP that supports farmers. However, it required submitting a project proposal where the beneficiary contributes 10% and SAIP covers the remaining 90%. I submitted my proposal, and luckily, it was accepted. I had already been farming beans and pumpkins.”
Bigirimana says his yields tripled after adopting professional farming practices.
“On a hectare where I previously harvested 50 kg of beans, now I harvest 230 kg of French beans on just 4.5 ares, because now I use improved seeds and apply modern farming methods.”
His story is the same as Alex Rwibasira, a young avocado farmer, standing beside a large solar-powered water pump. Water gushes from the pipe as he strategically points it to the growing avocados, which cover about 13 hectares.
“I started to farm avocados in 2022 after my studies in Poland. I decided to invest in agriculture because of unemployment issues. It is not easy to engage in agriculture because of drought issues in our village, but I received the support of solar panels to help me with irrigation and to pump water to the dam,” says Rwibasira.
He added that before engaging in the agribusiness, he was a traditional farmer. Per season, he could get 150,000 Rwfrs from avocados, but today he gets 4,000,000 Rwfrs from avocado production.
“I export my production of 8 tons per season. I encourage other young people to embrace agribusiness, because you can achieve everything using money.”
Nteziryimana Vedaste is a pineapple and passion fruit farmer. He practices this farming in Musange Sector, Masizi Cell, Nyamagabe District.
He says that on 3 hectares, he harvests about four tons. His entire project is valued at 8 million Rwandan francs. He has planted about 95,500 pineapple plants, of which 65,000 are productive. He sells his production in the Kigali markets.
Rurangwa Raphael is a farmer who grows avocados and chili peppers in the Bugesera district.
“I farm avocado and chili pepper on 6.3 hectares, and I expect a good harvest. Previously, I harvested between 6 and 8 tons per hectare, but now I expect between 12 and 13 tons per hectare, because I got a solar system that will help me boost my production.”
The export of flowers, vegetables, and fruits from Rwanda increased by 29.1%, generating $75 million (approximately RWF 104 billion) in the 2023/2024 fiscal year. Agricultural Export Performance 2023-2024.
In an interview with Forefront Magazine, Bugesera District Mayor Richard Mutabazi said the district aims to irrigate 1,700 hectares by 2029, which will help farmers to increase their production, because the drought is a challenge to them.
A new report released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) shows that in the previous year, these exports earned Rwanda $58.16 million.
The revenue from vegetable exports grew by 22% in 2023/2024, while fruit exports increased by 61%.
In total, vegetables brought in $42.3 million, representing 56% of total earnings and weighing about 62,000 tons. Fruits earned $30.6 million, accounting for 40.7% of earnings, with a total weight of 34,700 tons. Meanwhile, flowers generated $2.1 million, or 2.8% of total revenue, with over 412 tons exported.
The increase in production and revenue is attributed to several factors, including growing international demand.
The report states, “This growth reflects improvements in processing and preservation, such as the use of irrigation technologies, high-quality fertilizers, and modern agricultural methods, all of which have enhanced the quality of produce suitable for export.”
