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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Climate change is affecting agriculture, especially in rural communities of Rwanda, through droughts, floods, severe storms, and diseases.
The long-term shifts in temperature and whether partners are leading to poor crop production, less food, low income, and land degradation.
Arable land on hillsides, which makes up the vast majority of the total agricultural land, is being affected by soil erosion, which is costing the country 1.4 million tons of fertile soil per year.
In addition, the rain and floods eroded the soil, killed livestock, destroyed crops, and damaged many roads, bridges, markets, and houses.
Jean Marie Twagirayezu, a farmer from Murama sector in Kayonza district, says that last season, he planted maize and beans, thinking that the rains would come in time to his surprise, they came late.
“The weather conditions have changed, and the harvest has been reduced. It is very hot, the rains are unreliable, and the situation is not all good.” He explains.
According to the National Land-Use and Development Master Plan 2020-2050, Rwanda will need 102,973 square kilometers for food production to feed the 22 million population at that time.
Sylvain Nyirangirimana, a farmer in Ndego sector in eastern province, points out that they used to have rains always at a certain time, we used to have forests around this area, but they are now gone because people started cutting down trees for wood to burn charcoal, or firewood for cooking.
“The weather is more difficult to predict now than before. That cycle is at a risk, as farmers, we deeply depend on agriculture, and we just need a steady mixture of sun, warmth, and rain to reliably produce the food,” He notes.
To try and mitigate these challenges, the smallholder farmers in eastern province are, are cultivating land that earns higher incomes and produces more nutritious food, showing that climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can help smallholders to thrive in the face of climate change.
According to John Murenzi, an agriculture expert working with the Rwanda Development Organization (RDO) in eastern province, CSA practices bring important adaptation and productivity benefits to farmers.
“The CSA concept reflects an ambition to improve the integration of agricultural development and climate responsiveness. It aims to achieve food security and broader development goals under a changing climate and increasing food demand.” He notes.
According to him, the concept is built on three key pillars that are investing in land husbandry, water harvesting, and hillside irrigation to increase resilience to climate change, reduce water erosion and soil loss, halt land degradation, and increase land productivity. He explains.
In eastern province, a farmer like Desire Umugabocyane, practicing agroforestry, is earning a decent livelihood after diving into climate-smart agriculture.
The 52-year-old father, who supports a family of five in the Murama sector in Kayonza district, attributes this to the CSA training he received five years ago.
Around his two hectares of land, Umugabocyane has planted a lot of Calliandra, acacia, andcalothyrsus flowering plants as a soil conservation hatch to prevent soil erosion.
Apart from protecting the soil surface, Umugabocyane, who practices zero grazing, observes that plants benefit him as fodder to feed his cow and seven goats.
“We feed fodder legume for animals in return; the cow gives us milk that we feed the children, particularly to fight acute malnutrition. The other benefit is that we use the manure from the cow by returning it to the soil to help the soil retain moisture, if we get little rain; the underground stays moisturized, and also attracts worms that help water flow through the soil, which helps to stabilize production.” He explains.
Umugabocyane’s wife also says, the over 160 trees act as windbreakers and rain catchers, act as shades, and also provide nutrients to the roots as well as leaves, and are a source of firewood for the kitchen.”
“Our main source of income as a family is bananas, maize, beans, cow peas, cassava, sweet potato, macadamia, followed by milk and vegetables. We sell the firewood and timber for more income. Our expenses are school fees, hospital bills, plus farm inputs,” She adds.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), agriculture, soil erosion, and deforestation together contribute to a third of total greenhouse gas emissions.
Murenzi further explains that slashing, burning, as well as ploughing, strongly reduce soil water holding capacity, hence reducing nitrites. A field covered with weeds and undisturbed soil structure keeps the moisture, which stands against the forces of soil erosion.
“All that the plant needs in the soil must stay in the soil for the plants to absorb it; if the soil is not covered, it loses some much water through evaporation. Healthy soil contains moisture and small microorganisms that contribute nitrates to the soil,” He explains.
He explains that without top cover, the soil heats up, moisture evaporates, many of the microorganisms die, and the soil loses fertility. The impact of rain on soil causes further damage and erosion, but mulching stops sunshine from entering, moderates the temperature of soil organisms, and protects the soil surface from rain.
Jean Baptist Ndikumana, a farmer in eastern province who practices crop diversification, says that Improvement of soil fertility on his three hectares of land has enabled his yield increases by 3 times for soybeans, cowpeas, and maize, 4 times for beans, and 5 times for Irish potatoes.
The 49-year-old incorporates his garden with crotalaria juncea because they support each other with cereal plants; on the other hand, it protects his crops from a tough pest.
“When planting maize seeds, I tend to leave all the surroundings covering the soil around. We don’t plant in bare and loose soils. I plant seeds in soils covered with crops and plant residues,” he notes. I leave the trash on the ground to gradually decompose to give the soils the required nitrates,” he says.
Besides maize growing, the 36-year-old from Nyamirama sector, Kayonza district, has a poultry farm and a vegetable garden. He owns 270 chickens. He says around 4-5 trays of eggs daily.
“I sell each tray of at Rwf 3,800 to Rwf 4,000 (about US$3.6 to US$3.8) on a good day. We also consume some of the eggs, and children take some to school. We grow carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, green pepper, and eggplants in a vegetable garden,” adds Ndikumana.
After being trained through the Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach five years ago, Jean Claude Muvunyi from Rwinkwavu sector says that he now owns an agroforestry farm, where at least a fruit tree can yield him about Rwf 6,000 to 8,000 in four months.
He has learned how to earn money from tree planting and belongs to a village savings group meeting. He welcomes the idea because it has helped increase his small income.
“Apart from earning income from selling mature trees, the trees also help in fighting erosion, purify the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, prevent erosion, and help address climate change by absorbing planet-warming carbon,” he added.
So far, 2600 farmers from Kayonza, Burera, Ngororero, and Nyanza Districts have been trained, given tree seeds to plant tree practices, and to gather climate information, analyze, and decide the right time for cropping.
The incomes earned by these rural households are spent on healthcare insurance, children’s school fees, and other necessities.
Alice Keza, head of social affairs in the Murundi sector, says that they’re observing a change in standards of living in these households.
“Most of these households, especially women farmers, belong to a community small saving group; as a result, they’re earning significant benefits to fight poverty,” she explained, adding that in their sector alone, more than 100 are benefiting from the scheme.
However, Keza warns that other rural farmers may need to be aware of CSA practices and learn how to implement them on their farms.
She thinks that it is difficult for farmers, especially in rural communities, to transition to CSA, even if they are interested; some of the CSA practices require significant investments in new technology or infrastructure.
Other challenges are related to policy and regulatory barriers that make it difficult for them to implement climate-smart agriculture practices. For instance, the use of specific technologies or practices or there may be a lack of support from government agencies regarding funding or technical assistance.
“We may need help finding markets for their climate-smart agriculture products, mainly if there is limited demand for them. It is difficult for farmers to recoup their investments in climate-smart agriculture practices and make the transition economically viable.” Ndikumana adds.
