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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Women in Southern Province are embracing kitchen gardens known as “Akarima k’Igikoni,” and poultry farming to address malnutrition and enhance food security through the PRISM Project.
These gardens, filled with various fruits and vegetables, have become vital tools for women in the Southern Province, Gisagara district, specifically in the Gishubi and Nyanza Sectors, to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change.
Through comprehensive training provided by the PRISM Project, these women have gained valuable knowledge on smart climate agriculture practices, focusing on kitchen gardens. The gardens enable smallholder farmers to cultivate a diverse range of resilient and nutritious crops, ultimately improving productivity and ensuring food security in their communities.
Nyirahabimana Jeannine, a resident of Akasemabondi village in Gisagara District, said she fully embraced the training she received from the PRISM Project, and the project significantly transformed her life. Her kitchen garden now thrives with a vibrant array of vegetables, including beets, carrots, leafy greens, indigenous vegetables, and eggplants.
“Previously, I cultivated my vegetables in the traditional garden “Imirambararo” or a basket. However, after learning about this new way of gardening featuring stairs, I tried it at my home and the outcomes have been incredible that I don’t need to buy vegetables from the market anymore” says Nyirahabimana.
The easy availability of fresh produce, such as calottes and other vegetables, has greatly improved her family’s nutrition and eliminated the occurrence of kwashiorkor.
“I don’t buy vegetables anymore; I cultivate my potatoes and even beans. The only items I buy are tomatoes and salt,” she says.
Unlike the traditional garden, “Imirambararo,” the kitchen garden requires a plot that of about one meter long and 30 centimeters wide. Although some vegetables can be grown in this garden, they fail to sustain growth during the sunny season, even with irrigation, as the water seeps too deep.
However, Nyirahabimana’s success has already inspired many of her neighbors to try and adopt this gardening style as they also realize how effective the kitchen gardens can be in the fight against malnutrition.
I have two kids. Before joining the PRISM Project in 2021, my secondborn was suffering from malnutrition.
“My kid was stunted because I did not know how to feed kids and how to prepare nutritious food for kids. PRISM project trained me, and now I am aware that healthy meals contain a variety of foods, such as beans, potatoes, rice, bananas, small fish, eggs, maize, calotte, fruits, and other vegetables. This is for one meal.”
She mentioned that before to know the value of healthy meals, all eggs were for sale without one egg for her kids. “Now my kids eat eggs and I generate money from other activities.”
Nyirahabimana engaged in poultry farming
In 2023 the PRISM Project started to work with them after the selection of vulnerable families conducted by local leaders.
“The project provided us with 10 chickens as a capital of poultry farming. After two months, I joined other PRISM beneficiaries in a team, and we established a big poultry farm in our village. Now we are 39 members of DUFASHANYE Nyaruteja Group with 327 chickens.”
The vision of Nyirahabimana is to be a professional poultry farmer.
Madam Alice Dusabe, Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs in Gisagara district. She says that the PRISM project has significant achievements in this district.
“For four years, we have collaborated with the project, and the malnutrition issues decreased. The PRISM provided us with small domestic animals like pigs, chickens, and goats for 10,993 households. Those people are ready to graduate from the poorest category to the rich category.” Said Dusabe.
She added that the DHS 2023 ranked Gisagara district on 17.9% of decreasing malnutrition.
The PRISM project provided the Gisagara district with 417 pigs, 111 chickens, and 500 goats.
The PRISM project is a project of the government of Rwanda, in collaboration with the International Fund for the Development of Agriculture and Livestock (IFAD), through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, and implemented by the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).
