Some of the equipments by GCS
Global Civic Sharing (GCS), a South Korean sponsored development organisation has donated irrigation equipment to vulnerable farming communities in Nyarubuka Sector, Kamonyi district, Southern Province.
Beneficiaries are small scale farmers in social category commonly ‘ubudehe’ categories one and two. They consist of poor families who struggle to get school fees for their children or rent their own houses.
The donations fit in a new government drive to increase agricultural production while also expanding irrigation land under strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA4).
Under this program (PSTA4), the government targets increasing land under irrigation from nearly 50,000 hectares to 102,281hectares in 2024.
The irrigation program through Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB) will involve expanding marshland to 60,023hectares and hillside irrigation to 13,413hectares.
In bid to increase agricultural production in Nyarubaka sector, GCS donated irrigation equipments worth about Rwf15Million to over 1500 small scale famers on Monday 16.
These irrigation equipments including six water pumps and ten water tanks. Beneficiaries were grouped in 40 self-help groups located in Kigusa, Kambyeyi and Ruyanza, Gitare and Nyagishubi cells.
This donation is in line with the governments’ plan of helping farmers to remain relevant in this era of climate change challenges.
“We do not want to see our farmers sitting back because it is dry season,” Aimable Twagirayezu – GCS Project Manager said.
“Before donating these equipments, we talk to sector agriculture officials and make sure that irrigation equipments benefit farmers in the proximity of the marshlands and water streams who do not use irrigation during dry season,” Twagirayezu further said.
The donation is part of an agreement signed between famers and GCS, according to Twagirayezu.
Among the terms of agreement between GCS and farmers, it is making sure that irrigation equipments are kept in good condition and make sure farmers’ production increase in drought season.
“We have realized a production increase by 30% to farmers who used similar irrigation equipments last year, compared to their colleagues who do not use them,” he said.
Simon Nsabimana, president of Duterimbere self-help group told KT Press that, they spent three to four months without cultivating during dry season.
“We shall now be able to cultivate every season. Our cattle will get enough water. These water tanks are huge; they have the capacity of 2000 liters. This water is enough to take farmers through the dry season,” Nsabimana said.
