Farmers in the Land Husbandry Water Harvesting and Hillside Irrigation (LWH) project intervention site in Muyanza, Rulindo District, Northern Province have been urged by Hon. Fulgence Nsengiyumva, Minister of State in charge of agriculture to make optimum use of Muyanza Hillside irrigation scheme.
The Minister made the call while addressing farmers from Burega, Buyoga and Cyinzuzi sectors in Rulindo District shortly after the launch of season 2019A in the area.
Hon. Nsengiyumva together with Dr. Charles Bucagu, Deputy Director General in charge of Agriculture Research and Technology Transfer at Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), local leaders and government officials among others joined farmers to kick off season 2019A in Muyanza site.
“Make proper use of available water resources in Muyanza dam and thereby promote horticulture farming and irrigation farming so as to double your yields season by season,” he told farmers.
Hon. Nsengiyumva called on farmers to properly utilize benefits accruing from the government support through project’s interventions for increased crop produce and improved household income.
He also encouraged farmers to apply irrigation water to their crop fields very well with the objective of promoting and maintaining high quality yield.
“Small holder farmers are able to grow high value crops for both local and international markets. This Irrigation scheme can therefore improve the livelihoods of farmers if they use them efficiently,” the minister said.
During the visit, Hon. Nsengiyumva toured Muyanza dam and observed the ongoing agricultural and development activities taking place in Muyanza site.
Muyanza Hillside Irrigation Scheme is located in Rulindo District, Northern Province. Currently the dam is the highest and largest earth fill dam in the agriculture sector in Rwanda.
With a wall of 26 meters high, it has the capacity to store 2.4 million cubic meters of water. The irrigation scheme is able to irrigate 1100 Ha of crop fields throughout the year which will benefit all categories of farmers, that is, commercial, medium and small scale.
The dam will help in hillside irrigation which will ensure reliable and sustainable supply of produceand encouraging horticultural crops for exports.
Its construction was funded by the World Bank Group under LWH project.
LWH was the project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources funded by the World Bank Group, but implemented under the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).
LWH was introduced in June 02, 2010 by the government of Rwanda through a basket funding from various Multi-donor organizations with aim of increasing productivity and commercialization of agriculture on the hillside of Rwanda.
Its primary focus was to reduce soil erosion while introducing hillside irrigation in the country.
LWH closed on June 29, 2018 after intervening in 13 districts across the country where 318,255 benefited directly from the Project (47% of them being females).