Kajevuba site was one of the Rural Community Support Project (RCSP) intervention sites across the country. The site is located in Gasabo District, Kigali city at about 1 hour drive from Kigali.  The Project site covers the sectors of Gikomero, Rutunga and Bumbogo of Gasabo District. The site has 1363 Farmers’ households (680 males; 50%, and 683 females, 50%), organized into 93 Self Help Groups (SHGs) spread across 10 zones.

Capacity building of farmers

Farmers have been trained on different modules aiming at creating strong farmers organizations and improving skills in a number of aspects including agricultural and marketing practices. After a period of 5 years, Self Help Groups have formed 2 cooperatives; ISONGA RYA BWUNYU and ZAMUKA RUTUNGA (KOABIZARU) with 872 (403 males and 469 females) and 594 (343 males and 251 females), members respectively.

Members of these cooperatives have had extensive trainings on Social mobilization, cooperative management, good agriculture practices of staples and food crops, use of improved farming methods, marketing and financial literacy. Because of these trainings, farmers are able to organize themselves into strong producer organizations. To date, production of beans increased from 1.6tons/ha to 2tons/ha, maize increased from 2.8 tons/ha to 3.4 tons/ha and various type of vegetables (French beans, carrots, egg plants, sweet pepper, beetroots etc.. ) are cultivated in the marshland. The project sensitized farmers on kitchen garden construction to facilitate improved nutrition and a total of 1225 kitchen gardens have been constructed.

The project also supported farmers with 2 post harvests, 2 weighing machine, 30 sheetings, 1 maize Sheller, 2 moisture meters and 300 crates to minimize post-harvest losses and increase quality of produce in the rain-fed areas.

To increase formal financial services, farmers in the site have been linked to 3formal financial institutions (SACCOs) where more than 95% of individual farmers have savings accounts, while 89% of Self Help Groups opened accounts through which they get credit to finance their agricultural value chain.

Soil erosion control with land husbandry technologies

The total area treated is 355 ha including 140 ha of improved bench terraces, 150ha of open ditches and 65 ha in the marshland.

Agriculture oriented infrastructures

The site is equipped with different agriculture oriented infrastructures for facilitating irrigation and produce transportation where constructed infrastructures were 90080m of main canal, 5050m of drainage canal, 7 intakes, 9.5 kms of road and 2 bridges.

Agriculture Extension

Farmers in the site grow maize and beans on rotational basis season by season on the rain fed area of 112 Ha for season A2019 and 48ha of Vegetables. For the season A, B and C 2019, vegetable produce especially fresh beans were sold to the company called LOTEC Rwanda.

Impacts recorded in Kajevuba site

The implementation of comprehensive land husbandry technologies implemented in Kajevuba site registered a number of successes, which include the following:

·        32% of the land treated that was marginal has now been converted into productive land by cassava planting.

·        Use of compost, lime, moisture retention measures and other soil erosion control measures enhanced crop productivity from 1.5tons/ha to 2tons/ha for beans and  maize increased from 2.8 tons/ha to 3.4 tons/ha respectively.

·        Increased productivity and job creation to local beneficiaries through land husbandry works helped more than 86 farmers to build new houses, 38 have acquired cows and 297 bought small ruminants.

·        14 farmers opened personal small scale businesses.

·        The yield increase of beans enhanced food security, livelihood change whereby farmers acquired basic needs such as health insurance and now are able to afford to send their children to school.

·        The introduction of kitchen gardens in the site has enabled farmers to plant vegetables for nutritious and healthy meals.