Kanyonyomba site was one of the Rural Community Support Project (RCSP) intervention sites across the country. The site is located in Gatsibo District, Eastern Province at about 2 hour drive from Kigali. The Project site covers the sectors of Remera, Muhura, Rugarama and Kiziguro. The site has 574 Farmers’ households (339 males and 235 females), organized into 54 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 3 years, Self Help Groups formed one strong cooperative named CAPRORE-INTAMBWE. Members of these cooperatives have had extensive trainings on cooperative management, 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 Soybeans increased from 0.7tons/ha to 2tons/ha and maize increased from 3 tons/ha to 5 tons/ha. The project also supported farmers with one maize storage.
To increase formal financial services, farmers in the site have been linked to 4 formal financial institutions (SACCOs) where more than 86.5% of individual farmers have savings accounts, while 100% 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 170ha including 120ha of open ditches and 50ha of bench terraces. Over 158,000 trees were planted to strengthen terraces in both the rain-fed and buffer zone of irrigated area, 11,700 fruit trees were also planted.
Development of Infrastructures
The site is equipped with hydro-agricultural infrastructures on total area of 125ha including 4 diversion weir (intake), irrigation canals (33,300m) including 8 main canals with 21,700m of length, 194 secondary canals with 14,800m and 181 secondary drains of 14,200m; 43 drops and turn outs were also established.
The irrigation infrastructures (diversion weirs, canal and the full furrow irrigation networks were completed in December 2018).
The access road of 8.3 Km was also constructed along the treated Kanyonyomba marshland with 3 bridges and 24 road crossings.
One Water Users Association (TWUHIRIRANE) was formed with 1128 members (735 males and 393females). WAUs are responsible for water management techniques including, rehabilitation of irrigation network canals, and supervision of water distribution, pricing and water rights systems in order to conserve water and achieve higher water efficiency productivity among beneficiaries (farmers).
The project equipped farmers with 1 post harvest storage facilities to enable them reduce post-harvest losses.
Production and marketing of Staple crops
Farmers in the site, grow maize and Soybeans on rotational basis season by season on the treated marshland with furrow irrigation of 110ha. For the seasonA 2019, Maize off-takers were African Improved Food (AIF) Ltd.
Production and marketing of Horticulture
12 ha were grown with horticultural crops (vegetables mainly carrots, water melons and French beans and fruits such as avocadoes and mangoes in Kanyonyomba during SeasonC 2019.
SB- 2018 and SA-2019 RCSP Prize award ceremony
The farmers’ competition in season B 2018 and A 2019. After selection of qualified winners, 210 farmers were given awards to the best performers.
Impacts recorded in Kanyonyomba site
The implementation of comprehensive land husbandry technologies implemented in Kanyonyomba hillside and hydro-agricultural works in marshland registered a number of successes, include the following;
· 98% of the land treated that was marginal has now been converted into productive land;
· Use of compost, lime, moisture retention measures and other soil erosion control measures enhanced crop productivity from 0.6 tons/ha to 2 tons/ha for Soybeans and Maize from 3.5 tons/ha to 5 tons/ha;
· Increased productivity and job creation to local beneficiaries through land husbandry works on hillside and Hydro-agricultural development works in Marshland helped more than 14 farmers to build new houses, 35 have acquired cows and 336 bought small ruminants (goats and pigs).
· The yield increase of Maize 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.
