Rwanda’s move towards green agric gains momentum

In 2011, Rwanda adopted the Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy (GGCRS) with an ambitious goal to achieve green economy by 2050. Green economy is defined as an economy that aims at sustainable and advanced economic, environmental and social well-being, without degrading the environment. Rwanda’s green agriculture growth requires at least $600 million (Rwf492 billion) by 2030, investment estimates from a joint study carried out by international development institutions have revealed. The study was conducted last year - upon Government of Rwanda (GoR)’s technical assistance request - by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to estimate the medium-term investment needs (from 2015 to 2030) for advancing Rwanda’s transition to more inclusive green growth, as defined in the GGCRS. Green agriculture consists of agro-ecological farming practices that ensure more productivity per acreage for food security at the same time benefiting biodiversity and being resilient to the changing climate. The need for green agriculture The strategy found that extreme weather already negatively impacts the economy and climate change could result in annual economic costs of just under 1% of the country’s GDP by 2030. For a country to carry out agriculture that effectively benefits current population and future generations, there is a need for good farming practices that ensure a sustainable and efficient use of natural resources and shielding agriculture from climate change shocks, according to experts. According Innocent Bisangwa, Environment and Climate Change Specialist at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), to achieve green agriculture, greening practices or scenarios need to be implemented. Bisangwa told Sunday Times that they include, terracing (where there are slopes or hillsides) to control erosion, irrigation during drought so that agriculture does not only depend on rain for harvest “Because unpredictable weather is resulting in socio-economic shocks against us,” he said. Figures from Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) show that about 45,000 hectares are being irrigated in the country, with a target of 100,000 hectares in 2020. Between Rwf10 and Rwf12 million is needed for developing irrigation per one hectare. Huye residents growing maize in Ruhoboba Marshland in Kabusanza Cell of Simbi Sector. / Emmanuel Ntirenganya Bisangwa noted that other practices are agro-forestry where trees such as Leucaena and calliandra improve soil fertility through debris, provide forage to livestock; cultivation of improved seeds which give high yield and are resistant to drought and heavy rain or flooding. Currently, about 41% of farmers use improved seeds, against 100 per cent target by 2017 according to information from MINAGRI. Those practices, he added, include the use of composts or organic fertilisers. “Greening agriculture is a means to put in place a sustainable agriculture which can meet our [food] needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generation to guarantee their food security,” he said. Another practice in greening agriculture, Bisangwa said, is a biological control of pests or integrated pest management where for instance, a herb is used to control weeds or other pests in crops, while in non-green agriculture, pesticides are used instead. Bisangwa noted that the funding for green agriculture might come from various sources including the national budget allocated to the agricultural sector; the Rwanda’s Environment and Climate Change Fund (FONERWA), government [development] partners and the international Green Climate Fund (GCF). Last year, GCF granted accreditation status to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MINIRENA), which it considered an opportunity to continue to drive sustainable development and green growth as envisaged in its national strategies and to scale up its climate change projects and programmes. The accreditation of MINIRENA means that Rwanda is allowed to submit projects to GCF worth $50 million to contribute to the country’s green economy move. Alex Mulisa, Coordinator of FONERWA told Sunday Times the Fund seeks funds from different domestic and international sources to fund environmental friendly and anti-climate change projects. It has so far mobilised over $100 million. “Entities which need financing for given projects apply and we evaluate them that have lacked funding yet they are in line with the programmes we support. We technically assess the profitability of the projects and fund them after realizing that they will be profitable,” he said. Sight specific nutrient management Bisangwa said that this system refers to the utilisation of fertilisers based on the soil and crop needs in a specific setting and condition. He noted that soil fertility maps are being drawn countrywide under this system so as to identify which fertilizer a given area needs. “It is just a matter of knowing which type of fertiliser a specific crop or soil needs so that it is the one to be applied for better yields,” he said. Apollinaire Gahiza, the president of rice farmers’ federation (FUCORIRWA) which has about 70,000 rice farmers, said there was need to ensure proper fertiliser management for improved productivity. “You realise that under the current arrangement, the same quantity and type of fertiliser is being applied based on the same formula on all types of soil in the country, yet such soils have different properties and have different nutrient needs,” he said. During the visit of King Mohammed VI of Morocco to Rwanda in October, 2016, MINAGRI signed an agreement with Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) – a Moroccan state-owned phosphate mining company which is the world’s leading producer of phosphate rock and phosphoric acid as well as one of the leading global fertilizer players - to set up a fertiliser blending factory in Rwanda, which Bisangwa said is expected to provide farmers access to tailor-made fertiliers based on the soil and crop needs in question. In 2015/2016, around 32,000 tonnes of manufactured fertilisers were used while the National Fertiliser Policy targets manufactured fertiliser use of 45 kilogrammes per hectare in 2017/18, which translates into 55,000 tonnes of fertilisers. Improving soil fertility management The application of organic fertilisers, is also one of the approaches that will be used under green agriculture, according to Bisangwa. The Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture in Rwanda Phase III (PSTA III) targets to improve soil fertility management through use of organic fertilisers and liming. Under this plan, farmers will be trained in methods to improve soil fertility, and received support to operationlise the approach for example through providing stores for organic compost. Apollinaire Gahiza said that the use of organic fertilisers is good as it increases productivity, especially when coupled with manufactured fertilisers, but expressed challenges of lack of enough manure and vehicles to effectively transport it onto the fields. He noted that resource recovery and reuse is beneficial to soil fertility. “For instance, people who grow rice should harvest rice but maintain the lower part of the stalk that contains roots so that it remains in the field to benefit the next crop,” he said. Under the Second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II), Rwanda targets agriculture growth to increase from 5.8 per cent to 8.5 per cent per annum by 2018. Currently, agriculture contributes about 32 percent of Rwanda’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Rwanda’s move towards green agric gains momentum