There is so much more in the name Agriculture

Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills, has the right kind of climatic conditions for agriculture to develop. Early this year, The World Bank provided the Government with $10 million to boost agriculture in the country. Agriculture employs almost 90 percent of the population on Rwanda. Rwandan State Minister for Agriculture said that The WB’s fund would boost food and livestock production and add value to agricultural products. According to Dr.Kalibata the banks and Micro-finance institutions lending to the agriculture sector can access this US-money from the National Bank of Rwanda. The Ministry also expressed optimism that the agricultural sector could become the number one contributor to the transformation of the economy. There are several activities that are in store for Rwandans to participate in order to be a part of the economy’s transformation. Among these activities is the Expo- Rwanda set to start on the 30th of July to 10th of August. The Private Sector Federation (PSF) organizes the event. Expo Rwanda is a great place to forge new international business contacts and promote their companies to local Rwandans. This is a trade fair that attracts exhibitors from East Africa, sometimes Western Africa, and southern Africa. This is a very good opportunity for Rwanda to market and present itself as a place of economic growth and development; Expo is a very good platform for Rwanda to showcase its agriculture and the impact it has on the economy. The first time I participated in Expo- Rwanda which happened to be also my first time in Rwanda, I noticed that the were not as many agricultural stands as it is the case in Kenya where by the trade fairs are sponsored by agricultural societies and always have an agricultural theme. One of the vision 2020 goals is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Rwanda’s economically active population earns its living, directly or indirectly, from agriculture. There should be forums during the Expo- Rwanda where participants from the different countries exchange ideas on farming, growing cash crops and even how to earn a living in selling these agricultural products. Surprisingly, Pyrethrum production has not been fully exploited, despite the potential to generate substantial export earnings. The northern provinces of Ruhengeri and Gisenyi provide suitable climatic conditions for the development of this crop. Maybe there is a way that we can learn from one another the art of making homemade pyrethrum insecticide. I noticed that there were very many herbal products exhibited from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. There has been a sudden love of organic products among many modern folks, all in the name of keeping healthy. Almost every one has gone herbal. Be it the food they eat, the ointment, the soaps, toothpastes and ridiculously even razor blades have been made herbal. Our ancestors used these products hence they lived for longer. How economical would it be then if at all we knew how to home make some of these products? The other day I was learning how to make home made soaps from vegetable oil. Ingredients in many soap product labels might sound alienating and creates the notion that soap making is difficult. “However, this is exactly what manufacturers want us to think when, in fact, soap making is one of the easiest things you can do. May be I should use this knowledge, book a stall early enough at the Expo- Rwanda and teach people how to do so….at a certain fee off course. But for those of you who read the New Times, here are some tips. First, oil is heated to melt then mixed with water and lye separately when both ingredients have reached the required temperature. Lye is the liquid extracted by soaking wood ashes in water. As soon as the mixture is the desired consistency; you can pour it into a mould. Remove the bars after the mixture has set up. This takes approximately 24 to 48 hours. Then, it takes up to 8 weeks until the soap is dry and hard. For the rest, let us meet at the Expo and learn from each other. karuthum@gmail.com