In the African context, many a time parents force their children to study subjects that are likely to lead them into lucrative careers- a banker, lawyer, top doctor and many more white collar jobs. Back in the day, Agriculture was one of those subjects frowned upon. The immediate question parents would ask would be if you aspire to be a farmer, yet there is much more to agriculture than just tilling the ground with a hoe. Even those who pursued it, they would perhaps add a Masters or PhD to end up somewhere in decision making positions or a research institute, where they earn more from their positions and do less of the farming. That is not the case with Emma Uwera. With her academic credentials and exposure, Uwera, 40, would be sitting in an office somewhere making decisions and policies on agriculture but the mother of three chose to do it the hard way. Agriculture is a tough sector filled with uncertainty and actual hard work for it to be lucrative. Even with modern agriculture that relies on science and technology, you still have to wear your gloves and boots to get things done. That is exactly what Uwera did even after completing her Masters in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems, choosing to not opt for an air-conditioned office or laboratory but rather practically doing what she studied in Muyumbu sector, Rwamagana district. Unlike many fields that some consider lucrative, maybe due to the salaries and remuneration for the work done, agriculture is a sector where you literally harvest what you sow. The unpredictable nature of agriculture, weather calamities and other challenges make the sector one where job safety is not guaranteed. One torrential rain and a whole season of crops is lost in one go. All that did not stop Uwera, who by her own standards and education, could have opted to sit in an office with a salaried job, choosing to do plant breeding and seed multiplication as her day-to-day work, and it has paid off. Many times people question her choice of work but she loves it. She is passionate about it and as they say, chances are when you do something you are passionate about, it will pay off. Upon completing her Masters, Uwera worked with a research institute, training farmers on modern agriculture practices but in doing so her inner passion to do agriculture herself kept increasing. “I studied agriculture and that was my first inspiration. I first worked with a research institute but then I was really inspired to start my own agricultural practice,” “I was training farmers in agriculture, then later in September 2021, I decided to start my own business of seeds because I did seed systems in school so it was easier for me to look for a license in seed multiplication,” Uwera says. Her first full season ended in March 2022 and she figured out that it was working. She continued to do more plant breeding and seed multiplication. “I can say that I am now happy with what I'm doing. It's my career, so it's easier for me,” Uwera says, adding that doing what you studied doesn’t only make you happy, it helps you do what you do professionally. Also knowing the agriculture sector and how it operates made it easy for her to manoeuvre the complications and challenges that come with it. Having been educated in crop breeding, disease detection and protection, Uwera deployed the knowledge she had learned in school, which made her transition into the sector without much challenges. Other skills she had such as field management for higher yields, access to markets, monitoring demand and supply of seeds, also made it easy for her to practice in her field of expertise. Uwera does it all by herself, from checking whether the crops are healthy, to applying fertilizers, spraying insecticide, monitoring the crops -it is her duty to ensure that the plants and seeds come out well in terms of quality and quantity. The fact that she knows everything to do with seasons, planting and crop management, made it easy for Uwera to avoid challenges that come with the sector. Like any other business, things may not go your way when you’re starting, especially with uncertainty lingering in the air but she persisted. “People constantly asked me why I was going into farming because of the risks that are in there,” Uwera says, adding that she never at once questioned her choice because when you are driven by passion, nothing can really stop you. At some point, she asked herself if she will ever be rich like other people and thought with my education, I can switch to something else but passion won over everything else she thought. Also, agriculture requires almost full-time involvement, especially when you are in her field of breeding and multiplication because the targeted seed or plant has to come out as envisaged and with good quality. The fact that you have to wait for a whole season to be sure of your productivity makes agriculture a not-so-easy field, unless indeed you’re driven by passion and have patience. Exploiting the gap Uwera says she was inspired by the fact that Rwanda has a huge demand not just for seeds, but also for food crops, because the demand for food remains higher than the supply. It is a sector Uwera says that once you go in and do the right things, the returns are assured but for one to make it in agriculture, you need to manage the entire process very well until the final part, which is harvesting, to avoid incurring losses. With seasonal rains becoming unpredictable, Uwera says it is best to not rely on just rain but also irrigation. Currently she specializes in kidney beans, maize and soya bean farming. Uwera says agriculture is a lucrative sector, as long as you do things on time, from planting, supervision, spraying and also be sure that where you are going to do farming there is good soil, enough rain or at least irrigation. “People should not fear agriculture,” she says, urging women and youth to see the opening there is in the sector because one thing for sure, whatever you do in agriculture, the market is assured. “The market is there. People eat every day. Even myself, I have not been able to satisfy the market. The demand is there so long as you produce high quality crops and clean seeds, you will not fail to get the market,” Uwera says. Beyond just growing crops, Uwera advises agripreneurs to always focus on quality, product marketing and branding because it adds value to what you produce. In her store located in Rwamagana, she packages her produce in different sizes, including in small and affordable envelopes where those who can't afford buying in big quantities buy in small packs. The happy farmer says that the agricultural value chain is built in a sense that if you have a good product, word goes around and people start calling you to make orders. In other cases, farmers or traders she works with on a regular basis recommend her to others or get her contact from the packaging and they call to place orders. Starting off was not an easy feat. Uwera saved up Rwf5m which she used to rent her first five acres of land in Rwamagana district and started off with maize in season A and season B she grew kidney beans and soybeans. “I started with Rwf5 million and after doing a cost benefit analysis, I realised that the season ended with a high profit,” she says, adding that it encouraged her to do even more to expand her agricultural business. “Looking back at how I started, I'm very satisfied and very happy. I'm planning to grow faster. When I compare the previous two years up to today, I'm thankful to God for what I'm getting,” the mother of three boys says. Today, Uwera is operating on 30 hectares of land, growing maize on half the land as well as beans and soya on the other. She grows three types of beans, including Noah 566 bean type, commonly known as red kidney beans. In Season B of 2023, she harvested 14 tonnes of beans and has already sold off 10 tonnes, along with the maize and soya. She also takes time to demonstrate to farmers how to do proper crop cultivation, from planting to harvest, using her model kitchen gardens. She also teaches them how to apply composite and the traits of each type of bean. Eight kilograms of her bean seeds produce more than 150kg. Viviane Manirafasha, a farmer in Rwamagana, who has a small piece of land was given half a kilo of Uwera’s beans and in March this year she harvested more than 8kgs on her first attempt. “I am hoping to do even better when it rains. I want to harvest much more with best practices and maybe I will also be able to give another family which needs to move from growing tradition varieties like me,” A message to women Uwera encourages women to aspire to be self-employed, rather than taking up jobs where they are not recognised or remunerated well. “I want to encourage fellow women to consider self-employment. When you work on your own, you get more money, you get to be sharp. Your brain becomes very open,” “You start to look for markets, think of where to get the land to do the farming, where to get the best seeds, tracking market trends. All these things make your brain sharp,” Uwera says. Uwera emphasizes that relying on a monthly salary, not just for a woman but everyone else, deprives you of financial independence and self-reliance. While self-employment comes with its own rigours, Uwera says that it is the start that is more difficult but after the first few seasons, one becomes stable and one thing is for sure- agripreneurship pays off. Today she doesn’t have to worry about school fees, rent or other bills because through agriculture and most importantly, doing what she loves, she has become financially independent. Doing agriculture with a touch of entrepreneurship is what has made her who she is today. Her degrees only add to the knowledge she needs to do it better.
