Focus on irrigation a solution to food security

Editor, I have always been marvelled at how countries like Egypt or Israel, which are largely made of deserts, use irrigation to produce sufficient food to feed their people while reserving some for export. Yet there are countries which are blessed with rich soils, and constant rainfall and fresh water bodies struggle to emerge from the grip of food insecurity and drought. There is need to change the way we view agriculture. Regional governments must put in place various strategic measures to ensure that food production is accelerated especially through irrigation. Like other countries in the region, Rwanda is primarily an agricultural economy and the investments made in this sector, would definitely ensure food security. There are reports that Rwandan farmers would be provided with fertilisers and drought-resistant crop varieties. However, let us avoid a business-as-usual approach to agriculture. We must find innovative ways to harness water resources by investing heavily in such irrigation to break away from over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture. Ends