STORY: Rwandan agriculture expo showcases new farming technologies
DATELINE: July 29, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:36
LOCATION: Kigali
CATEGORY: ECONOMY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of agriculture expo
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): FAUSTIN MIGISHA, Partnership officer for KickStart International
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Kinyarwanda): JEAN HAKIZIMANA, Youth engagement in Agriculture Network employee
 
STORYLINE:
 
An agriculture exhibition is showcasing modern technologies to Rwandan farmers to help them raise crop output and improve livelihoods.
 
The annual event, organized by the Rwandan Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, is held this year under the theme "Transforming Agriculture into a Resilient and Competitive Sector through Technology, Innovation and Investment."
 
A starter pump, designed to help farmers grow crops uninterrupted all year round and avoid dependence on rainfall, is one of the technologies showcased at the July 20-29 show in Mulindi show ground in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.
 
Designed by KickStart International, a non-profit social enterprise, the manual pump is seen as one of the most affordable irrigation tools in Rwanda.
 
A bigger starter pump can suck water from seven meters deep and irrigate 0.8 hectares of land while a smaller one can fetch water from six meters deep and cover 0.4 hectares.
 
Faustin Migisha, a partnership officer for KickStart International, said farmers using such pumps are able to safeguard their crops and raise output thanks to improved irrigation.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): FAUSTIN MIGISHA, Partnership officer for KickStart International
"Our model is to lift out of poverty the poor farmers by using the human power pumps. We are getting funds for research, and then we come up with such technology.
Recently, we have launched the starter pump and irrigation pump that is also manual. It can land free sprinklers. It uses human power as I said. It doesn't cost farmers to buy fuel, and the maintenance is almost free. We give farmers a whole package of pumps with the sprayers, and we train farmers how to maintain their pump.
People are getting food, due to irrigation, as they are growing the whole season. People are acquiring some other technology like smartphones. People are sending their kids to school."
 
The organization works with about 1,000 farmers, mostly in eastern Rwanda, an area prone to drought. 
The Rwandan economy is dominated by agriculture, with many farmers practicing semi-subsistence agriculture.
 
Rwanda aims to replace subsistence farming with fully monetized and technology-intensive commercial agriculture and agro-processing by 2050.
 
According to central bank data, the country's agricultural production growth dropped from 6.4 percent in 2021 to 1.6 percent in 2022, partly due to bad weather.
 
Another tool on display at the exhibition is a multipurpose power tiller that caters for mainly small-scale farmers who cannot afford to hire tractors.
 
Jean Hakizimana, who works for Youth Engagement in Agriculture Network (YEAN), another social enterprise said for bushy areas, the machine slashes and then tills.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Kinyarwanda): JEAN HAKIZIMANA, Youth engagement in Agriculture Network employee
"Anyone in need of our machines contacts us, and we provide them with advice based on their specific requirements. We offer three different types of machines: a tractor, a power tiller, and a smaller power tiller model that is ideal for smaller plots. You can find these machines here at Agri-show where we aim to assist farmers, particularly those who are young and own around 50 or 1 hectare of land, but cannot afford to rent a large machine that typically requires a minimum of 5 hectares. Young farmers facing this difficulty can turn to us, and we will gladly support them, with the smaller more manageable machine which is easy to operate. This enables them to prepare their plots in advance and increase their overall production."
 
YEAN currently works with 40,000 farmers, with a target of reaching 150,000 by 2025.
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kigali.
(XHTV)