Inauguration of green technology project in Ngoma District

PRESS RELEASE

Embargoed: 1st Sept 2021 at 9:00 AM

(KIGALI, 30 September 2021)- To increase the capacity of farmers in terms of horticultural productivity, climate resilience, and access to markets for a better livelihood of vulnerable groups in Mutenderi and Zaza Sectors of Ngoma district, Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative-RWARRI received a grant of around 271millions Rwandan francs from FONERWA to implement a project entitled “Improving the smallholder farmers’ livelihoods and climate resilience by using green technologies in Ngoma district.”

As revealed by Uwizeye Belange, the Executive Secretary of RWARRI, the project consisted of establishing solar pumping systems and constructing two water reservoirs of 500m3 each to irrigate 10Ha in the Zaza and Mutenderi sectors, respectively.

“Today, we launch the irrigation systems officially, and we make a provisionally hand over of the infrastructure to smallholder farmers regrouped into water users’ associations who are the direct beneficiaries of this project,” he clarified.

Currently, farmers have planted at Zaza site crops including green peppers, peppers, green beans, watermelons, and eggplants, while on the other side, Mutenderi site, there are green peppers, tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, onions, and eggplants.

Under this green technology project, farmers received training on Climate-Smart Agriculture(CSA), gender mainstreaming and social inclusion, organizational skills, and bookkeeping. The project provided agricultural inputs to farmers for horticultural production, fruit seedlings and organized linkage sessions with agro-dealers, buyers, and Financial Institutions.

 

RWARRI implemented the green technology project in partnership with the Ngoma district under the Government Programme named “Small-Scale Irrigation Technology (SSIT)” led by Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB).

 

The project beneficiaries are 1,205 smallholder farmers.