Agriculture sector in Rwanda, which employs about 62% and contributing 23% of GDP (MINAGRI 2022), faces significant challenges. Productivity remains very low, hampered by climate change (droughts, floods, pests), suboptimal agronomy and low use of inputs. Curiously, over 40% of soils are degraded, further reducing yields. How will the soil be protected?
University of Rwanda, Busogo Campus is dedicated to agriculture, food science and forestry studies. It is in this lush campus located just outside Musanze town that I look for an answer to my question. Here, a sensational collaboration between AgriResearch Unguka, a youth-led organization which initially started as a research club in the campus, and the university takes place. The organization champions agriculture through community outreach programs by interacting with farmers around the campus.
AgriResearch Unguka stresses farmers to practice regenerative agriculture, a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. It focuses on top-soil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, increasing resilience to climate change and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil. Regenerative agriculture is one of the four Science goals and a focus area for the International Potato Center (CIP). Conventional agriculture characterized by using chemicals has led to climate change, soil degradation, and ecosystem disruption. CIP realizes that it is crucial to protect the soil to improve farmers’ productivity, income and their livelihoods.
Regenerative Agriculture Matters
Regenerative agriculture disciples, as they are known here, visit smallholder farmers who are planting CIP-developed potato materials on their farms to sensitize them about the practice. Farmers are advised to establish biodiversity that in turn attracts natural predators to control pests. This helps to regenerate the soil, keep it healthy and the cycle continues.
According to Samuel Nsengiyumva, Director of Research and Innovation at AgriResearch, regenerative agriculture matters as it restores soil health and mitigates climate change.
“This practice combats degradation and ensure long-term fertility, assist in isolating or removing carbon, reducing greenhouse emissions, conserving water resources through improved water retention and decreases in water run-off, and builds resilience to droughts and floods. Over time, farmers realized an increase in yields by optimizing soil and water resources use.”
Double Digging Tillage and Mulching for Optimal Potato Yields
At the potato fields, Samuel and his team recommend the farmers to apply a combination of double digging tillage with mulching for optimal potato cultivation. The advantages of this include loosening soil, improving water drainage and mixing organic matter. Other forms of tillage including conventional, zero and minimum tillage are recommended for specific crops.
“Mulching significantly reduces late blight incidence, soil erosion and water evaporation. Mulched farms demonstrate higher chlorophyll index, increased plant height, better moisture retention and enhanced biological activity.”
Back at the campus, AgriResearch Unguka have set up a compost demonstration site where students are trained on how to prepare compost and its overall importance to regenerative agriculture. The materials used at the site to prepare compost are purely recycled organic matter and food waste. Compost is the foundation of regenerative agriculture as it significantly contributes to nutrient enrichment, soil structure improvement and increases microbial activity boosting soil fertility.
The Future of Regenerative Agriculture?
CIP is advancing regenerative agriculture by conducting research that directly contributes to increased genetic and crop diversity, improved soil health management, responsible fertilizer use, and reduced water consumption. This can be through providing high-quality seeds of varieties suited to local conditions. Partnerships with such farmers-centric organizations are transformative, foster innovation and ensure farmers adopt practices that secure their livelihoods and the environment.
Regenerative agriculture presents a future with limitless potential in agriculture with widespread adoption by farmers, advancing and incorporating technologies to enhance efficiency and policy development and integration by national bodies and stakeholders. This will be a win for farming communities who face significant risks from poverty, climate change, and hunger due to soil degradation.
(Samuel Nsengiyumva, participated in a side event titled “Regenerative Revolution: Building Sustainable Solutions for Smallholder Farmers” during Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 in Kigali. The panel discussion was hosted in partnership with Bayer, Opportunity International, and the International Potato Center.)