Rwanda expands solar powered irrigation scheme to assist small farmers

12 Novembre 2017

Kigali, Rwanda, November 12 (Infosplusgabon) -  Rwandan government is set to expand a new solar based plant irrigation system to benefit smallholder farmers in the eastern part of the country by the end of 2017, an official source confirmed on Saturday in Kigali.

The initiative, jointly undertaken by the government and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), aims to assist small farmers in remote areas where they face irrigation problems in trying to keep their plants green in dry season.

According to the source, the US $389,000 project dubbed 'Support for enhancing Small Scale Irrigation technologies in Rwanda', is being carried out by the FAO in partnership with Rwanda Agriculture Board.

Rwanda's Ministry of Agriculture said that at least 582 peasants would benefit from the irrigation technology that is expected to cover 300 hectares in Kayonza, Nyagatare and Kirehe districts.

With the introduction of modern irrigation techniques, Rwanda plans to expand its total irrigated area from 30,000 ha at present to 100,000 ha by 2020, the ministry said.

Of the funds set aside for the project, $200,000 was allocated to equipment procurement and the rest was spent on training farmers.

The government has so far propped up small-scale irrigation on about 4,500 ha tares since the project was officially launched in 2015 and is expected to increase to 100, 000 hectares by 2020.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/OPL/ GABON 2017

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