In collaboration with Friends Effort to Support Youth (FESY), a non-governmental organization based in Rwanda, Musanze Polytechnic helps the citizens of Nkotsi sector to improve their farm production by applying the modern agricultural techniques. It is through the project“My Farmer My Story” that has been initiated by FESY to boost the agricultural production and ensure food security and sustainability.

The skilled “Mentors”, Musanze Polytechnic students in Agriculture and Food Processing, coach farmers by imparting technical and agricultural knowledge to them. This project started in August 2017, it currently counts 22 Mentors and 41 farmers, and it has a focus on increasing the maize yield. 

Aimable UWIHANGANYE, the Project Focal Person at Musanze Polytechnic, revealed that the project is in its pilot phase that is ending within six months. “After six months, we will compare the last-semester yield to the present yield to show the concerned farmers the difference between maize production before and after the application of modern agricultural techniques in their farms,” he declared. 

The targeted farmers perceive well the project, and they are actively participating in all planned activities. They appreciate the technologies brought to themto address the issues of crop diseases, climate change effects, lack of quality seeds, all of which significantly affect farm productivity. They said that they expect good yield at the end of this season A.

However, the project faced the unusual rain that affected crops. GermainNSHIMIYIMANA, the Mentors Representative, said that in the third week of September, there was a heavy rain that slightly damaged some seedlings of maize in few plots.

Some of the activities accomplished in this pilot: Field visit and site selection, land preparation, planting seedlings, and weeding. Beyond that, each Mentor helped two farmers to build a kitchen garden to improve a nutritional status and the availability of vegetables the whole year.

By Protais NIYONSHIMA

In collaboration with Friends Effort to Support Youth (FESY), a non-governmental organization based in Rwanda, Musanze Polytechnic helps the citizens of Nkotsi sector to improve their farm production by applying the modern agricultural techniques. It is through the project“My Farmer My Story” that has been initiated by FESY to boost the agricultural production and ensure food security and sustainability.

The skilled “Mentors”, Musanze Polytechnic students in Agriculture and Food Processing, coach farmers by imparting technical and agricultural knowledge to them. This project started in August 2017, it currently counts 22 Mentors and 41 farmers, and it has a focus on increasing the maize yield. 

Aimable UWIHANGANYE, the Project Focal Person at Musanze Polytechnic, revealed that the project is in its pilot phase that is ending within six months. “After six months, we will compare the last-semester yield to the present yield to show the concerned farmers the difference between maize production before and after the application of modern agricultural techniques in their farms,” he declared. 

The targeted farmers perceive well the project, and they are actively participating in all planned activities. They appreciate the technologies brought to themto address the issues of crop diseases, climate change effects, lack of quality seeds, all of which significantly affect farm productivity. They said that they expect good yield at the end of this season A.

However, the project faced the unusual rain that affected crops. GermainNSHIMIYIMANA, the Mentors Representative, said that in the third week of September, there was a heavy rain that slightly damaged some seedlings of maize in few plots.

Some of the activities accomplished in this pilot: Field visit and site selection, land preparation, planting seedlings, and weeding. Beyond that, each Mentor helped two farmers to build a kitchen garden to improve a nutritional status and the availability of vegetables the whole year.

By Protais NIYONSHIMA