Dukuzumuremyi Marc, a resident of Rutsiro district, Murunda Sector, Kirwa Cell, Karumbi Village, earned nine million Rwandan Francs (9,000,000 Rwf) in season 2022B from 30 Metric Tons of Irish potatoes sold from his land of 2 hectares radically terraced with support from the Embedding Integrated Water Resource Management in Rwanda-EWMR Project.
According to Dukuzumuremyi, until May 2020, his land was unproductive due to erosion, which was rushing away soil, fertilizers, and planted seeds each season. “For a long time, my land was sterile, and I was ipso facto experiencing extreme poverty to the extent that I could not cover basic living needs for my family,” he clarified.
When the EWMR project staff came to in May 2020 in Karumbi Village, Dukuzumuremyi said that he was mobilized with immediate acceptance to release his 2 hectares of land for establishing radical terraces. “Once radical terraces were in place, my land became very productive, up to 30 metric tons from less than three metric tons since the land does not face erosion anymore. ‘‘The organic manure and chemical fertilizers were applied correctly in addition to the terraces that prevented the erosion in my farm; the production increased extraordinarily”, he expressed.
Apart from boosting productivity, Dukuzumuremyi revealed that these radical terraces are providing fodder to his three cows, increasing the daily milk quantity. “My cows no longer experience a shortage of fodder during the dry season as it used to be,” he pointed out.
Thus, Dukuzumuremyi continued by saying that he can easily milk 8 liters per day per cow, which give him income valued at 216,000 Rwandan Francs per month. “My cows also provide all the organic manure that I need to fertilize my land each season,” he added.
Dukuzumuremyi also acknowledged having gained different training to increase his skills, including Climate Smart Agriculture, Compost making, and financial literacy through a saving and lending group that he is a member of within the community.
The “Embedding Integrated Water Resources Management in Rwanda -EWMR” is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands (EKN) in Rwanda and implemented by the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB) with Technical Assistance (TA) from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RWARRI) in Rubavu, Nyabihu, Rutsiro, and Ngororero districts.