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IFPRI DSG team visited Rwanda on May 28-28, 2014. The team recorded the amazing country through photos.
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Amazing RwandaField trip records
May 27-28, 2014
Maggie and Xinshen
Everywhere you can see landscape like this in Rwanda, such a hilly country
Two-third of agricultural land located on the hill with slop more than 35 degree – any achievement in agricultural growth is more difficult and impressive than most other African countries
No land without crops – it is the first African country that lets you understand what is a “land scarcity” economy
Terracing has been promoted by the government. It still has long way to go as it is quite expensive to develop the “right” terracing. We were told by Ms. Minister of MINAGRI (Ministry of Agriculture) it can gain 47% of farm land – 20% from marginal land that cannot grow crops before and 27% from the poor land farmers barely have harvest. By the way, she talked all these numbers without any notes.
Hard working small farmers can be seen everywhere, using just hoes – Land preparation for potato
Hard working small farmers can be seen everywhere – Finding any a small piece of land that can grow crops
Anywhere we see people are working. They stopped just because we are taking photos for them
Sina Gerald, a farmer who has become a well-known entrepreneur in Rwanda. Here is his first truck back to the time he started the business in the early 1980s, Rulindo District, Northern Province.
Sina, his wife and two daughters (one studying in the US and one working in the US) invited us for lunch in his restaurant. Downstairs is his famous shop to sale all his products. The shop is built at a main bus stop. We do see many people stop by to buy his drinks, which are well-known in the country. Here his staff shows us the company products. Maggie had a whole bottle of banana beer (the glass is for her banana beer).
Outside Sina juice producing factory with a Sina staff, a young lady from Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and our driver. Factory is not allowed to get in for hygiene purpose and not allowed to take photo too.
Outside Sina juice producing factory. The country is so clean everywhere, including all places we visited (plastic bags are banned in the country).
Sina bakery factory. Still we are not allowed to get in, but finally allowed to take photo from distance.
Sina bakery factory. More
Sina bakery factory. Another workshop
Sina bakery factory. Tasting local “donuts.” We were told that it is popular as breakfast and snicks in the country.
Local banana delivered by farmers to Sina bakery factory as input.
A lot of sugar needed for bakery but these bags are imported. We saw a lot of sugar cane fields, but sugar demand is more than supply
Sina Company’s transport
The driver is a factory employee, who allowed us to take his photo. Wearing helmet is the law for driving motor bicycle even forthe passenger at the back seat. You can see it in the whole country like this.
The engine of the motor car with sign of “made in Rwanda”, but we are not sure it is true, as two Chinese characters are alsothere.
Sina also has his farm. He is known for innovative and likes to try everything. Here is the grape yard as Sina wants to make wine (Rwanda does not have grape production besides this small grape yard as an experiment field).
Grape yard again. Harvesting season finished and we can only see some leftover grapes.
Sina also introduced apple but not sure whether it can grow properly
Sina also has a livestock farm with all sorts of animals. Here is a local milk cow (with amazing long horns) side by side with imported Dutch breed cows
A mother pig just delivered her babies. She did not feel well. The pig house is amazingly clean (not smelled badly as Xinshen saw in the US)
Sheep is curious to see a white lady and a Chinese to visit them
Baby ducks are at their lunch time
Turkey is not very friendly
Water harvesting facility at the livestock farm. The pipe on the roof is used to collect rain water that goes into those big plastic tanks, a similar technology is seen in China highland.
Sina opened a private school in his home town with more than 1,000 students. Tuition is free until secondary school. The school starts from kindergarten until secondary. There is a dorm for girls who live too far to walk to school everyday.
More classrooms are under construction. Sina told students that if they can finish secondary school, they will be all hired by Sina company. The current employees who have not finished secondary school can take night class paid by the company.
We are with students who are in 20 min class break. Girls are shier than boys. We could not take photos with girls. Classes are mix between boys and girls
Xinshen with students who are in 20 min class break. School provides lunch for all students. Most students need to walk 30 min to come to school. School uniforms are provided by the company and there are numbers to show their grade and classes.
Three school teachers. So far most teachers have only professional training certificates without college degree. Class is big with students more than 50.
An American girl who is peace corps volunteer and is teaching English at school. She lives at school too.
Students enjoy 20 min break but this equipment seems to be for boys only
Inside a classroom, class has not started yet.
Blackboard from the last class for English grammar
Xinshen with students inside classroom
This boy likes Xinshen
A government agricultural project site, Land Husbandry, Water Harvesting and Hillside Irrigation, (LWH) in Gicumbi District, Northern Province – making compost fertilizer by a group of 15 farmers, who form a group as a requirement of the project.
The process for compost fertilizer making takes 2 days for 7-8 tons of compost, which can fertilize 1 ha field. The average farm size here is 0.5ha, a very labor intensive activity.
We were told that bean yield tripled by using compost fertilizer together with better land management technology inducing terracing
Xinshen talking with a group of 20 farmers who have to be poor and vulnerable and form a group to participate in the tree nursery project (a 2-year project), paid about $1.5 per day for more than half day work
The project encourages farmers to save money and build assets as it is a project designed for only two years. Farmers first time have their bank accounts. They are holding their bank account books to show to us.
This is the account for the whole group with photos of group leader, and secretaries. Each farmer also has his/her own account. We were told that average savings are $1 per week.
This farmer saved a lot and each number recorded his savings. 670RWF=$1. He is planning to buy a cow using his savings. We were told that mobile money (e-bank) is very popular in the country but we are not sure why farmers still prefer the paper account books.
Who have mobile phone? Maggie asked farmers. More than 10 held their phone to show us in this group of farmers (about 20)
Who have mobile phone? Maggie ask again to a different group of farmers about 10
Farmers started to dance when we are leaving
Kitchen garden is promoted. Farmers work as a group (15 households) to help each other each Tuesday. Each farmer household eventually built one such kitchen garden. Vegetable consumption has increased because of it – it is a nutrition project. Here is the kitchen garden and its owner, a lady with 6 kids, which is common in the country.
MINIMEX, a maize flour processing company in a district of Kigali (close to the newly developed EDZ). Cladue Mansell is Managing Director. He used to be a consultant, becomes an entrepreneur and joined this company in 2011 (A Rwandan company but he is Dutch)
MINIMEX, maize processing equipment
MINIMEX, maize processing equipment is computerized in operation
MINIMEX, three days production and ready to go now.
MINIMEX, fortified maize meal with price only 3% higher than regular maize flour
Agriculture Park, Phase One of Rwanda Industrial Zone
Grain silos (totally 10) in Agriculture Park. It belongs to MINAGRI (Ministry of Agriculture) used for grain reserve
Seed processing plant in Agriculture Park. It is currently operated by MINAGRI and the government is planning to sale it to the private sector
Inside seed processing plant in Agriculture Park
Inside seed processing plant in Agriculture Park. It can process all kinds of seeds.
A roast coffee company. However, more than 90% of exports are still green coffee. It hires 500 workers
Fully washed green coffee has better price at international market. The government is promoting more fully washed coffee to increase value-added instead of roast coffee, as it is less demanded in the world market.
Other visits without photos
• We also met 4 ministers (3 are women) and discussed with them and their senior staff: Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Agriculture, and CEO of Rwanda Development Board; and Director General of Rwanda National Statistics, and CEO of Business Development Fund. They are all amazingly knowledge for their field. They are more like professors than politicians, open to questions and like discussions. Everywhere we went we were asked for our impression and suggestions to the country. The visit with Ms. Minister of agriculture is particularly impressive (last almost 2-hours). She has such clear and realistic vision and plan for Rwandan agriculture development.