By Seif Gracien Hasingizwimana/Kigali,Rwanda,
For farmers in Gakomo I Village, Murundi Sector of Kayonza District, irrigation is changing what is possible on smallholder farms, allowing production to continue even when rainfall is delayed and creating employment opportunities for people in the surrounding community.
One of the farms benefiting from this transformation is the farming enterprise managed by MBARAGA Potien on behalf of BARINDA Joseph. Located in Gakomo I Village, the farm produces maize and vegetables including onions and watermelons.
Mbaraga says access to irrigation through the Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Food Security Project (SAIP II) has reduced the farm’s dependence on rainfall and significantly increased its production.
“We no longer struggle during the dry season because we now have a reliable irrigation system provided through SAIP II,” he said. “The project covered 75 percent of the investment while we contributed only 25 percent. This support has dramatically increased our production and enabled us to employ many people from nearby communities. Today, around 100 people earn a living through jobs created on this farm.”
Before receiving support from SAIP II, farming on the enterprise depended entirely on rainfall. Prolonged dry spells linked to climate change could therefore disrupt production and make farming more difficult.
“Today we are no longer afraid of drought,” Mbaraga said. “Whenever rainfall delays, we simply irrigate our crops. As a result, harvests remain impressive. A single hectare of watermelon can now generate between RWF 7 million and RWF 8 million in revenue, something we could never have imagined before.”
The irrigation investment was valued at more than RWF 98 million. Farmers contributed over RWF 20 million, while SAIP II financed more than RWF 70 million, reducing the financial burden on the beneficiaries.
The benefits of the irrigation system extend beyond crop production. For workers such as KAKUZE Anastasie, employment on the farm has provided an opportunity to improve her family’s living conditions while gaining experience in modern irrigation farming.
“I have worked here through all four farming seasons from planting and weeding to harvesting,” she said. “Everything I have achieved over the past four years has come from this job.”
Anastasie says she joined the farm at a time when she was struggling to meet basic needs for her family. The income she has earned has since helped her pay for her children’s education and community health insurance, while also enabling her to start saving money.
“Life was extremely difficult before I found this opportunity,” she explained. “Today my children are in school, I can afford community health insurance, and I have even started saving money. My family’s life has changed tremendously.”
She also says the work has given her practical knowledge of modern irrigation farming, skills she believes can benefit her in the future.
The changes seen on the farm are part of a wider effort by SAIP II, implemented by the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), to expand access to Small-Scale Irrigation Technologies (SSIT).
Currently operating in 20 districts, the project seeks to help farmers cultivate throughout the year, increase productivity, strengthen food security, access profitable markets and build resilience to climate change.
According to Innocent Nzabamwita, Irrigation Engineer Specialist at RAB-SPIU, Government financing mechanisms are also designed to make irrigation equipment more affordable for smallholder farmers.
“Government subsidies are available for farmers cultivating between 0.5 and 10 hectares,” he explained. “Farmers contribute only 50 percent of the cost of irrigation equipment, while the Government finances the remaining 50 percent.”
Additional support is available for farmers using solar-powered irrigation systems. Those cultivating between 5 and 10 hectares with solar-powered pumps contribute 25 percent of the cost, while the Government subsidizes the remaining 75 percent.
Nzabamwita says such subsidies help reduce the financial barriers that have traditionally made irrigation investment difficult for farmers, while supporting increased production and improved household incomes.
The irrigation drive also contributes to the objectives of Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) 2024–2029, which targets annual agricultural growth exceeding six percent and seeks to expand irrigated farmland from 74,375 hectares to 132,171 hectares nationwide.
SAIP II also places emphasis on farmer groups and cooperatives, with collective action helping modern irrigation technologies reach more farmers while strengthening collaboration in production, value addition and market access.
