To get a better idea of the challenge facing a typical African farm family, we’ve identified one through Farm Radio International, a Canadian organization that delivers information to farmers through 320 radio station partners in sub-Saharan Africa. We’re keeping track of her farm activities through the year.

The articles are written by Jean Paul Ntezimana, who works with Radio Salus, a station which reaches 90 per cent of Rwanda. Currently, he co-ordinates a radio program for farmers about land conflicts with Search for Common Ground in Rwanda, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to help communities deal with conflicts in a constructive way. If you have questions or comments for our African farm family, you can provide them in the Post A Comment section at the end of this article.

She talks slowly with a low voice and does not move quickly as usual. However, she is not sick. She has just given birth to a baby boy, her third son.

Last Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 28)  Justine Uwingabire gave birth to a baby boy in Kigali City. Niyonzima Evariste, her husband, smiles every time he picks up a phone call. He talks as he moves around in the hospital, changing phone sets to pick a new call.

He is answering phone calls from his friends and he answers calls from his wife’s phone because she is too tired to talk.

“She is now unable to talk on phone because she has just given birth to a baby boy,” says Evariste, smiling.

Supported by Imbaraga Farmers’ Union, Justine delivered her third son in Hopital La Croix du Sud in Kigali, two hours’ drive from Kiramuruzi where she lives.

“This is where we can find specialists,” Justine says to two women around her bed. I am lucky, I have given birth without complications,” she says. “I think after only one day I will go home.”

Friday afternoon, a car from Imabaraga Farmers’ Union picks up Justine to take her and her new child home. 

At home

Following Rwandan customs, Justine moves from her regular bedroom to another room where neighbours can meet her to say hello to “the newcomer.”

There is a steady stream of women coming and going, some accompanied by children. Some women wash clothes, others are working in the kitchen, while others sit with Justine in her new room sharing juice and other soft drinks. People move in and out of the house. Men sit with Evariste, drinking some soft drinks.

One of her sons, Niyotwagira Prince, has come home to look at “a small white boy.” He can look at the baby and wants to touch. He asks many questions to his mum.

According to Rwandan culture, after eight days the newborn will be given his name. Neighbours will come and meet at Justine’s home in the evening. Many of them will be children of the village. 

Justine will offer food and drinks. Everyone will have to give a name to the newborn. After, his father Evariste will give him a name which will be the official name of the child.

Farming activities slow down

Justine has suspended activities on the farm because of her pregnancy, and will not return to work for a while. She has had some others help plant her beans.

“I have sent some people to work on farm for me,” she says. “I know they will do as they understand, I have no choice,” she added.

“I will wait for the next season. Now I cannot work. Children need care, immunization, et cetera. I will care for my child and reduce very much my activities on farm.”

Now, Justine has three sons. However, for now she does not want to say whether she would also like daughters.

Also in this series:

Following a farm family in sub-Saharan Africa, April 29, 2011

Our farmer visits France, Aug. 17, 2011

This year’s sorghum harvest is disappointing, Aug. 17, 2011

The post Meanwhile in Rwanda: Our farmer gives birth to a baby boy appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

To get a better idea of the challenge facing a typical African farm family, we’ve identified one through Farm Radio International, a Canadian organization that delivers information to farmers through 320 radio station partners in sub-Saharan Africa. We’re keeping track of her farm activities through the year.

The articles are written by Jean Paul Ntezimana, who works with Radio Salus, a station which reaches 90 per cent of Rwanda. Currently, he co-ordinates a radio program for farmers about land conflicts with Search for Common Ground in Rwanda, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to help communities deal with conflicts in a constructive way. If you have questions or comments for our African farm family, you can provide them in the comments section at the end of this article.

Summer is harvest time in Rwanda, and throughout the country, farmers are carrying bags and bundles of their harvest. It’s the same here in Kiramuruzi, where Evariste Niyonzima, Justine Uwingabire’s husband, had taken advantage of the weekend to help his wife harvest sorghum.

“As you have seen, my wife is weak these days because she is pregnant. I have to help her harvest this sorghum and transport it from this farm to home,” Evariste says.

Evariste has worked with three women and two men to help with the harvest. In the early morning of July 10, he and his male workers have cut the sorghum. Women coming up behind cut the heads of grain, while men carry the bagged sorghum home where the grain will be exposed to sunlight to reduce its moisture content. Because Evariste is the owner of the farm, he helps women to cut sorghum until they finish.

“When I leave for my job, Justine will be looking after to this sorghum until it is stocked,” says Evariste.

Earlier this year, Justine had confirmed that the sorghum crop looked good. However, Evariste says that in June, unusual rains affected the yield. The rains caused sorghum grains to stick to each other and not develop.

“We were expecting around seven sacks of sorghum but I think it will not go over four sacks,” Evariste says. One sack is around 100 kg.

At home, Justine has awakened late. However, she has to check how the cows fill. She works with her maid to feed and care for the cows.

“The summer is coming. I am sure we will have problems to feed these cows,” Justine says.

Because of this sunny season which is coming, Justine has reduced the number of the cows to two and reserved some grass to feed in August when the drought will be severe.

After checking the cattle, Justine will prepare food for her husband and others coming from sorghum farm. “I will prepare Irish potatoes from my farm,” she says. “As you remember, this season, beside sorghum I have grown Irish potatoes.”

The species of Irish potatoes in the east and low lands of Rwanda are smaller than in higher lands of the north and west of the country.

In general, the season has been nice even if in May there were three weeks warmer than normal. Some vulnerable crops were affected.

Justine is satisfied with the Irish potatoes she harvested. “It is not the quantity I was expecting, but they look well,” she says.

Justine says this Irish potato crop will be used to feed the family and to share with other relatives.

The post Meanwhile in Rwanda: This year’s sorghum harvest is disappointing appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

To get a better idea of the challenge facing a typical African farm family, we’ve identified one through Farm Radio International, a Canadian organization that delivers information to farmers through 320 radio station partners in sub-Saharan Africa. We’re keeping track of her farm activities through the year.

The articles are written by Jean Paul Ntezimana, who works with Radio Salus, a station which reaches 90 per cent of Rwanda. Currently, he co-ordinates a radio program for farmers about land conflicts with Search for Common Ground in Rwanda, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to help communities deal with conflicts in a constructive way. If you have questions or comments for our African farm family, you can provide them in the Comments section at the end of this article.

In June, several farmers from different farmers unions in Rwanda visited France to share experience with their fellows in the Western world, especially in Lorraine region. This visit has been organized by Farmers in Collaboration with Farmers’ Union in France (Agriculteurs francais et developpement international (AFDI) en region de Lorraine).

Justine Uwingabire was one of three members from Imbaraga and they were with other Rwandan farmers to be invited on this round. Justine says she was overwhelmed by this occasion, and wants to share with others farmers what she experienced in France.

“We spent some three weeks in France. It was near Belgium and Luxembourg. It is in a flat region. No hills and mountains like in Rwanda.

“First of all, I realized that farmers are very developed. The agriculture is mechanized. They have machines, different machines to use during their activities. Because of these machines, they work on wide land. They have land! Hectares and hectares of land!

“What is very interesting is that their machines work as human beings. They prepare the farm before they grow seeds. They grow seeds and they remove bad grass. After, they harvest. It is amazing.

“They have worked with their government to protect their products. This is very appreciable. Here in Rwanda, it is not common that government works with farmers to protect their products against low and bad prices. It is done only with coffee, tea, rice (sometimes). It is almost exporting products which are watched by government. 

“In fact, we learned many things in this union. This idea of working with government will help us.

“Before I visited France, I was thinking that no farmer in the West uses organic manure. I realized that this organic manure is very important. They use it, and much more than we use.

“We learned how to stock grass for cows. It is unusual for us to see a cow fed by dried grass. This technology will help us to fight the problem of feeding cattle during our summer time.

“I cannot talk about how they feed their cattle with dried grass without mentioning that I did not like the weather. I like sunlight. They do not have enough sunlight. They told me June is nice, it is their summer coming up. It was not warm as it is in our country.

“In addition, farmers live a lonely life in villages. Maybe, it is because they do not have many kids. This visit will change my working plans and I will try to share my experiences with my fellows here in Rwanda.”

This visit was in the cadre of exchange between Imbaraga Farmers’ Union and AFDI of Lorraine in France. After this visit, Imbaraga expects to receive around 10 members of AFDI in this November.

The post Meanwhile in Rwanda: Our farmer visits France appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The articles will be written by Jean Paul Ntezimana, who works with Radio Salus, a station which reaches 90 per cent of Rwanda. Currently, he co-ordinates a radio program for farmers about land conflicts with Search for Common Ground in Rwanda, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to help communities deal with conflicts in a constructive way. If you have questions or comments for our African farm family, you can provide them in the comments section at the end of this article.

Many crops and many seasons in Rwanda

Justine Uwingabire has a housemaid who looks after her cows, but she can’t help checking on them herself. “I have to have a look at them time after time,” says Justine, who farms in the Kiramuruzi sector of the Gatsibo district in the Eastern Province of Rwanda.

“I like farming,” she says. “When it is agriculture season, I wake up and have a quick look at my cows and go to my land.”

Justine, 35, lives with her sons Ruzindana Selman, 16, and Niyotwagira Prince, 5. Like many African women, she’s in charge of the farm — her husband Niyonzima Evariste works far away in another district. 

Justine grows banana, potatoes, beans, cassava and maize (corn). Farmers in her area of Rwanda can grow three crops per year: September to mid-January, mid January to May-June, and then June-July to September, which is the dry season and crops can be planted in marshland which is too wet in the rainy season.

Unlike other crops, bananas can be harvested year-round, though production is lower in some seasons.

The last season was not good for farmers in general in Rwanda and in particular in the Eastern Province, which is much more affected by drought because it is lower in elevation and sunnier than other regions.

“I have harvested around 350 kg of beans instead of 1,000 kg I used to harvest. We had not enough rain this season,” says Justine.

Though the current season began dry, recent rains have helped her crops. As part of annual rotation, this season Justine is growing sorghum and potatoes. “They are doing very well because till now rain is coming in a good quantity,” she says.

Justine grows selected seeds because she is a member of Imbaraga Farmers Union, the most important farmers’ union in Rwanda.

Because of this, neighbours come to her to buy seed for next season. 

The remainder of her crop is divided into two parts. The first will feed the family and the rest will be sold locally after some months. “I wait until the price goes high”, she says. On this crop 1/3 is used by the family and the 2/3 is sold locally.

Justine’s two cows are milked mornings and evenings. They give 12 litres of milk a day. Because she lives with her housemaid and her two sons are at school, Justine takes only two litres for drinking and sells 10 at 200 francs per litre. This means that she earns 2,000 francs a day, which equals almost C$4.

The post NEW SERIES: Following a farm family in sub-Saharan Africa appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The objectives of World Food Day are to encourage attention to the world’s attention to agriculture and world hunger, and to encourage participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions.

While it has been a difficult year for farmers in Western Canada this year, World Food Day serves to remind that the difficulties pale in comparison to those faced by farmers who depend on agriculture not just for their income, but for food to feed their families and communities.

Farm Radio International is a Canadian organization that helps African farmers by delivering extension information through more than 330 farm broadcasters. FRI this week has assembled four perspectives on World Food Day, from farmers in Africa.

—————-

Rwanda — It is a Thursday morning with bright sunshine and a fresh breeze. Potatoes are heaped on freshly dug land. A farmer inspects them one by one and places them in a bag. Theoneste Havugimana is harvesting his last potatoes of the year.

“I do not remember well the date of World Food Day,” he says. “However, what I know is that it aims at improving farmers’ life. Unfortunately, we have faced many challenges of climate change this season and I think it will not be easy for us to celebrate.”

Mr. Havugimana is a potato farmer in Cyuve sector, in the Northern Province of Rwanda. He is married with three children. The weather has not been good for farmers this season.

He says, “I would have harvested four tonnes, but now I have two and half only because we did not have enough rain.”

Although Mr. Havugimana is concerned about climate change, he is happy about World Food Day. He is pleased that the world remembers the work that farmers do. “This is the day of farmers and the world will be recognizing our work,” he says.

Muragijimana Felicite is a farmer in Nyange sector in the Northern Province. She thinks this day should be celebrated by communities visiting one another. Each community could offer some of their crops. It would be a great chance for communities to exchange ideas and discuss the farming season.

She believes that farmers should be represented in World Food Day ceremonies. They could talk about climate change and how communities adapt to it. “The weather has changed so much,” she says. “Farmers… should address the challenges.”

She suggests techniques to adapt to climate change, such as water harvesting and soil conservation. Meanwhile, she will celebrate the day at home eating good food with her children.

The post World Food Day: Climate change worries Rwanda’s farmers appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.