YAP Proposal #80: Producing Irish potatoes (Felix Nshimiyimana, Rwanda)

 

THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT

To reduce poverty and hunger in terms of livelihoods improvement to the population of Musanze district through cultivation of selected seeds of Irish potatoes production.

 

This project will be focusing on the sangema and kinigi varieries of potato. These varieties give higher production and are well adapted to the environmental condition.

PROJECT OWNER BACKGROUND

I am Felix NSHIMIYIMANA holder of Bachelors of agriculture science with honours of rural development and agribusiness, born in 1/1/1984 in Rwanda. I have two years of experience by producing the selected seeds production of Irish potatoes after coming from school.

THE PROJECT CONTEXT

In Rwanda, the majority of the population (87%) depend on agriculture activities. Poverty rate has dropped by almost 12% in five years from 2008 with 56.7% to 2012 with (44.9%). The key reasons for the reduction in the poverty rate in Rwanda were: improved agriculture production; increased agro business activity, increased farm wages, crop intensification program and the terracing program.

One of the six pillars of Vision 2020 is to transform “subsistence agriculture into agriculture market oriented particularly among rural people living under malnutrition”. This project will take place on the highlighted above area were farmers experienced challenges of lack of selected seeds as the chief cornerstone of agricultural inputs which leads them to receive the lower production in their farms.

THE THINGS MOTIVATED THE PROJECT OWNER

I was excited to deal with this current problem on the given area above by exercising the knowledge received from school into practices by contributing to the development of my area as a holder of bachelors in agribusiness. My focus was oriented to the growing of the selected seeds Irish potatoes production, and they were found very crucial and important to the community, especially farmers who were accustomed to the use of the traditional seeds. When interviewed, the farmers who have received to my potato seeds were very proud as they got higher income production compared to the former seeds which they were accustomed to grow.

For instance, 1 acre of my selected seeds is equivalent by 280kgs production compared to 130kgs per 1 acre with previous seeds as confirmed the interviewed farmers. This information is now showing us how the community improved in terms of food security, because when they have got more production, their socio-economic welfare improved for instance feeding their families, payment of children’s school fees and health insurance.

Steps to achieve the project

• It is better to respect the time period of cultivation and doing well the required activities with a good collaboration of stakeholders of the project partners namely the technicians of district, agricultural institutions in charge of quality standard of seeds and the team work of the project owner availability.
• Increasing of sensitization, field trip demonstration by changing the stochastic nature of farmers in terms of having more information about the new introduced ameliorated seeds of Irish potatoes in order to follow the required techniques of production process about the given seed.

The description of main activities planned to start a project

The main activities required to run on the project are: Finding and buying (renting) the land for seed production, the harvesting store house, purchasing the required materials and the place where the selected seeds to produce will come from for instance in RAB (Rwanda Agriculture Board) as commercialized seeds and the market places where I will sell my production.

The measurable success of the project

The capability to secure the required finance and maintaining positive cash flow, providing the selected seeds which have the good standards in terms of quality and quantity on time, sensitization and day to day management, capable work force, qualified project team management, risk management enhancement, supervising all activities including the land parcel of the planted crops.

Beneficiaries of the project:

My family, farmers and trading cooperatives and population of Musanze District where the project will be taking place especially with the other population around the county.

Project timeline: 1 years

Project duration: 3 years

The cost of project: 3,922,000Rwf

The planning budget to the 5000 US grant

This grant will be used in the following ways.

Renting the expanded land with 1200 Us
Buying the certified selected seeds for 1500US
The use of fertilizers (organic and chemical fertilizer) with 500US
Land activities with salaries of guardians of crop during harvesting period (600 US)
Unforeseen money will be 1200US

Therefore repartition of the total amounts equal than 5000US.

Blogpost and picture submitted by Felix Nshimiyimana (Rwanda) – nshifelix1984[at]yahoo.com

The content, structure and grammar is at the discretion of the author only.

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