RWANDA
Summary of SRI in Rwanda
International Fund for Agricultural Development's (IFAD) brought two people from the Madagascar NGO Association Tefy Saina to Rwanda in 2006 to extend SRI methods in conjunction with the Support Project for the Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PAPSTA); fifty farmers were trained in SRI methods in the original training. By 2008, an additional 2000 farmers had reportedly been trained by IFAD projects in two areas. In Kibaza, rice yields increased under SRI from 4 t/ha to at least 6 t/ha, for a total production of 135 tonnes. In Rwabutazi, yields rose from 4 t/ha to at least 7 t/ha, for a total production of 401 tonnes in 2008. According to IFAD reports, the Rural Sector Support Project (RSSP) began replicating SRI in the marshlands of Rwanda in 2009. A video produced in 2011 documented the additional spread of SRI from Rwanda into Burundi.
Using data from 120 farmers in the schemes of Rwabikwano and Cyunuzi in the Eastern province, a 2013 evaluation of the PAPSTA project showed 96% of respondents were informed about using one seedling per hill, only 10% learned about transplanting younger seedlings, and 81% knew the practice of using less water. Findings also revealed that 87% of respondents have used SRI methods at least during one cropping season; the number of adopters progressively decreased from 70% in 2007 to 40% in 2010. Difficulty in following all the SRI principles was stated by 27% of respondents as the main constraint to adoption. The study proposed more research on the adaptability of SRI practices in Rwanda as well as improving awareness of SRI principles through farmer trainings. A 2015 IFAD report that an activity that only started two years into the project, promoting SRI in two pilot marshlands (Rwabutaza and Kibaza), proved to be one of the most successful innovations introduced by PAPSTA.
Progress and Activities
2013 Update
- Awareness and Adoption in the Eastern Province of Rwanda Following the PAPSTA Project
[August 31, 2013] A presentation by Ingabire et al at the 2013 conference "Confronting challenges of food insecurity and poverty in the era of climate change and variability" outlined results of SRI adoption in two schemes of the Eastern Province. In alignment with the Rwandan Government’s goal of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production, the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method was introduced in 2007 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources through Support Project for the Strategic Transformation of Agriculture (PAPSTA) project. This study evaluated the awareness of the basic SRI practices as well as their adoption among the rice farmers in the schemes of Rwabikwano and Cyunuzi in the Eastern province. Data from 120 farmers were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results showed that 96% of respondents were informed about the one seedling per hill principle while only 10% had information on the time of transplanting. 81% reported that they knew the practice of using less water. Findings also revealed that 87% of respondents have used SRI methods at least during one cropping season. Since its introduction in 2007, only 37% of rice farmers persevered in using the SRI method. Furthermore, the number of adopters among the respondent progressively decreased from 70% in 2007 to 40% in 2010. Difficulty in following all the SRI principles was stated by 27% of respondents as the main constraint to adoption. The study proposes more research on the adaptability of SRI practices in Rwanda. Moreover, the awareness of SRI principles should be improved through trainings of farmers. [See abstract.]
2011-2012
- Rwandan Farmers Featured in Video about the Spread of SRI in Eastern and Southern Africa
Declan McCormack, Flooded Cellar Productions, produced a video on SRI "learning routes" across Madagascar, Rwanda, and Burundi, and how the SRI methods are being spread by farmers themselves. The video follows the spread of SRI by way of an initiative funded by IFAD in which farmers from Madagascar traveled to Rwanda for four months during 2008 to teach SRI methods. Shown at left is Celestin, one of the early adopters of SRI following the training, who is featured in the video. Rwandan farmers in turn shared what they learned about SRI in cross visits with Burundi farmers. (The video is available on YouTube's FloodedCellar channel).
2008-2009
- First SRI Results Reported in Rwanda
Claus Reiner, the country program manager in IFAD's Eastern and Southern Africa Division, reports that SRI methods have proved to be productive in the PAPSTA project (Support Project for the Strategic Transformation of Agriculture), supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Cultivation in two areas has shown the potential of SRI. In Kibaza, rice yields increased from 4 t/ha to at least 6 t/ha, for a total production of 135 tonnes. In Rwabutazi, yields rose from 4 t/ha to at least 7 t/ha, for a total production of 401 tonnes in 2008. The total number of rice farmers in both marshlands together was 2,000 by the end of 2008. Reiner notes that further increases appear possible because the SRI methods are not yet being fully utilized. (see Bavugamenshi presentation at the Jan. 2009 IFAD meeting). Problems in growing rice in the marshlands include access to seed, marketing and equitable distribution of irrigation water.
Benoit Thierry, IFAD Country Programme Manager for Madagascar, reported that replication of SRI in the marshlands of another project in Rwanda, the Rural Sector Support Project (RSSP), had already begun in during 2009 (see March 2009 IFAD newsletter).
2006
- Malagasy Experts Train Rice Producers in Rwanda
Knowledge of SRI was brought to farmers in these areas by the president and secretary of Association Tefy Saina, Sebastien Rafaralahy and Justin Rabenandrasana, whom IFAD brought to Rwanda from Madagascar in 2006 under the Support Project for the Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PAPSTA). Fifty rice producers and Rwandan technicians were trained in SRI methods by the two Malagasy experts.
Reports and Articles
- IFAD East and Southern Africa Division. 2014. Learning from each other: South-South and triangular cooperation in East and Southern Africa. International Fund for Agricultual Development website. October. [the report discusses SRI in Rwanda].
- Ingabire C. et al. 2013. Rice Intensification System (SRI): Awareness and adoption in the Eastern Province of Rwanda Presentation at the Conference on Confronting challenges of food insecurity and poverty in the era of climate change and variability, August 2013, Rwanda.
- Saint-Ange, Perin. 2013. System of Rice Intensification. International Fund for Agricultural Development website. February. [See also the resources section on adoption of SRI that describes and links to videos on farmers spreading SRI in Burundi, Madagascar and Rwanda.] [article is no longer online, but the resources are still available].
- Rappocciolo, Francesca. 2012. Spreading the system of rice intensification across East and Southern Africa: Case Study. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) website. November. (16p. pdf) [Case study on the International Fund for Agricultural Development's progress with promoting SRI in Madagascar, Rwanda and Burundi.]
- 2012. Smallholders fulfil their households' needs with a new way of farming rice. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) website. [article links to Seeds of Innovation - East and Southern Africa Project bulletin (December 2012)]
- IFAD. 2009. The system of rice intensification: a way forward to increase rice productivity? Progress in Eastern and Southern Africa, no. 11 (March). [Article in IFAD newsletter about SRI in Rwanda]
- Mundingu, Joseph. 2009. Upcountry insight: Rice farmers target increased production by 2009. The New Times (Rwanda), March 12. [reference to SRI is in 12th sentence]
- FAD. 2009. Making Rice a Cash Cow in Rwanda. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). System of Rice Intensification website. January. (3p., 1.39MB pdf)
Presentations
- Bavugamenshi, Jonas. 2009. System of Rice Intensification in
Rwanda. PowerPoint presented by Katono Ouma (on behalf of Jonas Bavugamenshi)
at an International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) meeting to discuss
the pros and cons of SRI. Rome, Italy. Jan. 23.
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in RwandaTHE SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION (SRI) IN RWANDA from IFAD International Fund for Agricultural DevelopmentVideos
- 2012 (November 19). SRI Training 3: Weeding & water management. 12:17 min. FloodedCellar channel, Youtube. There is also a French version available.
- 2012 (March 3). SRI - Introduction: Spreading the knowledge in East & Southern Africa. 8:16 min. FloodedCellar channel, Youtube.
- 2012 (January 19). SRI in East and Southern Africa. 8:09 min. FloodedCellar channel, YouTube. [Video on SRI knowledge spreading from Madagascar into Rwanda and Burundi.]
