Promoting sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable households - Christine's story
Christine Mushimirimana is a 50 year old widow, she lives with her seven children in a mud and wattle house in Nyamyumba sector, Rubavu District of Rwanda. She is a jolly lady yet reserved. She responds with a smile.
The people in her area are predominately smallholder farmers. Despite the soils being fertile, Rubavu District has amongst the highest malnutrition rates in the country, partly due to poor farming practices, lack of access to seeds and fertilizer. According to the Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (2015) the stunting number of children under 5 years is 46%, whereas the rate of food insecure households stands at 26%.
Christine’s husband died in 2008 leaving her in a house he had built in late 1970s. Four of the Children are still in school, and one has recently completed secondary school, but is still unemployed. Two of Christine’s children were forced to drop out of secondary school, as Christine could not afford scholastic materials even though they attended public schools. Christine herself finished the first six years of primary school only.
The family house collapsed in 2015 due to old age and she had to sell her extra land to build a four-bedroom mud house. Initially, Christine grew a few crops, such as beans and maize, for family consumption, but it was not enough. Christine has supported her family through occasional labor, earning a wage of RWF 1,000 per day working from 7am – 3pm. Her family belongs to the first category (poorest of the poor) of Rwanda’s socio-economic classification system.
Being in the first category Christine is currently benefiting from the Government’s social protection programme “Minimum Package for Graduation” for vulnerable households, which aims to lift families out of poverty.
In 2017, Christine was selected as a participant in UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s social protection project linking the initiatives of VUP with agriculture, which a large number of Rwanda’s population depend on. She received training on good agricultural practices for vegetable production and small animal husbandry through a Farmer Field and Life School, but also training on essential life skills such as basics of agribusiness, nutrition and gender equality sensitization, and financial literacy. She also received avocado seedlings, vegetable seeds, two goats, and fertilizer.
Sprouting business wings
All the six hundred participants of the project were grouped in five Farmer Field and Life School groups. Each group was encouraged to start a savings and loans group, through which households collectively save money each week. Members of Christine’s group of 30 people each contributes a weekly amount of 400 Rwandan francs (approx. US $ 0.46). FAO contributed RWF 300,000 to the group to reinforce its financial capacity.
“I had always had a heart for business but I didn’t have capital and even skills, but more so, I wasn’t confident enough to try it out. Through the training, we were encouraged to be entrepreneurs that we can do business like other people,” says Christine.
She borrowed RWF 15,000 from the group and started out a small business of selling fruits and vegetables in a roadside market along the main Highway.
“Gradually my business has been good. The profits more than double the wage I used to get for a whole day’s wage. I have stopped farming for other people, I can now get the money I used to earn from cultivating people’s farms with little labor,” says Christine with a smile.
With the skills acquired from the training she is able to record her business transactions.
From the garden to market
Christine grew the seedlings and in the first harvest she harvested much more than her family can consume. Her attitude about growing vegetables had changed.
“Before, I couldn’t afford fertilizer, the goats I received gave me organic manure, which I used in my garden, and I realized increased production. I sold some and in the next three months I was harvesting again…It was amazing! I realized vegetables were profitable and could be harvested in a short time with a large output,” Christine says with excitement.
With now her business running the produce she sells is harvested from her gardens. Her business has grown from twenty Cabbages to more than five hundred Cabbages, and beans all from her gardens.
“I have since expanded my garden. I have added carrots, beetroots and eggplants to my agriculture. With the modern farming techniques I will be able to do commercial farming. I am eager next season to grow vegetables on a bigger piece of land,” Christine said.
Ever present extension support
Sebastien Nzabanita is a Case worker, one of the government social protection extension volunteers. He was trained by FAO under the project to provide both FFLS and life skills support to the project participants during its implementation and even after it has wound up to ensure sustainable development of the farmers. Through the project he also increased his collaboration with other extension workers in the area around agriculture, health and gender, so they are now focusing more on the poorest people in the community.
He is in charge of following up project participants in Christine’s group. Every week he stops by Christine’s garden and inspects her garden and livestock to ensure they are in good health. He advises them from how much fertilizer to apply, to spraying in case the crops have pests and encourage them to get their health insurance. Sometime he advocates for them to the sector authorities when they need more support.
“The Caseworker has been very helpful to me, he advises on the kind of vegetables to grow and the good farming practices that would ensure increased productivity. He also shares with me experiences of other farmers,” says Christine.
Sebastien has seen a mindset change among the participants of the project.
“Before they would resist to do some things. For instance, you would ask them to plant two beans in a hole, instead they would plant four seeds because that’s what they have been used to,” says Sebastien.
The collaboration between Caseworkers and the project participants has improved their lives and livelihood through applying appropriate farming techniques.
Christine is optimistic that in the near future she will have improved her own and her children’s life in several aspects, and they will be able to better deal with future shocks.
“Eating vegetables on a meal is something we never considered. We thought it was for rich families. I now feed all my six children on a balanced diet with vegetables on every meal,” says Christine.
Social protection measures are essential to reducing poverty and hunger, especially in rural areas and when linked with interventions in the agricultural sector. In Rubavu, Nyabihu, Rulindo and Gakenke Districts, FAO supports agricultural programmes for social protection which allow poor, rural farmers to strengthen their ability to manage risks, which allows them to engage in more economic and productive activities.