Local solutions to address water scarcity in the Yanze subcatchment
Within the main Nyabarongo Lower catchment, the Yanze subcatchment occupies an area of 9 685 hectares, equal to around ten rugby fields. The subcatchment is home to a variety of water users. Irrigated vegetable and fruit production can be found in the valleys and farmers produce maize and potatoes on the hillsides.
Other water users include coffee washing stations, water treatment plants, mineral extraction sites, small-scale irrigation and the Water and Sanitation Company (WASAC), which extracts water to supply Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. In recent years, water has grown scarce in the area, leading the WASAC and local farmers to make agreements governing the sharing of water resources.
The KnoWat project worked with Yanze Horticulture Production Cooperative (YAHOPROC), a cooperative of vegetable growers, to support sustainable water resources management options, including a combination of improved solar-powered irrigation of their vegetable farms for improved production, as well as fish farming and pig production to boost the farmers’ income.
- Clean energy to benefit people and nature. Vegetable farmers found it difficult to distribute adequate irrigation water using watering cans and treadle pumps, limiting their production. In response, the project distributed three solar-powered irrigation pumps to the YAHOPROC cooperative, and trained farmers to operate and maintain them. The solar-power pumps allow farmers to grow crops throughout the year. Because the pumps are simple to operate and maintain, they can be used by all farmers, regardless of age.
An evaluation of the use of the solar pumps for irrigation showed that they have increased the agricultural production of 250 small farmers in Yanze as well as enhancing water productivity without increasing the carbon footprint. Production increased as a result of better water availability, boosting incomes by about RwF 500 000 (USD 50) per year.
Using solar powered irrigation pumps also requires less labour, leaving farmers with more time to invest in other income-generating activities, such as livestock production.
- Integration of fish farming and pig rearing. In addition to the introduction of solar-powered irrigation, the KnoWat project piloted two strategies to diversify income. Farmers stocked three irrigation ponds with Tilapia fingerlings, and the project supported the YAHOPROC cooperative in pig rearing. As a result, the cooperative has so far harvested 376.5 kilograms of Tilapia fish worth USD 750. Starting with the 30 pigs supplied by the project, members of the cooperative have raised around 300 pigs. The farmers have raised their incomes by selling both fish and pigs. The project supported these activities by providing training on improving market access. As a further benefit, the manure from fish and pig production serves as organic fertilizer, reducing the need to buy inorganic fertilizer, which cuts the cost of vegetable production. Furthermore, fish and meat diversify the diets and improve the nutrition of local families.
- Building institutions to improve water governance. The KnoWat project worked with the YAHOPROC cooperative and local leaders to build their capacity to establish a water users’ association in the Yanze subcatchment. Through the association, farmers will be able to obtain a water permit, providing long-term sure access to water resources to sustain their production systems.
Sustainable solutions
With more than 250 farmer members, the YAHOPROC cooperative has developed strategies to upscale the integrated production approach undertaken through the KnoWat project. Farmers in Yanze are highly motivated by the additional income generated by the approach.
The cooperative is now using its own resources to invest in increasing fish production. The solar pumps will be used both to irrigate crops in the field and to drain and renew water in the fishponds.
The Rulindo District authority has established strategies to adopt solar-powered irrigation throughout the district. In August 2021, 50 participants (34 men and 16 women) from all levels of district leadership participated in training on how to demonstrate solar-powered irrigation, to promote the use of solar pumps in Yanze and other parts of the district.
Furthermore, FAO is in conversations with development partners, such as the Rwanda Agriculture Board and the World Bank, to mainstream the successful integrated production approach in other rural development programmes.