Preserving Biodiversity actually saves money - Zainab, Irish potato farmer
Zainab Byukusenge, 44 years old, is a farmer of onions, Irish potatoes, Garlic and beans on her arable land of one hectare in Rubavu district, Western Rwanda.
She says, she is now farming as business thanks to the training she attended on Integrated Pests Management (IPM), better farming practices with mainstreaming biodiversity. The training was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), funded by the European Union through ACP-MEAs3 Project (African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) countries Multilateral Environmental Agreements)
The Project is entitled “Capacity Building Related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements in ACP Countries - Phase III (ACP-MEAs 3)”.
“I was surprised recently; I sold Irish potatoes and got Rwfr400 000 (USD 400). Before knowing the importance of taking care of biodiversity, I used to get barely Rwfr100 000 on the same land, a half hectare,” Zainab Byukusenge, Irish potato farmer said.
“I used to waste money buying unnecessary pesticide and use excess chemical fertilizers. But now everything I do is measured. I know the importance of organic fertilizer. Thanks to Farmer Field School, I understood the importance of preserving 'friends of farmers',” she added.
Friends of farmers
Biodiversity has various living creatures in soil, water bodies, or above soil that help farmers in a natural yet interesting way to successfully grow crops. Some of those creatures include bees which pollinate crops, birds, microorganisms, earthworms, among others. Those creatures are called ‘friends of farmers’.
“Instead of spending money buying expensive pesticides, I take time and preserve some insects I see in the farm which as I learned in the training are natural enemies of pests (biological control). I also collect earthworms, because I now know their wonders. It increases soil fertility and helps increase the production of vegetables in poor and salty soils. You understand that I am saving much money,” Zainab said.
Zainab’s mindset of farming while preserving biodiversity is not only saving her farm or her country, it is actually a noble gesture that saves the world’s infinite natural resources by meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of the future generation.
Every day millions of tonnes of food and animal feed are produced, sold, and consumed worldwide. To feed the growing number of the world’s population farmers have to increase yields and protect their crops from pests. Some do all these by using fertilizers unfortunately more chemical than organic. For pests, they use several types of pesticides.
Excessive and disproportionate use of Chemicals causes soil contamination and therefore nutritional Stress which in the long run puts food security in jeopardy because healthy soils are a prerequisite for sustainable food security. The overuse of pesticides has very negative effects on the soil organisms that are similar to human overuse of antibiotics. Uncontrolled use of pesticide also kills various living creatures in farms that naturally fight some pests.
Graduation of 30 Farmer Field School trainees
Zainab is one of 30 farmers from six districts: Musanze, Rulindo, Nyabihu, Rubavu, Rwamagana, and Kayonza, who have graduated on 10 February 2022 in Musanze district, Northern Rwanda. She said, she has acquired a wide range of skills in farming Irish potatoes and other various crops. After graduation day, her fellow farmers have now become Farmer Field School (FFS) facilitators. They help and train other farmers in their communities adopting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to better farm, mainstreaming biodiversity and management of ecosystem services for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all.
More capacity development needed
The Farmer Field School training falls under the second output of the project “Enhanced field implementation of measures for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the sound management of chemicals in agriculture, in African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) countries.”
Zainab like other Farmer Field School facilitators say there is still a gap in their capacity to strategically target markets, to formulate agriculture projects and to read and analyze labels of chemical fertilizers and pesticides so they encourage other agricultural producers with acquired knowledge and skills to shift towards ecosystem-based practices.
“It is still hard to know when to take my fresh produce to market, to measure cropping season and know when to grow what so that by the time I harvest that crop is scarce on the market and be able to make much money. As a facilitator also it is very important that I know the basic meanings of labels that are on commonly used pesticides and fertilizers. I will be able to explain what is good and what harms biodiversity,” Zainab said.
While handing over certificates to the 30 Farmer Field School facilitators, Assistant FAO Representative in Rwanda, Otto Vianney Muhinda said: “The European Union is a great and important partner. Thanks to its unwavering and fruitful partnership with FAO, Agriculture in Rwanda is dramatically changing for the better. Yield is increasing and Rwanda’s mountainous farms are ecologically well preserved.”