Contribution of wetland agriculture to farmers' livelihood in Rwanda |
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| Affiliation: | 1. RAB-Rwanda, P.O. Box 617, Huye, Rwanda;2. Wageningen University, Land Degradation and Development Group, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands;1. Department of Geography, Federal University of Technology, Yola, P.M.B 2076 Yola, Nigeria;2. School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom;3. water@leeds, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom;1. University of Bonn, Steinmann Institute of Geology, Mineralogy and Paleontology, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany;2. University of Bonn, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, Department of Plant Nutrition, Karlrobert-Kreiten-Str. 13, 53115 Bonn, Germany;3. University of Bonn, Institute of Geography, Meckenheimer Allee 166, 53115 Bonn, Germany;4. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Centre for Water Resources Research, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa;5. Juelich Research Center, Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Agrosphere IBG-3, 52425 Jülich, Germany;6. University of Bonn, Institute of Food and Resource Economics, Nussallee 21, 53115 Bonn, Germany;7. University of Bonn, Institute of Organic Agriculture, Katzenburgweg 3, 53115 Bonn, Germany;1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, 23 St Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, Scotland, UK;2. Carbon Foundation of East Africa, Plot 15 Lubowa Estate, Kampala, Uganda;3. The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, Scotland, UK |
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| Abstract: | This study analyzes factors that contribute to the livelihood of smallholder farmers living in the vicinity of the Cyabayaga and Rugeramigozi wetlands. Three tools were used: 1) focus group discussion 2) formal surveys and 3) Monitoring for Quality Improvement (MONQI). Farming systems in wetlands and on hillsides differ. Level of education, resource availability, land ownership and location have an important impact on the location and type of farming systems practiced by households. The dependency of households on wetlands varies between sites. Field size, status of soil fertility and input use are also key factors determining the level of contribution that wetland agriculture makes to farmers' livelihood. In Cyabayaga, the per household per year contribution of wetland cultivation to gross margin (GM) was 74% ($1901) compared to 24% ($84) in Rugeramigozi. The rice in Cyabayaga was the largest contributor to household income providing on average $1045 per household per season. Vegetables cultivated in the dry season in Rugeramigozi have high potential as cash crops. Poor maintenance of drainage and irrigation channels as well as inappropriate cropping systems in wetlands can undermine sustainability and have repercussions for the livelihoods of farmers dependent on agricultural wetlands. |
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