Rwandan Graduates Combat Soil Erosion

Why this is here: Farms employing conservation agriculture in Rwanda lose nearly ten times less fertile soil compared to those using traditional methods, according to RICA’s localized research.

In Rwanda’s Bugesera District, recent graduates from the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) are working to reduce the country’s annual loss of 27 million tonnes of topsoil. RICA has partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources to expand conservation agriculture practices to smallholder farmers by 2030. Students spend half their three-year program in fieldwork, directly assisting farmers and demonstrating techniques like minimal soil disturbance and cover cropping.

Research in Bugesera, Kirehe, and Gakenke districts shows farms using conservation methods lose roughly ten times less soil. These practices also lower seasonal costs for maintaining soil fertility, from Rwf 10,000 to Rwf 6,000. RICA has graduated 239 students since 2023, with the latest cohort achieving gender parity at 42 men and 41 women.

Scaling up this effort remains a challenge, and the long-term impact depends on continued funding and adoption rates. RICA aims to deploy about 639 agricultural leaders by 2030, continuing to support Rwandan farmers.