tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35145247609069596872024-02-19T16:43:08.905+02:00Welcome to Aimable Twahirwa's blogThis is my personal blog and I post about things I do and I am interested in and my opinions. Not regularly. f you have any questions I am happy you get in touch with me at any timeAimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-20574870806301561032017-03-27T09:26:00.003+02:002017-03-27T09:36:25.419+02:00Quality assurance and the changing face of higher education in Rwanda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I recently visited one of the private university based in Kigali and in a third year class I met Kayishema, a 23-year old student. While I was there, the lecturer asked him to come to the board to
present an argument based on facts from one lab report that he prepared as
part of assignment and he began to smile nervously while looking to his
classmates, asking for help.</div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZ_V9cCdGsBrAVsU4Qyw1LJSL4VvLc0lZPJCE0BnYdaHHdcSGL39fjTxTPrF_oVtec14YtrYBLsr-8QdSW1pMtpbrSFCft5xPjlwW_NE7RZRQfZ6bQ8D0luMqmDe309D4XUEPuqEBdoZ5/s1600/university_Rwanda.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZ_V9cCdGsBrAVsU4Qyw1LJSL4VvLc0lZPJCE0BnYdaHHdcSGL39fjTxTPrF_oVtec14YtrYBLsr-8QdSW1pMtpbrSFCft5xPjlwW_NE7RZRQfZ6bQ8D0luMqmDe309D4XUEPuqEBdoZ5/s1600/university_Rwanda.png" /></a>Yet they were not collaborating on this assignment, his peers tried to give him some hints but they could not help him. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At the end of the class, the lecturer noted that Kayishema was behind in comparison with his fellows: they had all attended previous classes but Kayishema stopped attending classes yet was prepared to graduate.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is a story that is being encountered in several classrooms across several private universities that have been forced to shut down earlier this month by the ministry of Education, very poor quality education. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
With the lack of standard quality of service to sustain in the market they operate in, the national policy to promote Education for All (EFA) efforts has apparently provided to the large group of people a greater access to higher education but this has come about at the expense of compromising the quality of education especially among some private universities.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yet some private universities argue that strong support from government was essential for them to fulfill their duties, the lack of engagement with research and the poor quality teaching excellence have been described as major root causes of the current situation.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While employers continue to report large deficits in skills among fresh graduates in these private higher learning institutions, the "high-performing" education system in academia is a key to achieve the country’s aspirations of service-oriented economy with a middle-income country status with income per capita to reach $1,240 by the year 2020 (END)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
RELATED EXTERNAL LINKS:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(1) http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2017-03-17/209013/</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(2) http://www.panapress.com/Rwanda--Rwanda-suspends-several-private-universities-over-poor-quality-education---14-630508442-160-lang2-index.html </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(3) http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2017-03-21/209273/</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-27405391325096591612017-01-10T12:35:00.000+02:002017-01-10T14:43:12.528+02:00Mapping climate change vulnerability in East African urban settings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While the urbanization comes at a price, especially in an era of increased risk of natural disasters, there is a need for users of urban infrastructure to keep safety in mind since the phenomenon of flooding and global warming has greatly increased over recent years in several major cities across the East African region.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwke4hQhJ2myvlf-doIgHJbiaGhh1gh8ZuKYO1v5GnVZHnH-rN_mQsimqt1tYW50_5f84LX2pxtXheGryIl8Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the past 10 years, I wrote a feature story about <a href="http://www.irinnews.org/feature/2006/09/13/counting-cost-modernisation">the cost of modernization</a> in the Rwandan capital city Kigali, for one UN Humanitarian news agency. At the time, I intended to follow up with a series of news focusing on this particular topic, but I had changed my opinion for various reasons. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
First of all , the majority of urban infrastructure's users are likely unaware' of climate change, and it has emerged that in a move to mitigate these urban vulnerabilities, the sole option is not only to provide relief for poor urban dwellers, but also to disseminate information about climate change and variability and their impacts.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>"<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Flooding is a major problem in some suburbs of Kigali city, because of intense seasonal rainfall, and it has been demonstrated that Kigali like many other tropical cities across the East African region are facing severe global warming issues and since the repetitive flooding have destroyed roads and bridges while isolating areas within different cities."</span></b></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At the time flood hazard mapping is being considered as another option to delineate the hazard urban which communicate risks areas, it is also important to reduce exposure of people living in high risk zones by relocating them to an area that is less vulnerable to such occurrence.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At several occasions, the flash floods of Kigali has cause significant social and economic life especially during rainy seasons in the city where by some transports routes got blocked by high speed waters.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One effective way to reduce exposure of urban residents to flood is also about sharing knowledge in the field of disaster prevention for decision-making partly due to the existing communication gap at local level.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
By addressing these challenge, current urbanization efforts should result in the rapid economic growth and contribute to the social welfare of city dwellers. (END) </div>
</div>
Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0United States37.09024 -95.712891000000013-36.4162205 99.052733999999987 90 69.521483999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-59171528288555819992015-09-03T09:01:00.000+02:002017-01-10T12:48:02.848+02:00Rwanda: Climate expert says El Nino will not escalate in 7 Great Horn of Africa States<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Although El Nino will continue to strengthen in the next few
months, this will not escalate into a worsening situation in seven
members countries of the Great Horn of Africa (GHA) as the warming of
the sea's surface in the Indian Ocean will decay, a senior weather
expert said. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhSJf9RYaGt27N9-e9R3rYKRi7XatN1H5Plo-0fzDhOxZJQkAJBycjV3mSRdIR4WHz-asj4_-EG3Bw1yPkamRLW4VsnU0ZL6MTmnf9lpXFzqWw-KYzHiWn5en11f_I-W-cFzElyp23rO4/s1600/el_nino_globe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhSJf9RYaGt27N9-e9R3rYKRi7XatN1H5Plo-0fzDhOxZJQkAJBycjV3mSRdIR4WHz-asj4_-EG3Bw1yPkamRLW4VsnU0ZL6MTmnf9lpXFzqWw-KYzHiWn5en11f_I-W-cFzElyp23rO4/s320/el_nino_globe.jpg" width="320" /></a>The temperature of the sea's surface in the Indian Ocean will not be
warm enough to develop into a super El Nino, which needs 4 degree
Celsius-rise in tropical Pacific and 2 degree-rise in the ocean along
the equator, a senior researcher from the Kenya-based IGAD Climate
Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), Prof. Laban Ogallo, said.<br />
<br />
ICPAC member countries are Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia,
Sudan and Uganda as well as Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania. <br />
<br />
Latest models results indicate that other negative effects of El Nino
have been reported for other regions of the world, and of particular
relevance is the unprecedented coral reef bleaching in the Indian Ocean
and the tropical eastern and western Pacific. This has obvious fishery
and environmental impacts for the areas concerned, Ogallo said. <br />
Models knowledge and observatory analyses provide African scientists and
policy makers with better understanding of the variability in the
region.<br />
<br />
He said El Nino is likely to reach a limited magnitude this year and
last for few months, which is relatively habitual phenomenon.<br />
<br />
A Super El Nino has only occurred three times in recent history, 1972, 1982 and 1997-1998, Ogalla said.<br />
<br />
Since this year, El Nino has brought excess rainfall to several parts of
southern and eastern areas in the summer months, while the northern
region experienced severe drought.<br />
<br />
To address some of these challenges, ICPAC receommend National
Meteorological Services from the region to improve their capability to
issue sub-national seasonal forecasts for their main agricultural areas,
including realistic and reliable probabilities of occurrence. <br />
<br />
This is because the Greater Horn of Africa region includes some of the
most arid places in the world with the harsh environment and climate
change vulnerability, he said.<br />
<br />
Moreover, experts argue that as El Nino continue to develop, some of the
expected consequences would materialize, while others will still not be
verified since the existing monitoring system and tools for accessing
information and knowledge on drought resilience and Disaster Risk
Management in the Great Horn of Africa is still limited.<br />
<br />
Weather predictions show that the northern/southern sector of Great Horn
of Africa (GHA) will receive peak rainfall during the upcoming month of
October and December.<br />
<br />
The equatorial areas of the sub-region have two main rainfall peaks
centered around March-May and October-December each year, he said.<br />
<br />
The enhanced rainfall during October to December tends to extend into
the next year across many ICPAC member countries, the weather
predictions report said.<br />
<br />
PANAPRESS </div>
Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-27804631969960907792014-03-24T09:51:00.001+02:002017-01-10T12:48:02.846+02:00Promoting Science and Technology in Higher Education: it is about time...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5304">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMK5HmcJnRb2i8l0FymoI7IL2xahBTObr9eQFKkITtM83T-mVRKeneICCPepgL9_3wrcZPh4qA0aLt1k8MEOIzyKLIjhaLH-1-WRkNe7-6q8zLfcSFydOs9QPoX_-qgh8CWceaKKBTj_x8/s1600/science_tech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMK5HmcJnRb2i8l0FymoI7IL2xahBTObr9eQFKkITtM83T-mVRKeneICCPepgL9_3wrcZPh4qA0aLt1k8MEOIzyKLIjhaLH-1-WRkNe7-6q8zLfcSFydOs9QPoX_-qgh8CWceaKKBTj_x8/s1600/science_tech.jpg" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_549448777"></span><span id="goog_549448778"></span>As
the World Bank in conjunction with the Rwandan government hosted on
March 12-13, 2014 in the Rwandan capital city Kigali, the first ever
high-level forum focusing on the promotion of science, technology and
innovation in higher education
system, the quality education described to be among other main factors
affecting implementation of these commitments' success or failure
likelihood seem very much on the rise.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5411">
While
a evidence of how African government are engaging the private sector to
invest strategically in science, technology, and engineering education
in a move to accelerate Africa’s progress is still a big challenge,
so does the issue to reform tertiary education systems.</div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5412" style="color: black; font-size: 12px;">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5413">
The
lack of quality education and technology transfer that can contribute
in reducing poverty by transferring technical skills to rural people,
and which is described to be among other factors describing this
situation in some higher
learning in Africa may explain why some universities of science and
technologies are lagging behind when compared to their counterparts.</div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5414">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5415">
Science,
Technology and Innovation to me meant that governments were more aware
of one another's needs to transform higher education system in Africa to
energize and unlock the minds for promising economic prospects in order
to increase
the continent's competitiveness.</div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5416">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5417">
It
meant that African governments still have a critical role to play in
supporting and stimulating private sector investment to accelerate the
continent’s progress into a developed, knowledge-based society within a
generation.</div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5418">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5419">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaevHphSaJAVRIjIwYIlrDdbbneuCMIdba24ki-X35O5naFh67Yyewzw2f3DUJxngiSXcSYuivQjgSUpUEvGQJ5SjUtG9pX6pFp7jZb-SQ8OKEmW8WZ9X8fYxurpQPBp5NU_fOl6splED/s1600/university.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaevHphSaJAVRIjIwYIlrDdbbneuCMIdba24ki-X35O5naFh67Yyewzw2f3DUJxngiSXcSYuivQjgSUpUEvGQJ5SjUtG9pX6pFp7jZb-SQ8OKEmW8WZ9X8fYxurpQPBp5NU_fOl6splED/s1600/university.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Hope Rwanda Magazine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
However the education system that is most common in
the large majority of universities and higher learning
institutions across the whole African continent are still fully relying
on government and other partners' funding instead of mobilizing their
own resources.</div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5423" style="color: black; font-size: 12px;">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5420">
Most
experts, including both scientists, engineers, and technicians who were
attending the high-level forum on science and technology in higher
education, believe that believed that there was a need to invest
strategically in this area
as a move to accelerate Africa’s progress into a developed,
knowledge-based society within a generation.</div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5421">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5422">
Indeed,
with the current expansion of higher education enrollment in science,
and technology, these imperatives should go hand in hand with
inter-university collaboration to encourage competitiveness while
promoting innovation while focusing
on the need of local population.</div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5424">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div class="yiv5101775954MsoNormal" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1395646423605_5425">
Unfortunately,
the paramount challenge facing African universities of science and
technology has been the issue to develop their research capability as
well as the lack of direct technology transfer in order to actively
contribute to
the development of the societies in which they live. END</div>
</div>
Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-32463136911896159442013-08-19T11:53:00.001+02:002014-09-09T14:09:51.420+02:00 Satellites boost new crop insurance programme in Rwanda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
RUSATIRA, Rwanda – The Rwandan government has introduced a crop insurance scheme for farmers, backed up by satellite weather stations to monitor the precise impacts of drought and heavy rains on farming.<br />
<a name='more'></a><div>
<div class="body-text left" style="font-family: arial; margin-top: -7px; min-height: 406px; padding-top: 1px;">
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyoh6m2k4sWmNy7dwZhxqAj2la9alKGh9Gb05Mpy3pmjZZrBpNe38SOmMLgq1DLowD6w2soDjiJ2lGzffByQG-Ez6I4Gxit2Wnnks4RUCf9SeXjNAnTz9SKQaAreuJcwvKGAQrII4zR5j/s1600/agri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyoh6m2k4sWmNy7dwZhxqAj2la9alKGh9Gb05Mpy3pmjZZrBpNe38SOmMLgq1DLowD6w2soDjiJ2lGzffByQG-Ez6I4Gxit2Wnnks4RUCf9SeXjNAnTz9SKQaAreuJcwvKGAQrII4zR5j/s1600/agri.jpg" height="260" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CREDIT: THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION/Aimable Twahirwa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The programme is aimed at small-scale farmers like Anisia Nyirabahutu, from the village of Rusatira in the south of this Central African country. Nyirabahutu is one of many battling severe drought, which experts ascribe to the effects of climate change.</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
For the past decade, as weather patterns have shifted in the region, she has prayed that her maize crop would be spared from extreme weather.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
“During some periods rainfall was limited and irregular, and we were facing many challenges to grow crops,” said the mother of three, in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
In late 2012, the government, in cooperation with the <a href="http://www.syngentafoundation.org/" style="border: none; color: #183e72; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture</a> introduced an indexed insurance programme for farmers. Known as “Kilimo Salama” (‘safe insurance’ in Kiswahili), the scheme uses satellite stations to monitor how rainfall variability and drought affect crop production.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
The government hopes to enrol many small-scale farmers in the insurance so that they will be eligible for compensation at the end of each growing season for any losses incurred due to severe weather, said Belise Mugwaneza, a consultant at Syngenta, an international organisation that is helping to administer the new policies. The organisation is a charitable arm of Syngenta, an agri-business giant that produces farm chemicals, seeds and farm biotechnology products.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
<b>HOW IT WORKS</b></div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
Under the scheme, the Rwandan government distributes on credit seed bought from local producers and importers, through its Crop Intensification Programme. According to Cor Oudes, a senior official at One Acre Fund/Tubura, an international NGO working with groups of insured farmers, the programme also distributes chemical fertilizers to participants and emphasizes training in various farming methods.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
“Without training, the insurance companies would never have insured the fertilizers, as the risks of mis-harvest increase if farmers don't know how to use them,” he explained.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
The insurance itself is provided by local insurance firms, while reinsurance for their risks is guaranteed by Swiss-Re, a global re-insurer.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
Nine fully automated weather stations are intended to give local insurers and international reinsurers confidence in the reliability of local weather assessments.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
The stations measure rainfall, temperature, wind speed and sunlight. The data are used to determine whether a specific plot of land has been negatively affected by drought or heavy rainfall.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
Despite the planning, some intended beneficiaries of the new insurance scheme are concerned about the costs involved, the level of coverage, and the procedure for making claims.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
Farmers are required to buy group insurance, and premiums vary depending on the location and size of their land, ranging from about 6 percent to 12 percent of a farmer’s costs for seed, fertiliser and other imputs, according to Mugwaneza.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
<b>SOME WORRIES</b></div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
Nyirabahutu worries that some investments made by small-scale farmers, such as labour costs, are not covered under the new policies.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
“We were happy when the government and its partners introduced this insurance scheme for farmers, but still compensation does not fully cover all aspects of all inputs,” she said. “We are still facing a challenge to meet our basic needs.”</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
Before insured farmers can qualify for a payout, the ministry of agriculture, in partnership with Syngenta Foundation and local insurance companies, assesses the data provided by the stations. Payouts are made to farmers based on the stations’ measurements, comparisons with weather records over the previous 15 years and a predefined formula of the rainfall that crops require during the growing season.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
Some farmers are concerned that this approach makes it difficult to know in advance whether their particular plot is likely to qualify for compensation.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
Nevertheless, an estimated 12,000 farmers have been insured in Rwanda since the scheme began, and the government aims to ensure a further 1,000 this year. Following heavy rains and drought in the country’s South and Western provinces between May and September 2012, payments totalling $10,000 have been made to 1,600 farmers, although the total number of claims made was not available.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px; text-align: justify;">
“The implementation of satellite stations to monitor weather impacts is good news for the farming community in Rwanda,” said Mugwaneza.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 17px; padding-left: 1px;">
<i></i><b>Original source</b>:<i> </i>Thomson Reuters Foundation</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-65059412361738158642012-04-23T17:19:00.003+02:002014-09-09T14:09:51.423+02:00X-ray technology harnessed to grow more nutritious crops<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXBx6qC_brSTIlmQULVRGjcWnLy0uP009oXGAFgVyhQK24dP_bspa2ajeqeQRtoe1x-Av4yn6Vi3xMW6P1CUakf4bAb14rYenjwAp83FFTCoQe0YQXpZwpiP9p7f3siH2bbN9JvTUJTZc/s1600/Bean_farmer_Rwanda_Flickr_CIAT_by_Neil_Palmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXBx6qC_brSTIlmQULVRGjcWnLy0uP009oXGAFgVyhQK24dP_bspa2ajeqeQRtoe1x-Av4yn6Vi3xMW6P1CUakf4bAb14rYenjwAp83FFTCoQe0YQXpZwpiP9p7f3siH2bbN9JvTUJTZc/s1600/Bean_farmer_Rwanda_Flickr_CIAT_by_Neil_Palmer.jpg" /></a></div>
[KIGALI] Agricultural researchers in Rwanda have adapted a technology widely used in the mining sector to analyse the mineral content of food crops such as beans and maize, with a view to developing more nutritious crops.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />The team, from the Rwandan Agricultural Board (RAB), say the idea was inspired by a study published in the journal Plant and Soil earlier this year (21 January), which noted the use of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis to determine the mineral content of soil samples.<br />
<br />
XRF analysis generates X-rays of different colours to indicate the presence, and concentration, of elements such as iron and zinc. It is quick to display results, and each sample costs just 15 US cents to analyse – compared to US$20 for other chemical analysis technologies. <br />
<br />
In Rwanda, beans are regarded as a near-perfect food as they contain many important nutrients, and between 22 to 30 per cent of arable land across the country is currently used to grow them, according to the RAB.<br />
<br />
The Rwandan team used XRF to analyse three varieties of bio-fortified beans – climbing, bush and snap beans. They analysed 15 samples in total, and found four were particularly rich in mineral nutrients such as iron and zinc, according to Augustine Musoni, a senior researcher at the RAB.<br />
<br />
"This is a step forward in [reducing] malnutrition while improving the lives of smallholder farmers," Musoni told SciDev.Net.<br />
<br />
Iron deficiency in food crops can inhibit physical and mental development in children, and increase the risk of women dying in childbirth, Musoni added.<br />
<br />
The Plant and Soil study was funded by HarvestPlus, which is part of the Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health programme of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).<br />
<br />
HarvestPlus has formed partnerships with research institutes in Bangladesh, Mexico and India to make further use of the technology in crops like rice and pearl millet. It has set up XRF facilities in these institutes and trained local scientists to use them..<br />
<br />
The main purpose of the new technology according to Tiwirai Lister Katsvairo, the Rwanda country representative for HarvestPlus, is to deliver nutritious staple food crops to reduce "hidden hunger" — the lack of dietary vitamins and minerals, adding that more than half of Rwanda's children under five, and a third of the female population, are anaemic.<br />
<br />
Daphrose Gahakwa, deputy director-general of the RAB said that XRF technology would be a beneficial method of testing mineral content in seeds. The challenge in delivering this innovation, she said, was how to deliver those benefits to remote areas of the country.<br />
<br />
http://www.scidev.net/en/health/nutrition/news/x-ray-technology-harnessed-to-grow-more-nutritious-crops.html</div>Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-11506463190274973822011-04-19T10:38:00.002+02:002014-09-09T14:09:51.414+02:00RWANDA Forest Conservation Calls for Carrot and Stick<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzb8vtm4aPsNdI8_Ju8ThedeiuzH0mLSMpOURqtblfWfC89AqvBbVp6XZTuRhBpFGKldP1QP-pFHVNbLZrnzNy3JPEUjYEoKE6LzVaQ3Dv931GL7aCgcjk9bX2UB59qGhXbUv6-5_dAKv/s1600/forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzb8vtm4aPsNdI8_Ju8ThedeiuzH0mLSMpOURqtblfWfC89AqvBbVp6XZTuRhBpFGKldP1QP-pFHVNbLZrnzNy3JPEUjYEoKE6LzVaQ3Dv931GL7aCgcjk9bX2UB59qGhXbUv6-5_dAKv/s320/forest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
KIGALI - For years, the various campaigns for sustainable use of forests just passed Pascal Segatashya by. But Rwanda's ambitious Forest Conservation Project eventually found him - and it has transformed his life and livelihood. Most of his neighbours in a rural community in the <a href="http://statistics.gov.rw/publications/gisagara-district-map">Gisagara district</a> in southern Rwanda are farmers, but the father of five made a living largely from illegally chopping down eucalyptus trees on his five-hectare holding to sell as firewood.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Growing pressure on woodlands</span><br />
<br />
Ninety percent of Gisagara's inhabitants are engaged in farming of one kind or another on fertile mountain slopes. As in many other parts of the country, the population here has been swollen by some of the more than three million people who have returned to the country from exile since the end of the 1994 genocide.<br />
<br />
The growing rural population is hungry for land to farm, and wood for fuel and construction, threatening the loss of forest cover. Data compiled by environment web portal Mongabay shows that Rwanda's use of wood for fuel rose by 60 percent between 1990 and 2005. Industrial logging also increased in this period.<br />
<br />
Drawing on sources including the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme, Mongabay's profile of the country's forests might be expected to reveal a familiar story of accelerating deforestation, but instead Rwanda's forest cover has rebounded from a low of ten percent to nearly 20 percent now.<br />
<br />
Rwanda has made the protection of its remaining forests a priority, and set a target of increasing forest cover to 30 percent by 2020 - a goal it seems set to achieve well ahead of schedule.<br />
<br />
The country is still losing precious primary forest - the almost complete destruction of the Gishwati Forest in the northwest between by people displaced by the genocide is an example - but this is offset by the aggressive campaign against unsustainable use of forests while promoting tree-planting across the country.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Enforcement is key</span><br />
<br />
One day almost two years ago, while returning home in a pick-up truck loaded with wood, Segatashya was arrested for cutting down trees without a permit. He was jailed for several days on environmental degradation charges, in line with tough new measures by the government.<br />
<br />
The arrest did the trick. Today - with support from local authorities - Segatashya is a convert to agroforestry. His plot holds a remaining stand of eucalpytus in one section, but other areas have been planted with avocado and mango trees.<br />
<br />
Segatashya says his monthly income of $200 is roughly the same as it was before - but his present use of his land is sustainable and growing, where he was previously gradually destroying his source of income.<br />
<br />
"The task [of tree maintenance] is very easy and I can earn money from selling fruit much more easily and without complications," he told IPS.<br />
<br />
Since 2009, the Rwandan government has dispatched agriculture experts to the local level all around the country, to train farmers on how to improve their land-use practices with a government seedling and afforestation programme.<br />
<br />
The programme is intended to restore tree cover to deforested areas in several badly-affected regions of the mountainous country. The government is emphasising agro-forestry because it will provide a source of fruit and food and boost village incomes.<br />
<br />
"The move which is dedicated to creating wealth for Rwandans, though planting trees will be the key emphasis by the government and its partners," Rwanda's minister of lands, environment , forestry, water, and mines, Christophe Bazivamo said.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Questions over approach</span><br />
<br />
But an environmental researcher from the National University of Rwanda - raising the criticism only on condition of anonymity - is critical of how the government has set about its mission.<br />
<br />
"What is most important is to foster ownership and promote social participation instead of enforcing the law," he told IPS, with reference to the kind of policing that saw Sengatashya spend several nights in jail. He also said funding for reforestation programmes is inadequate, and called for direct public finance to rebuild deforested areas.<br />
<br />
Fabien Kayitare also has reservations. An expert with the International Fertiliser Development Centre's CATALIST programme, he says local communities need to gain new knowledge if they are to successfully and permanently adopt new practices in forests.<br />
<br />
"There is nobody to blame for deforestation, but it is important to introduce new alternatives dedicated to consume less fuel and save cooking time for poor."<br />
<br />
The CATALIST Project (Catalyze Accelerated Agricultural Intensification for Social and Environmental Stability) works with farmer organisations, NGOS and donors in Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo to boost production of staple foods, with an accent on sound environmental management and protection of biodiversity.<br />
<br />
He points to the need for appropriate technologies to reduce pressure on woodlands, offering stoves as an example. "It is easy to see that in rural communities using improved cooking stoves [which burn wood more efficiently], the new technology needs far less biomass to cook the same amount of food."<br />
<br />
But enforcement of forestry regulations is a critical problem across most of Africa. Coupled with active support for alternative practices, the statistics suggest that sustainable use is taking hold, even against a background of growing use of wood products in the country.<br />
<br />
Farmers like Segatashya are making the transition to becoming guardians of wooded areas and Minister Bazivamo is confident that the country’s campaign to plant one billion seedlings by 2013 will reinforce Rwanda's progress still further. (END)<br />
<br /></div>
Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-89017923017977254462011-02-28T16:47:00.000+02:002014-09-09T14:11:13.475+02:00Rwandan research will boost agricultural productivity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="author">
By Aimable Twahirwa </div>
<div class="source">
</div>
<div class="date">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoWyyzCdYiWJNFrR0IUtHDbdWWbepkPLEVLI7BaKXdy4vewvB6UkoN0j0lGJARuaJzhc7lEUMU0sa1m_A5ey61akrvz6f_GYnk0uAeOysySWqqeHUognxMmAiyZ_s-MB16bM4Q7LDlsn2/s1600/crops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoWyyzCdYiWJNFrR0IUtHDbdWWbepkPLEVLI7BaKXdy4vewvB6UkoN0j0lGJARuaJzhc7lEUMU0sa1m_A5ey61akrvz6f_GYnk0uAeOysySWqqeHUognxMmAiyZ_s-MB16bM4Q7LDlsn2/s1600/crops.jpg" /></a></div>
The Rwandan government plans to boost agricultural production through its Crop Intensification Programme (CIP) and a range of post-harvest measures to reduce waste from the 2011 season. The programme will boost agricultural research to increase productivity in rural areas and ensure <a href="http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/food-security/">food security</a> for the country's 10 million people."We plan to reduce the cost of production by intensification, and emphasise mechanisation, enhance research for the introduction of high-yielding varieties of staple crops, as well as embarking on research for appropriate post-harvest technologies," the country's prime minister, Bernard Makuza, told the Rwandan Senate last month.<br />
<a name='more'></a>The CIP, initiated in 2007 to address falling productivity and the low use and availability of fertilisers, had doubled crop production, Makuza said. It had "helped the country move from being food insecure to food secure", he told the Senate.<br />
<br />
In the new plan through this existing programme, researchers will develop improved seeds to boost the productivity of smallholder farmers and investigate other agricultural practices such as post-harvest technologies.<br />
<br />
"We are trying to set up post-harvest infrastructure and facilities which will enable us to reduce post-harvest losses from the current 30 per cent to 5 per cent," Makuza said, adding that the Ministry of Agriculture has set up a special Post-Harvest and Storage Task Force.<br />
<br />
Daphrose Gahakwa, director-general of the Rwanda Agricultural Research Institute (ISAR), said that farmers in remote rural areas have so far relied on "fertilisers and seeds imported and distributed by the government at a lower price as a way to boost their productivity". She added that the new approach will focus on using improved seeds.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TAJS3fXBM_Q5WZOLtqsH2ZrHzgGLDo8Cwh46fUxjncowtNu2JL06fYfojz7m01HJ7uyEA7Ful7QnfZJFHFIny-8S8_ahz8n3wmQofrrgeDlBCahXrVWoy1gROFAbWeLkk7DKMtoGg5A3/s1600/crops_bis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TAJS3fXBM_Q5WZOLtqsH2ZrHzgGLDo8Cwh46fUxjncowtNu2JL06fYfojz7m01HJ7uyEA7Ful7QnfZJFHFIny-8S8_ahz8n3wmQofrrgeDlBCahXrVWoy1gROFAbWeLkk7DKMtoGg5A3/s1600/crops_bis.jpg" /></a></div>
A recent study by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources revealed that in 2009 and 2010 the government imported 22,400 tonnes of a fertiliser known as NPK (containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), which was sold at low prices to support rural farmers, especially those growing exported cash crops.<br />
<br />
But the country's agriculture minister, Agnes Kalibata, said that fertilisers were imported only for export crops such as tea and coffee.<br />
<br />
And an ISAR study found that the work of agricultural researchers has not been taken sufficiently into account in finding other solutions to improving productivity.<br />
<br />
"The introduction of improved crop technologies, such as climbing bean varieties, could serve as an alternative to the use of fertilisers," Gahakwa said. "It is also important to train small-scale farmers who rely on traditional <a href="http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/farming-practices/">farming practices</a> on how they can adopt these new practices," she told <i>SciDev.Net</i>.<br />
<br />
At a conference in Kigali in December, Kalibata also called for more <a href="http://www.scidev.net/en/science-and-innovation-policy/innovation-policy/">innovative</a> irrigation technologies to boost productivity — the plans are to irrigate 100,000 hectares of arable land by 2013, she said.<br />
<br />
No budget has been specified for the new plans, but the government has emphasised that it will collaborate with research partner institutions, such as Canada's International Development Research Centre.</div>
Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-32982273722462373462010-11-10T16:59:00.000+02:002014-09-09T13:41:29.888+02:00Malaria threat looms large in Rwanda as rainfall diminishes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gpUoCkBUc-RWNJZ9CXv0OG2cNJ0NoUMI7-eYAIKDvp-M-RbtmkBwgDTEwyPRKHaCySsu_PbL7NQspXJny7g2Lr5N5dEQCHyhp0bO3KQEwh150oKbXgYxiVAdS56VRbZQbYcqs367GWa4/s1600/malaria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gpUoCkBUc-RWNJZ9CXv0OG2cNJ0NoUMI7-eYAIKDvp-M-RbtmkBwgDTEwyPRKHaCySsu_PbL7NQspXJny7g2Lr5N5dEQCHyhp0bO3KQEwh150oKbXgYxiVAdS56VRbZQbYcqs367GWa4/s1600/malaria.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Kigali: Low rainfall, extended dry spells and warmer weather in parts of Rwanda are creating ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes, raising the prospect of severe outbreaks of malaria.Rwanda has drastically reduced malaria cases in past years through the use of treated mosquito nets, widespread distribution of anti-malarial medicines and improved services to expectant mothers, including improved medical check-ups, but medical practitioners fear a season of low rainfall could undo much of the progress.</div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
When rainfall is low, lakes and rivers dry up, forming smaller pools of standing water - a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Rwanda's southeast is particularly hard hit by malaria and dryer weather - linked to climate change - is expected for the region.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The southeast is forecast to receive little rainfall between now and December, according to the central African country's meteorological service. Rainfall in the region could drop to as low as 10 millimetres a year, compared to a national average of 700 mm.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Temperatures are also rising, another factor that encourages mosquitoes to breed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In Ruhuha, a village southeast of Kigali, long queues form every day at the local health centre. Many patients are unaware their symptoms are linked to malaria or that the disease is spread by mosquitoes breeding in nearby lakes and marshlands.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Margaret Mukanyarwaya, a 38-year-old pregnant mother, is one of a growing number of Ruhuha residents who has been to the doctor since early August. She had been suffering from a high fever but thought her condition was linked to her pregnancy.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"I hadn't thought to check my temperature the past few days but when I decided to go for a medical consultation, the doctor detected malaria symptoms," she said.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Despite huge progress in fighting malaria, the disease remains the main cause of sickness and death in Rwanda, which is situated in an area of Africa where malaria is endemic, according to the World Health Organisation.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Malaria was responsible for 30 percent of outpatient visits to doctors in Rwanda in 2008, although this was down from 70 percent in 2001. There is no data available on death rates from malaria.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Rwandan plains in the east of the country are considered an endemic area for malaria while the country's central high plateau suffers occasional malaria epidemics, researchers say.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Awareness campaigns </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While transmission rates of vector-borne diseases like malaria are linked to greater population density, migration, and human activities like rice farming, brick making and mining, changing rainfall patterns are a major factor in surges of the disease, experts say.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Rwandan officials recognize the need for awareness campaigns to educate people on how environmental and climatic factors impact the spread of malaria.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Once local people have a stake in adapting to climate change, they will be able to help contain seasonal diseases like malaria at an early stage," said Charles Habyarimana, a nurse at the Ruhuha health centre.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Experts suggest residents could be trained to understand changing weather patterns so they can help their communities adapt better.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For example, higher than average temperatures - two to four degrees above normal - which occur one or two months before the rains indicate a high risk of a malaria epidemic, experts say.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In hilly areas with good drainage and rainfall above 250 mm per month, an epidemic is likely to occur about one month after rain falls, when mosquito breeding habits stabilize, said Andrew Githeko, an expert at the Kenya-based Centre for Global Health Research.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"The government should start public health awareness campaigns, communicating the risk associated with forecasts of changing weather patterns," he said.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There also needs to be greater distribution of treated mosquito nets, experts say. Forty-four percent of the wealthiest households in Rwanda had mosquito nets, more than twice the national average of 18 percent, according to a government health survey in 2005.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"It is important to sensitise local communities living in areas with high malaria transmission on how they can prevent the disease before the outbreak, because prevention may be better than cure," said one Ruhuha resident.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Spraying homes </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Health officials also stressed the importance of spraying homes in areas at risk to kill mosquitoes.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since August 2007, a national campaign of indoor spraying has been in place to combat malaria.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"The looming threat of vector-borne diseases means that any failure to spray houses in areas of risk will leave the population exposed to a high risk of malaria," said Corine Karema, head of the malaria unit at Rwanda's Treatment and Research AIDS Centre (TRAC), a centre for disease prevention and control.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Original source</b>: <a href="http://www.rnanews.com/national/4442-malaria-threat-looms-large-in-rwanda-as-rainfall-diminishes?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=" rel="nofollow" title="Print">Reuters Thompson</a> </div>
</div>
Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-85893005441582642762010-10-28T09:04:00.000+02:002014-09-09T13:58:26.754+02:00Rwanda: A Difficult Trade-Off to Protect Lake Kivu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjXkai6qCpvibkkr88-MsgThCHfloeE1DzYRSYHX5PxS-2Gb1qBXMLHQ63Wn5YSxr0t9xY3sMfCB4ouhddPaNc2BjXGxjSux54L_jZyoPLPdnRP1t7Fck01zM4WV-bJ8yOVOIT0LcwECb/s1600/kivu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjXkai6qCpvibkkr88-MsgThCHfloeE1DzYRSYHX5PxS-2Gb1qBXMLHQ63Wn5YSxr0t9xY3sMfCB4ouhddPaNc2BjXGxjSux54L_jZyoPLPdnRP1t7Fck01zM4WV-bJ8yOVOIT0LcwECb/s1600/kivu.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Kigali: Sylvestre Munyalibanje has been accustomed to farming in the Rwandan district of Rutsiro, on the shores of Lake Kivu. But now he's facing the end of an era.The 40-year-old father of six has had almost all his land expropriated
as part of a government initiative to clear the surrounds of the lake to
protect it from water-borne pollution. In all, 364 families comprising some 1,800 people who had previously
been living or farming on the banks of Kivu left the area earlier this
month. </div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
The lake is situated in the west of the country, on Rwanda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Each family has been offered a dairy cow to compensate them for the move. But while this may have gone part of the way to ease the difficulties of relocation, it hasn't allayed all concerns.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"I do not think that expropriation is aimed at protecting the marine ecosystem. I think that this constitutes another way of making us give up our land to wealthy people who want to conduct tourist activities on the shores of the lake," says Munyalibanje.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"We can be glad that each household has received the compensation of a dairy cow. But we do not have land where we can practice stock farming. The areas into which we have been relocated remain second-rate and (their status) uncertain."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Elias Nsanzuwera, a subsistence farmer of some 30 years, sees the relocation as a betrayal of tradition.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"We have always been the guardians of this land and we have an obligation to protect it for future generation," he says.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Some fear that the process of allocating plots of land for settlement is not be transparent.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There are also complaints that communities were not given enough time to prepare for the move, or alternatives for relocation. Government announced its intention to move people away from the lakeside two months ago.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But Christophe Bazivamo, minister of lands, the environment, forests, water and mines dismisses these allegations.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"This relocation was conducted with the support of the local authorities, and the population was sufficiently consulted for them to co-operate with this action," Bazivamo told journalists recently.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Speaking to IPS, he noted further: "We now have an extraordinary opportunity for everyone to sit at the same table and put in place a method of management where all stakeholders can have their needs met."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Bazivamo says the steps that are planned to stem pollution of the lake include separating waste water drains from storm water drains. There is also talk of a campaign to eliminate water hyacinths, which present a number of hazards - forming a mat on the surface of water that can make it unnavigable, and preventing sunlight from reaching other life forms in the water.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
According to Rose Mukankomeje, director of the Rwandan Office for Environmental Protection, the Kivu initiative is a decisive step towards Rwanda achieving the seventh United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) - which focuses on ensuring environmental sustainability.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The goal requires, in part, that national policies are oriented towards sustainable development, with loss of environmental resources being reversed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Eight MDGs were agreed on by global leaders at the Millennium Summit in 2000 in an attempt to raise living standards around the world. The deadline for the goals is 2015.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"This process of relocation should be completed in a period of six months," said Mukankomeje in June, when a national environmental week was launched in Rwanda.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
SOURCE: Inter Press Service (IPS)/ Aimable Twahirwa </div>
</div>
Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-1596809395394089012010-10-28T08:17:00.000+02:002012-04-23T17:31:08.870+02:00Is Africa ready for climate change mitigation? (Interview)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="createby">by Aimable Twahirwa in Denmark </span> <br />
<div class="buttonheading">
<a href="http://www.rnanews.com/component/mailto/?tmpl=component&link=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ybmFuZXdzLmNvbS9yZWdpb25hbC8yNTUzLWlzLWFmcmljYS1yZWFkeS1mb3ItY2xpbWF0ZS1jaGFuZ2UtbWl0aWdhdGlvbi1pbnRlcnZpZXc%3D" title="E-mail"><img alt="E-mail" src="http://www.rnanews.com/images/M_images/emailButton.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.rnanews.com/frontpage/14-regional/2553-is-africa-ready-for-climate-change-mitigation-interview?tmpl=component&print=1&page=" rel="nofollow" title="Print"><img alt="Print" src="http://www.rnanews.com/images/M_images/printButton.png" /></a> </div>
<div class="article-content">
Copenhagen: Rwanda along with other African countries is demanding rich nations to commit more than $40 billion a year for them to counter the consequences of global warming. However, researchers are expressing concerns on what major priorities would be considered for climate change adaptation and mitigation. <i><b>RNA </b></i>spoke to Mr. Alain Guinebault, Director of GERES, a French environmental and energy group which deals with researches to promote the use of renewable energy in rural areas for developing countries. Read interview below: <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>What are the current targets in research for developing countries?</b><br />
In fact GERES works in South of France in advising local communities on how to save and use energy, how to use renewable energies, [and] give technical information. But our main activities with developing countries is to work on the contribution of energy, how it can improve the livelihood of the poor people who have difficulty to access energy, and who pay for energy at the highest price… It is important to note that the poorer you are, the more expensive energy becomes…Take an example of a candle which gives light…If you consider the efficiency of the candle to the ordinary bulb which is working on electricity on the ground. The price of a candle is higher than the price of electricity delivered by generator or the battery, and so on. We are emphasizing on how poor communities in developing countries could address the issue of green gas houses emissions.<br />
<br />
<b>But there is another similar initiative by the World Bank dedicated to improving the livelihood of local communities through Carbon Market finance?<br /></b>Our project is mainly dedicated to promote the researches of using energy to save CO2 emissions. We have created funds where we can sell CO2 credits, and we inject this money in the projects in countries dedicated to the use of renewable energy resources. I agree that the World Bank and local community initiatives can theoretically be linked, but practically, it is far more difficult, because the World Bank gives loans to governments. This means that the local communities have to deal with the governments to access these funds, and it is quite difficult. <br />
<br />
<b>What are researchers doing to bridge this huge gap by providing efficient expertise to communities and other administrative leaders - considering the lack of adequate knowledge to face climate change adaptation and mitigation?</b><br />
As researchers, our role is to collaborate with local communities and assess their direct needs - which is quite a wide concept, because our targets groups can be local entrepreneurs, families… And these kinds of people don’t usually have access to public or any other international funding. In such a case we support them to access public funding eventually coming from World Bank or any other organization such as UNDP and so forth<br />
<br />
<b>How do you assess the impact of this new research funding approach in developing countries especially in Africa?</b><br />
For us it is important to monitor and evaluate what we are doing - because we are engaged in the long term in the developing countries [over 10 years]. Along these 10 years, we have had regular monitoring, and internal evaluation. What we get helps us to reorient the project. In some developing countries, we succeeded in disseminating 800,000 improved cooking stoves, based on the involvement of 30 local companies. This project has had huge impact.<br />
<br />
<b>But there has been some criticisms stating mismanagement of funds by governments which don’t afford the accountability system and the capacity to manage.</b><br />
First of all, we are an NGO and we are carrying out our own researches, and our financial capacity is limited. The idea is to initiate and to develop methodologies and best practices on development. Our dream is when it is possible to have relations with local governments - such that at a certain point the project could be transferred to the local governments. This is in fact a theory. In practice, it is a case by case because in some countries, it is very easy to work with the governments and there is a willingness of the ministries to work with NGOs. But on the other side, we observe the lack of cooperation with the governments <br />
<br />
<b>How would you appreciate the move by the World Bank to finance green gas houses initiatives in African countries such as Rwanda?<br /></b>In fact what we saw is that the World Bank is funding facilities of developing countries. They don’t seem to be appropriated by the Least Developing Countries. But in Africa, there is lack of human resources capacity - either in public or private sector. The NGOs actors are not trained, and this situation explains why there are a few projects which work with carbon finance.<br />
<br />
<b>Does this mean that the carbon initiative would not achieve its target then?</b><br />
I cannot say that, but what we saw in the field is that there are few projects in Africa. And one of our emphasis in the coming future is to assess how to transfer this alternative energy technology in Africa by creating an alliance with NGOs and by promoting the social development funds initiative dedicated mainly to Carbon market finance. (END)</div>
</div>Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-51525750240489385552010-10-28T08:15:00.000+02:002012-04-23T17:31:22.611+02:00HIV response can help tackle climate change - expert<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
By Aimable Twahirwa<br />
Kigali: HIV-AIDS and Climate change are said to remain the major causes of major causes of poverty, illness and death among the 9.7 million Rwandans and millions of Africans as a result of inappropriate way of mass mobilization for behavior change. Grace Davies, an expert with Africa Talks Climate in the BBC World Service Trust tells <i><b>RNA </b></i>how locally available methods used in battling HIV-Aids could be used to tackle climate change.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b> Given a chance to access locally appropriate information, can the communities come up with better solutions to adapting to climate change? </b><br />
Absolutely, in Rwanda as well as the whole Africa, before tackling Climate change, it is important to see that from the experience, the HIV/AIDS epidemic may provide some useful lessons. Its effects were most acute in Africa, but the language and communication methods were generated by experts from outside of the continent. For many years, much of the early debates around HIV/AIDS were conducted in terms that were technical in<br />
nature and often untranslatable into terms or languages that were capable of resonating with those most affected. But, the real sea change in Africa’s response to HIV/AIDS came when those most affected by the virus exposed the true reality of the impact – social<br />
and economic as well as medical – on their lives, and demanded access to treatment and resources.<br />
<br />
<b>From you perspective, are climate change and HIV/ AIDS two disparate subjects?</b><br />
The main issue to highlight is that with HIV/HIDS, it was the increasingly vocal, sophisticated and organized response from African civil society that transformed international public and policy responses to the pandemic. Rwandan as well as other African citizens became the agents of change, not the subjects. The same may well prove true of climate change<br />
<br />
<b>How do assess the lack of true conceptualization of weather patterns could affect poor population?</b><br />
Although most of poor communities are aware that weather patterns are changing, understanding of global climate change is still limited. The central finding, that communication and information provision will be central to Africa's response to climate change is supported by opinion leaders - who agree that the general public needs more information. A fuller understanding of climate change, causes and effects will enable people to make effective long-term adaptation choices to cope with climate change, along with behavior change that mitigates the adverse effects of climate change. This could manifest itself in a variety of ways of course dependent upon the context. Without accurate, appropriate information, it is far more difficult to make effective choices about how to cope.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>There is different actors’ involvement in this campaign. But who is to blame first for being responsible of this situation?</b><br />
We don't seek to place blame with this research. but rather are identifying the fact that until now communication about climate change in general, and most specifically to and with those who are being (and will continue to be) most affected has been very poor.<br />
<br />
<b>So what need to be done for behavior change vis-a-vis the negative impacts of climate change on poor communities in Rwanda?</b><br />
There is a need for targeted, locally appropriate information about climate change and how to adapt to it to reach those most in need. There is also a need for the creation of spaces for dialogue, debate and discussion around the issues that strengthens understanding at all levels of society and helps to inform policy at local and national level. Grassroots action and discussion and locally focused campaigns addressed HIV and AIDS and communicated messages on appropriate action have shown real behavior change. The context in which the spreading of messages about HIV /AIDS is done should be the same thing when tackling climate change issue. (END)</div>Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514524760906959687.post-57425310444260151352010-10-28T08:13:00.001+02:002012-04-23T17:32:22.909+02:00RWANDA: Improving the Lives of Small-Scale Farmers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
By Aimable Twahirwa<br />
<br />
KIGALI, Aug 16, 2010 (IPS) – Joelle Nsamira Kajuga, a female agricultural researcher has a ready answer to describe which modified crop will produce a higher yield, which will be resistant to bacteria, and which will ensure food security and generate a higher turnover for poor small-scale farmers in different regions in Rwanda.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Kajuga’s extensive knowledge of crops comes after a year of researching various modified seed. And now she hopes to implement her scientific findings to improve the lives of rural small-scale farmers in her country. <br />
In the tiny central African nation 60 percent of its population live below the poverty line and 90 percent of the land is mostly comprised of small holdings. But agriculture is Rwanda’s economic mainstay, contributing 40 percent of the country’s 3.4 billion dollar gross domestic product. <br />
At the Rwanda Institute of Agriculture Research, Kajuga leads a team of researchers studying modified and improved seed to assess how small-scale farmers in the remote rural areas of Rwanda could adopt this seed, along with new agriculture practices, to increase their productivity. <br />
Kajuga’s team is also developing new methods and practices to tackle diseases in crops. This includes investigating the effects of virulence factors on modified seed, specifically tree tomatoes and cassavas – crops which Kajuga believes can be used to eradicate malnutrition and generate income for rural communities. <br />
Kajuga says that farmers in rural areas are barely able to meet their daily food needs and generate income, despite producing crops. She says this is because Rwanda’s small-scale farmers have relied on traditional seed varieties that mature after a long period and produce less output for every acre of planted crop. <br />
In a country which is confronted with the increasing problem of limited land, Rwanda is 26,338 square-kilometres but has over 10 million people, ways to effectively farm what land is available is important. <br />
"Rural communities have been growing a number of crops, but the yield has often been disappointingly low, making it much more difficult for small-scale farmers to cope," she told IPS.<br />
<br />
In Rutsiro district in west Rwanda, Kaguja and her team conducted field tests replacing the planting of tree tomatoes with modified sweets potatoes. They concluded that small-scale farmers have the capacity to triple their production if the right kind of farming skills and seeds were applied.<br />
<br />
"(There are) no figures yet which show the extent these new modified crops could resolve the problem of hunger and malnutrition but the (research) has shown that implementation and success of the research will rely on the mindset of rural communities in these regions," she said.<br />
<br />
Kajuga emphasises that Rwandan farmers need to be trained and educated about the advantages of using improved seed.<br />
<br />
"In order to change the image of small-scale farming in Rwanda (we need to) focus on training programmes on how to maintain the seedlings and disease management," she told IPS.<br />
<br />
According to Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture, in rural areas unemployment has affected more women than men – especially those involved in the farming. The Rwandan government has adopted a number of policies dedicated to promote new farming technologies in rural areas.<br />
<br />
Mary Mukamabano, a 42-year-old mother of seven and cassava grower from Rutsiro district, believes small-scale farmers need to be educated on changing agriculture practices. She said this is because currently most of the land farmed by small-scale farmers in rural areas has proved insufficient to feed their families. <br />
"It’s a challenge if someone is exploiting a plot of land that will never feed his family and generate at any income," she told IPS. <br />
Mukamabano said the hardest part of being a small-scale farmer is the "randomness" of her days and she would prefer to find a job other than farming. "What is most needed is to help us get other jobs instead of farming," she said.<br />
<br />
But Gloriose Nyiramatama, a maize and groundnut farmer in the southern Huye district does not want to change her profession. Instead she changed her crop.<br />
<br />
"If we (really want) to move ahead with alternate farming ideas, we need research practices to enrich locals and also (need to be educated on) good agricultural practices," said Nyiramatama.<br />
<br />
Nyiramatama was able to effectively use research to increase her crop production. The mother of five stopped growing sweet potatoes and substituted it with groundnuts. She said that since changing her crop, she has generated a slightly higher income than she did when farming sweet potatoes and that "production is growing". </div>Aimable TWAHIRWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216052335334463092noreply@blogger.com0