Located in a poorly irrigated, semi-arid Nyagatara region in the eastern part of Rwanda which receives 800mm annual rainfall, Gabiro Agribusiness Hub was designed to harness water from the Akagera River to help boost food production in the region and the country.
Occupying irrigable area of about 16,000ha, the hub in its Phase 1 covering 5,600ha focused on the use innovative irrigation techniques among other modern agricultural technologies to create employment opportunities through farm productions and increase food security.
And now, Netafim Africa, the pioneers of Israeli drip-irrigation technology in collaboration with the government of Rwanda which availed $50 million worth of funding has brought in precision irrigation technology into the site.
The technology includes a purpose-built water reservoir and an energy network which is proving to be a game changer in the hub by utilising data and technological inputs to optimize use of acreage for crop yields to fight food insecurity.
“We are very proud to bring to Gabiro advanced water infrastructures, cutting-edge irrigation systems, high-value agro-processing operations and other agricultural innovations,” read a statement by Netafim in part.
On his part, Dr. Solange Uwituze, the Director General at the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) said the hub will de-risk the agricultural sector through the infrastructure development, diversification and value addition to increase market opportunities for local producers.
“Currently we have 30 per cent of the 5,600ha allocated to local communities while the remaining part for commercial producers who will no longer depend on rainfall thanks to the irrigation infrastructure that will enable them to run their farm activities throughout the year,” said Uwituze.
In this, expressed Uwituze, farmers will grow enough quality produce to enable them meet consumers’ demand going into the future.
Michael Bruderli, Netafim Gabiro Project Manager in a recent interview said that their engagement in the Gabiro Agribusiness Hub is aligned to their commitment in tackling food insecurity caused by water and land scarcity by deploying precision irrigation.
“We came up with this design to help us and our partners remove possible bottlenecks in farm productions and ultimately combat the challenges brought about by climate change,” said Bruderli.
Generally, Netafim Africa works hand in hand with governments, the private sector, international institutions and NGOs to revolutionize agriculture, nutrition and food supply in Africa.
According to Bruderli, precision irrigation can help farmers save up to 50 per cent in water for farm production and enable the produce quality yields that are tradable in local and global markets.
“Due to the hilly terrain and limited water resources in the Nyagatara region, we decided to deploy our drip-irrigation systems, which are expected to increase land utilization to a record 93 per cent while decreasing 40 per cent water use.”
Gabiro Agribusiness Hub project will support the production of staple crops for local consumption, export and agricultural value-added products like pastes, powders, oils and beverages intended primarily for export.
