LAND CONSOLIDATION SYSTEM IN RWANDA
by TUYISHIME Emmanuel
PHOTO Captured in KABUYE MARSHLAND BY Emmanuel
Food crop production in Rwanda is predominantly depend on the productivity in small– and fragmented farms. Raising productivity levels in smallholder farms therefore represents a vital means to economic growth and poverty reduction in Rwanda. The government of Rwanda is constantly seeking ways and policies to intensify production and raise farmers' income on existing land.
Heavy investments are being made to revamp marshland, improve irrigation systems, facilitate inputs and mechanization to diversity and enhance the level of productivity in small farms.
Since the scope of physical expansion of cultivable land area are limited, proper utilization of land is paramount to food security for the rapidly growing population. To help manage the farm lands with an object of supporting economic development and social welfare, Rwanda’s organic land law endorses the consolidation of the use of small plots of farm lands in order to improve land management and agriculture productivity.
Ministry of agriculture (MINAGRI) has embarked on a simplified land use consolidation model whereby farmers in a given area grow the priority food crops (maize, rice, wheat, Irish potato, cassava, soybean and beans) in a synchronized fashion while keeping their land right intact.
PHOTO Captured in KABUYE MARSHLAND BY Emmanuel
Although consolidation is voluntary, it is a pre requisite for availing the benefits such as subsidized input under crop intensification program (CIP), a revolutionary flagship program promoting food production.
This report evaluates the progress, implementation and impacts of land use consolidation on food crop production, and draws insights on matching the strengths with opportunities and converting weakness to strengths.
Although initially faced with hesitation, farmers across the country have started recognizing the benefits of land use consolidation. Under the land use consolidation farming model, growing resources intensive priority crops as rice, maize and wheat are more readily accepted by the farmers than the other crops. The acceptance of land consolidation is generally more widespread in Eastern and Northern provinces than in the Southern and Western provinces.
Since its introduction in 2008, the total area under land consolidation has increased by 18– fold from 28,016 Ha in 2008 to 502,916.55 Ha in 2011. the consolidated production of priority crops under CIP has also brought significant increases in food production, interestingly, the productivity in consolidated land areas has consistently been higher for maize and wheat. This has caused a paradigm shift enough to producing surplus thus placing the country's vision for market oriented agriculture on track.
Land use consolidation is a multi-sector process. Although the technical plan for land use is drawn by MINAGRI, it is implemented in conjunction with local administration authorities. Based on the agro ecological potential and the land area available in each district, the CIP estimates the consolidated area that can be grown with priority crops in each district. Through negotiation with district authorities, target figures are agreed and captured in the performance.
