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| Vines of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes in Muhanga District |
Drocella Yankurije ,
a farmer of rare sweet potato crops known as Orange Fleshed Sweet
Potatoes growing them for ten years that has been a successful journey
for her since 2011.
Yankurije , who lives in the outskirt of Muhanga
Town then Gitarama in Vunga Village, Mbare Cell, Shyogwe Sector in Muhanga
District situated in the southern province of the country, when
narrating her journey of expertise can’t hold herself with endless smiles on
her face.
During an interview
recently, Yankulije highlighted the benefits of her move that was driven by
training facilities she received from Centre for International Potato (CIP )and
Rwanda Agriculture Board ( RAB ) during her starting period.
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| Yankulije grow Banana plantation/ Photo Pascal Niyibikora |
“I am a farmer of different crops and varieties depending on the production I get but much emphasis has been put in cultivating Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes, colored in carrots inside.” She noted
She added that “I received
supportive directives from different training in my early days that
help my farming for specific purposes”
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| Vines of Orange -Fleshed sweet Potatoes /Photo Pascal Niyibikora |
The farmer says her inputs require so
much efforts and sacrifices as she cultivates for two purposes. She may farm
for the sake of getting vines for selling to citizens to grow their own
potatoes or grow them on her own and sell them at the end of three months on
the good price.
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| Yankulije explaining to youths how he grows vines herself in nursery at her home/ Photo Pascal Niyibikora |
“I sell vines cutting them
five times at least for one season, and they are much admired but my neighbors” she
said. Adding that “I also take my harvested production to the
local market near here and got three thousands per basket. Also bread producers
give us two hundred francs per kilogram as a negotiable price, due to their
sweetness, citizens enjoy having them on their daily meal.”
This farming require more
engagement putting more energy, fertilizers and other cultivating practices for
a better harvest season, however bad weather and climate change didn’t go on
her side as floods swept away her one and half hectare farm in the
wetlands.
She said “I cultivated this
farm and compared to my neighbors I was the one who had the vast space, floods
took away all our crops and we are likely to face a serious deficit due to
these disasters. We have been invested more as this farming require more
investment like fertilizers, capital as well as wages of workers. My loss
varies between one million and two million Rwandan Francs as we didn’t have
insurance.”
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| In her farm located near the wetland with YPARD and Alliance For Science Rwanda members |
Yankulije and fellow farmers, who lost their harvest due to
disastrous flooding in their wetland, received nothing as compensation other
than words of consolation from local authorities. They suggest to never going
bare handed due to such calamity consequences in near future without getting
any compensation either from authorities or insurance agencies.
“After
facing these disasters, I tried to contact our cell, sector and RAB
authorities, trying to ask them; Look!, we, farmers we cultivate with so much investment
including money, on the vast area, cant you
please offer some insurance in case you face such unplanned disasters
and get compensation to rerun your farming ? “She yelled
angrily.
She added, “I wanted to
know if they have any plan of offering such services so that next time we dint
repeat the same messy situation but they answered me they are still thinking of
it and negotiating with relevant officials and we are waiting the final answer.”
With her enormous experience in farming, Yankulije urges
authorities to accompany young people in farming by first giving them courses
and field visits to taste the deal.
She was addressing members of Young Professionals for Agriculture Development (YPARD) Rwanda chapter along with members of Alliance For Science Rwanda on the occasion of their farm field visit.
She was addressing members of Young Professionals for Agriculture Development (YPARD) Rwanda chapter along with members of Alliance For Science Rwanda on the occasion of their farm field visit.
The
visit purposely aimed at helping young professionals to shape the future
of agriculture through sharing hands on experience and best practices around
the topics of plant health , crop diseases resistance , integrated pest
management and crop breeding.
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