CIALCA – boosting livelihoods in Rwanda
Last week, Rwanda’s leading English daily—the NewTimes cited IITA’s progressive research on banana as a factor helping households and farmers to meet up with their financial and nutritional needs.
Rusanganwa in his banana farm in Rukara Sector, Kayonza District. / Jean d’Amour Mbonyinshuti.
It featured the stories of how the IITA-led Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA) project had transformed the lives of Eugene Rusanganwa—a traditional farmer who was associated with poor farming practices resulting in low yields and Alice Kabanyana, a poor mother of three children.
Before the project’s intervention, these farmers said they could not provide basic amenities for their households but thanks to the project, Rusanganwa is now able to afford a health insurance scheme, educate his children as well as provide for his family. Kabanyana’s family now also lives well with an assured bounteous banana yield from her small farm.
CIALCA is also helping the entire Rukara Sector in Kayonza District in Rwanda and indeed central Africa to overcome the challenges posed by diseases and drought as well as promoting supporting activities such as training on how to improve nutrition and health.
Read the full story on “How improved banana growing has boosted livelihood in Kayonza”.
