The LWH project will use a watershed approach to introduce sustainable land husbandry measures for hillside agriculture on selected sites and will develop hillside irrigation for sub-sections of each site. The project involves infrastructural development, closely linked to the mobilization and sensitization of farmers for intensification and use of good practice in land husbandry technologies.

Other than the implementation component, which will ensure that project activities are effectively managed within the new Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) structure for implementation of programs and projects at the ministry of agriculture, the operation has two other components: developing (i) the human and organizational capacity, and (ii) the required physical infrastructure for hillside intensification and transformation.

(i) Capacity Development and Institutional Strengthening for Hillside Intensification. This component will develop the capacity of individuals and institutions for improved hillside land husbandry, stronger agricultural value chains, and expanded access to finance.

The component covers capacity development and institutional strengthening for both production and marketing, including the access to finance issues that can constrain both. It will also strengthen farmer organizations; support extension systems to develop the essential training of beneficiary farmers on the benefits of sustainable land husbandry and on the practical skills and technologies required for irrigated and non-irrigated hillside intensification. The component will provide to the beneficiaries the required training on good agricultural practices (GAP) as well as organic production and market linkages for high value horticultural crops.

(ii) Infrastructure for Hillside Intensification. Through the development of land husbandry systems, water harvesting and hillside irrigation infrastructures and water conveyance mechanisms, this component will enhance participatory and comprehensive land husbandry practices throughout the sub-watershed to improve soil productivity for rainfed and irrigated areas, reduce erosion, and improve soil health for degraded lands. The construction of valley dams and reservoirs and development of water conveyance structures for hillside irrigation will enable farmers, through their water users associations (WUAs), to irrigate their crops whenever necessary.

With the exception of a few very large sub-watersheds, the average size for potential Land husbandry, Water harvesting and Hillside irrigation Project sites identified in the government program so far is about 400 ha, although sites can range from 280 ha to 1700 ha depending on the catchment potential. The project will develop at least five sites across Rwanda, and will receive additional financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through trust funds to develop additional sites.

“LHW project is very innovative; for instance, it will use rain water harvested and stored in dams constructed on the hillsides for use during dry seasons to maintain adequate production levels throughout the year, it will also combine both open canals and closed plastic (PVC) Pipe canals in order to address the undulating hilly topography challenges,” said Valens Mwumvaneza, World Bank Agricultural and Rural Development Specialist and project team member. “Most importantly, the project will empower the smallest farmers to harness best practices for sustainable agricultural production, environmental protection, as well as post-harvest handling and marketing.”

At the end of the project, it is expected, among other things, that crop yields and farm incomes will have increased considerably for more than 5,000 households—many of them female-headed, of which 70% (3,500 households) are earning less than $0.50 a day.#