http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership This presentation was made during the regional conference on the Eastern and Southern Africa Soil Partnership which took place in Nairobi, Kenya 25-27 March 2013. This presentation was made by Dr. N. L. Nabahungu and it presents Rwandan soil health status for sustainable food security and economic growth. ©FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. Rwandan Soil Health status forRwandan Soil Health status for
Sustainable Food Security and
Economic GrowthEconomic Growth
Dr N.L Nabahungu, Senior Scientist, RAB‐Rwanda
Minagri
Dr N.L Nabahungu, Senior Scientist, RAB Rwanda
Nairobi March, 2013

2. Outline
• Agriculture Sector strategic orientation
• Land degradation and poverty• Land degradation and poverty
• Soil related constraints to Food production and Agriculture
developmentdevelopment
• Soil Fertility Problems
• Existing Policies on improved soil managementExisting Policies on improved soil management
• Issues and opportunities related to ISFM
• Soil erosionSoil erosion
• Issues and opportunities to Soil conservation management
• Issues related to Approaches for Research 4 DevelopmentIssues related to Approaches for Research 4 Development
2
end

3. Agriculture Sector strategic orientation
1. Diversification and intensification of plant, animal and fish
production
2. Diversification of income and employment sources for rural
populations
3 Linking products to national regional and International3. Linking products to national, regional and International
markets
4. Sustainable of NRM, particularly soil and water
5. Organization, mobilization and capacity‐building for producers
6. Capacity‐building for service providers and private‐sector
developmentdevelopment
7. Creating an enabling environment for investment in
agriculture
8. Promoting gender and youth approach in agriculture sector 3

4. Shifting Towards Private Sector Led Agriculture Growth and Vision 2020
Go back to outline
The Private Sector plays a greater role in fuelling agriculture growth.
FROM... ...TO... 2020 TARGETS
Guaranteeing
Food Security
th h E i
$1200 GDP per capita
Public Private
g
Food Availability
through Economic
Growth
Average annual sector
growth of 8.5% between
2012‐2017
Investment... Investment...
Farmers as Passive
Recipients
Farmers as Active
k l
Production of 2,500
kcal/person/day
3.2 million off‐farm jobs
Recipients Market Players
Government as
direct provider
Government as
5% of households with
Borderline Poor Food
Consumption Score
direct provider facilitator (Food Security Indicator)

5. Land degradation and poverty
Rwanda, Land and demographic aspects
• Predominantly Agriculture country (>80%)
• Population density Highest in Africa
• Agriculture activities into fragile land (e.g. steep slopes up to
80% and wetlands)
• High soil erosion (2.6 tones/ha/year to 21.5 tons/ha)
• Poor soil and water conservation structures
• ½ of farmlands suffers from moderate to severe soil erosion
• Total annual losses due to erosion estimated 945,200t OM;Total annual losses due to erosion estimated 945,200t OM;
41,210t N; 280t P; 3,055t K

6. landscape near Kigali
view on cropped
hillsides near Kigali
rice production near
Kigali

7. Soil related constraints to Food production and
Agriculture development (FAO, Bulletin 70)
• N deficiency causes (erosion, mining, quick
l d )mineralization poor amendment).
• Ferralitic soils are generally very desaturated, acidic,
d f d d bdeficient in P and N. and poor in bases.
• Hillside soils, Ferralitic soils retain little water or
( ( ) )nutrients (1 to 5 cmol(+) of fine soil),
• Erosion problem as soil physical problem which reduce
the soil depth

8. Soil Fertility Problems
• Very Acidic soils occupy > 50%
• High depletion of nitrogen (N), P, K, Ca and Mg;
• High P adsorption (1,500 to 3,000 mg kg‐1)g p ( , , g g )
• Low permanent charge (‐0.5 to ‐2.45 cmol (+) kg‐1) and Al
toxicitytoxicity
• High soil heterogeneity

9. Land characteristics: landscape & physical soil properties
N
20 0 20 40 Kilometers LEGEND
islands
lakes
marshes
ATION
soil association
islands
SSIFICATYCLASABILIT
A C63.
B A1 2
DCAPA
dominant: I.A3
LAN
secundary: G.K5.z
tertiary: I.C4.gr
association

10. Soil acidity status (% soil map area)
Neutral (pH 6.6‐7.3) 12%
Slight acid (pH 6.1‐6.5) 1%
Moderate acid (pH 5.6‐6.0) 11%
Strong acid (pH 5.1‐5.5) 26%
Very strong acid (pH 4.5‐5.0) 35%
Extreme acid (pH 3.5‐4.4) 15%

12. Existing Policies on improved soil management
• Privatizing and liberalizing the Market
• Land consolidation and Crop intensification
programme
• Bench terraces
• One cow per poor familyOne cow per poor family
• Regionalisation of agriculture
A i lt i t d t th k t• Agriculture oriented to the market
• Performance contract of the political leaders

13. Status of Land use consolidation & fertilizer use
Land use consolidation in Fertilizer use
705 970
ha progress and
projection kg/ha
254,000
503,000
705,970
27 29
45
2010 2006 2011
6
27 29
2010 A
2011A
2012 A
2006 2011 2012 2017
13

14. Issues and opportunities related to ISFM
Issues Technology Target area Current
adoption
Constraints
Need for Increasing major Location specific All cropping system Land Financial
elements in soil following soil
fertility status
fertilizer
recommendation
consolidated
areas
capacity
Low responses
Research need
Soil acidity management Use of local limestone Acidic areas (High
land)
Southern
Region
Bulky (high
transport costs)
Increase biological fixation N fixation of common Banana based Beans and ExRhxGeIncrease biological fixation
and recycling of element
N fixation of common
legumes (Soyabeans,
Beans) Mycorhize
Banana
Banana based
farming systems
Beans and
Banana
cultivated
everywhere
ExRhxGe
interaction
knoweledge, low
P in soils
Need of soil organic carbon
amendment
Composting
(Vermicompost, Bacteria
and Mycorrhizia)
All cropping system FYM widely
adopted
Quantity and
Quality
and Mycorrhizia)
Increase Nutrient Agriculture
Efficiency
Minor and oligo‐
elements, microdosing
All cropping system Oligo and
micro dosing
not used
Research gap

15. Soil erosion in Rwanda
350000
400000
450000
500000
• More than 1,124,328 ha
require progressive terraces
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
Area in ha
• More than 245,163 ha
require Bench terraces
• In experimental non
0
50000
0‐6% 6‐13% 13‐25% >55% 25‐40% 40‐55%
Progressive terraces Bench terraces
In experimental non
protected soil more than
300 tones/ha have been
b d i t l l t
Coverage of slope classes in crop land and strategies for soil conservation
observed in central plateau
(southern province)
I th t l l t (1500 t 2000 ltit d ) ith 1200 d 1500 f iIn the central plateau (1500 to 2000 m altitude) with 1200 and 1500 mm of rain.
Rainfall erosivity is significant (250 to 500 RUSA units)
Dry mechanical erosion deep‐ploughing the land twice and hoeing twice in each y p p g g g
cropping season causes 30 to 60 tonnes of soil‐> conservation agriculture can
make impact if adopted

16. Slope classes map for Rwanda (30m grid)

17. Soil conservation baseline (2012)
• Soil erosion
structure can be 70
80
found in 73% of
crop land
• Soil effectively
60
nsterosion
Soil effectively
conserved are
estimated to 53%
• Part of progressive
50
yprotectedagain
Part of progressive
are located in area
where it is better to
put bench terraces 30
40
flandeffectively
put bench terraces
• Only 19% of bench
terraces needed
are satisfied
30
20
%of
are satisfied
WESTSOUTHNORTHKIGALI CITYEAST

18. Issues related to Integrated Soil conservation management
Issues Technology Target area Current adoption Constraints
Stop erosion in
hillside and create
Bench terraces Area with slope
between 25‐40%
Mainly driven by
public investment;
Few investment in
social capital for
multiple benefits slope and where long
demonstration
have been
consistently done
establishment and
maintenance
consistently done
Stop erosion in
gentle slopes and
where bench
Trenches,
bunding with
hedge rows
Areas where
bench terraces
are not
The adoption is
high but the
compliance to
Not clear trees nursery,
fodder seed support
(compare to crop seedwhere bench
terraces are not
possible and create
multiple benefits
hedge rows are not
recommended
and where
erosion occurs
compliance to
technical
recommendation
fluctuate highly
(compare to crop seed
system for example)
p g y
Reduce tillage for
soil moisture and
soil fertility
Conservation
agriculture
Crop
intensification
areas
Still low due to
recent
introduction
Need to demonstrated
for different crops, crop
intensification y
strategies including
livestock integrated
farming

19. Issues related to Approaches for Extension and Research for
Development
Issues Approaches Pilot phases lessons learned Issues related to up
scaling
Downstream/upstrea Integrated Needs 5 years demonstration to Key public investment
m relation/nature of
soil and water prob.
watershed
management (IWM)
create a faster spill over are needed as entry
point
Thematic issues
related to soil fertility
Farm Field school
(FFS)
Understand the extension challenges
is not obvious and stick to the
Alternative funding
mechanism to sustainrelated to soil fertility (FFS) is not obvious and stick to the
capacity building protocol of Farmer
Field school empowerment early
adopters
mechanism to sustain
to existing results so
far
Linkage with market
oriented approach is
needed such as IPs
Link Natural resource
management (NRM)
Innovation platforms
(IP) in areas where
SWOT analysis to be conducted to
link to right crops to soil conservation
IPs can facilitated ,
and create amanagement (NRM)
and market
(IP) in areas where
erosion is ranked as
the first problem
link to right crops to soil conservation
(eg: Potatoes can motivate farmers to
adopt SEC); The crop and the market
side are the strongest part
and create a
conducive
environment for FFS
and IWM
Capitalize social
network for NRM
Local to National
Landcare
Needs for a seed funds to share with
donors and policy makers how its
create sustainable social
infrastructure for NRM

20. THANK YOU, ASANTI