In Rwanda with One Acre Fund
This week, MasterCard Foundation Board members, Dr. Jendayi Frazer and Don Morrison, as well as Christina Levine, Jason Reindorp and I are in Rwanda to visit Foundation partners and learn how our programs are changing lives. We are meeting with farmers, young people, students, and government ministers to hear their views and their stories.
Today in Rubengera, we visited farmers who receive services — such as financial services, training, and access to improved seeds and tools — from One Acre Fund. It’s harvest season in this hillside community, and we joined a meeting of men and women (and several infants) to watch a demonstration from a One Acre Fund field officer. The officer showed us how farmers can safely store beans or maize in a special plastic bag that protects harvests from pests for up to two years. While seemingly simple, pest control can mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful harvest.
Several people told us that their yields have increased after adopting methods demonstrated by One Acre Fund, their incomes have increased, creating significant change in their lives. One farmer bought a solar lamp for his home, now his children are able to study at night. Another spoke of new knowledge she has acquired from the training. She now sets aside a portion of the harvest for her family and sells the rest. Yet another woman expressed her appreciation for the field officers from One Acre Fund who follow-up to ensure they are doing well. A young man showed us a new house he is building with the proceeds of several harvests.
We also visited a woman by the name of Specious in her home — a modest clay structure on a small parcel of land that was provided by the government along with a cow. She plants maize and sorghum and has bought a small plot nearby which has expanded her ability to educate her children and help her neighbours. Her plan is to acquire more land as her business continues to improve.
After visiting One Acre Fund’s warehouse in the district, the scale of their operation became evident. The facility was stacked with thousands of bags of seeds and fertilizer. One Acre delivers these precious inputs to more than 100,000 farmers across the country. It is a logistical feat to ensure that each farmer receives what he or she requested in a timely manner.
As we left, I thought about how lives are changing for the better in Rubengera. In Rwanda, One Acre Fund goes by the name Tubura, which means ‘to multiply greatly’. A perfect expression for positive change.
