East Africa
RNRRS legacy
Research reports for Rwanda
RNRRS legacy
Research reports for Rwanda
- The donkey radio shows: helping producers care for draught animals
In Kenya, weekly radio programmes have helped listeners to keep their precious donkeys healthy. Donkeys are a useful source of draught power, and poor families need to learn how to ensure that they stay healthy and have long working lives. Broadcasting to isolated rural communities also gave listeners the opportunity to ask specific questions about their own animals. And, recording the shows on CD-ROM provided a useful set of information that is being used around the world. The project outputs are already benefiting users in Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya. And to ensure that this very useful exercise can be reproduced in other countries, the project has produced a booklet explaining how to set up a radio show that will improve animal welfare. (Ref: LPP11) - Basket of remedies revives ailing Ugandan banana industry
In Uganda, worn-out soils, pests, diseases and social problems mean trouble for the banana industry. A basket of remedies is helping the industry get back on its feet - new varieties, manuring and mulching, biological controls for pests, and disease-free planting material. New varieties of banana are already being sold in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. Several agencies distribute clean plantlets produced by tissue culture to farmers in these countries, and in Burundi and D.R. Congo as well. Plus, in Uganda, a local laboratory has been set up that could produce 10 million plantlets a year. Consumers like the new varieties. Prices are rising and farmers are expanding their plantings to meet demand. So, Uganda has a great opportunity to supply bananas to urban and regional markets. (Ref: CPP54) - Don't let the rain run off
New approaches to rainwater harvesting (RWH) are improving life in Tanzania's semi-arid areas. Previously, lack of awareness by planners and farmers meant RWH was not used much. A holistic system integrates interventions ranging from in situ RWH (soil and water conservation), to supplementary irrigation using water harvested from macro-catchments. The basic principle is to start by preventing runoff and promoting infiltration of the rain falling directly on the field. Another approach combines RWH with road and railway drainage infrastructure to contain flash floods while at the same time increasing water availability for agriculture and livestock. In Tanzania, use is widespread in the districts originally targeted by the project and spreading. In Rwanda, projects have been launched in several areas. (Ref: NRSP12) - More shrubs mean more milk in East Africa
Two million small farmers in East Africa could increase milk production simply by planting fodder shrubs - as an extra high-protein feed for cows and goats. The shrubs don't take up valuable land. They can be planted alongside paths, on field boundaries and banks. Plus, not a lot of labour is involved. About 48,000 farmers in Kenya, 33,000 in Uganda, 11,000 in Rwanda and 8,000 in northern Tanzania now grow fodder shrubs because they quickly reap substantial benefits. Farmers consistently report an increase of around 1-2 litres of milk per animal per day. So, the market for seeds of fodder shrubs is thriving. Over 40 dealers now market seed and seedlings across Kenya. (Ref: FRP43) - Community breeding to improve poor farmers' flocks
Creating local associations and community-based buck stations allows local farmers to undertake breeding programmes designed to improve their goat flocks. Small-scale resource-poor livestock keepers usually can't access government services for breed improvement, and this limits their ability to improve the productivity of their animals. In Kenya, however, new schemes have overcome this by providing poor livestock keepers with training, and by setting up community-based buck stations and supporting the establishment of local community breeding associations. The model has proved popular and is now being used in a range of countries. Examples include Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya. (Ref: LPP19) - Insect visitors are made to feel unwelcome in banana crops
Farmers are controlling a major banana disease, Xanthomonas wilt, by preventing the entry of insects that carry a bacterium (Xcm) that causes the disease. Removing male buds from the plants is one solution. Another is the destruction of infected plants to keep them from continuing to attract insects. Finally, by opting for banana varieties in which the male flower cushions have a natural protective covering farmers make their crops inaccessible to the insect vectors. These findings were made possible thanks to the identification of an improved medium for isolating Xcm from insects, soil and plants. The new control techniques are being promoted in Kenya, DR Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda using participatory methods. (Ref: CPP18) - New sweet potato technologies make more the merrier
A programme designed to help farmers make the most of surplus production has identified 20 local and 300 potential global markets for fresh sweet potato grown in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. More than 2000 farmers were able to access new markets and cut their on-farm post-harvest losses by 20-30%. Previously, these farmers were unable to appreciate the benefits of new, high-yielding varieties that produce three times as much as the former ones. The programme promoted a range of orange-fleshed sweet potato-based products. At the industrial scale, at least three private firms now absorb over 80 MT of dried sweet potato chips per month. (Ref: CPH44) - Sweet potato boosts health and incomes
Simple techniques for improved sweet potato transport, curing, packaging and storage can help farmers, market traders and consumers to cut their post-harvest losses. This crop's hardiness and, more recently, its promise for combating vitamin A deficiency have rightfully gained it a reputation as a lifesaver. Yet problems after the harvest limit its contribution to incomes, food security and health. These technologies, which have enormous potential for saving lives and improving livelihoods, have been tested in Tanzania with good results and are now ready for wide dissemination. Consumers also have shown their approval of new vitamin A-rich orange fleshed varieties, which are being promoted in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Zambia. (Ref: CPH40) - Winning the battle against cassava mosaic disease
Millions of farmers in Uganda and Tanzania are fighting the cassava mosaic disease (CMD) pandemic using new, resistant cassava varieties and other control methods. Government organisations and NGOs are multiplying and distributing these CMD-resistant varieties on a huge scale. And, new options, such as selecting clean planting material and identifying varieties resistant to the whiteflies that spread the disease, are also proving useful. Leaflets and a guide that describe CMD control strategies, developed by Ugandan and Tanzanian partners and validated by farmers, are available in different languages including English, Swahili and Luganda. The solid, scientific knowledge gained about control strategies and how they work will be invaluable to other countries threatened by CMD, such as Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Gabon and Nigeria. (Ref: CPP24) - Maize for food and forage in East Africa
Now, there's a basket of proven ways for farmers to meet both food and forage needs. Farmers in densely populated regions of Kenya need dual-purpose maize. They want maize that is good to eat but that also has lots of stem and leaf for animal feed. Previously, the focus was on raising grain yields in maize. Pests and diseases that affected maize foliage, and thus animal feed, were ignored. Small farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Ethiopia now use new techniques that work best for them. Some opt for maize varieties that are resistant to maize streak virus or stem borers. Others grow a fodder legume that repels stem borers. These and other techniques mean more and better animal feed in the dry season. (Ref: CPP51) - Why are research results not reaching farmers' fields?
A compilation of the constraints limiting uptake and scaling-up of natural resources research results in Eastern Africa is helping policy makers get a better idea of these barriers. Awareness-raising products are explaining to researchers their role in the process. Training materials, including a learning manual, are helping build the capacity of researchers to influence institutional strategies and also design and implement plans for communication, sharing, promoting uptake, and scaling-up of their own research outputs. These materials are now used extensively throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, including in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, D.R. Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, the Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. (Ref: NRSP15) - Strengthening local organisations gives farmers more say in local policy
Rural livelihoods are improving thanks to stronger social capital and the creation of conditions in which local people can help to start and effect policy change. Despite recent decentralisation, local communities in the highlands of Uganda were still not able to influence policy and the take-up of new natural resources management solutions. To be effective, decentralisation must be supported by strong local institutions or mature social capital. This methodology is used by professionals working with rural communities to improve their livelihoods using participatory approaches. It is currently used by CIAT's Enabling Rural Innovation project in Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, D.R. Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. (Ref: NRSP17) - Transgenic banana could feed millions
A safe transgenic banana could prevent nematodes (worms) destroying around 6 million tonnes of bananas a year. This is enough to feed the 60 million people in Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon for whom banana is a staple food. Because bananas are sterile, it's very hard to breed resistance to nematodes by conventional plant breeding methods. And the chemicals that are used to control nematodes are harmful both to humans and the environment. The gene introduced into East Highland African Bananas stops the nematodes growing and laying eggs, but does not affect humans at all. This technology is already being used in the UK, and also in Uganda on local cooking bananas. The transgenic method is also being applied to develop nematode-resistant potatoes and rice. (Ref: PSP20)
RNRRS legacy: East Africa
To see results for these countries please use the the database search facility:
- Kenya (72)
- Tanzania (83)
- Uganda (94)
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For further content and links within the RNRRS database, enter the search term (in "inverted commas if using a phrase") into the database search text box.
For further content and links within the RNRRS database, enter the search term (in "inverted commas if using a phrase") into the database search text box.
External resources
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Rwanda at a glance Source World Bank - Rwanda: Data & Statistics (35KB) |
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Seychelles at a glance Source World Bank - Seychelles: Data & Statistics (35KB) |
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Sudan at a glance Source World Bank - Sudan: Data & Statistics (35KB) |
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Tanzania at a glance Source World Bank - Tanzania: Data & Statistics (35KB) |
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Uganda at a glance Source World Bank - Uganda: Data & Statistics (35KB) |
