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The overall objective of this present research is assessment of rice-water requirement in Cyabayaga wetland of Nyagatare District in Rwanda. Specific objectives of this research project were to collect and analyze weather parameters, of soil physical properties, crop-water requirements and to recommend efficient water management of the study area. Research design, data collection and field observations were made during July, 2019 to January, 2020. The experiment was carried out in Cyabayaga marshland and was especially based on the assessment of rice water requirement, weather parameters and hydraulic parameters like measurement of soil infiltration rate, soil hydraulic conductivity, flow discharge in irrigation channels, water loss, conveyance efficiency and application efficiency. Evapotranspiration and irrigation needs were determined by Cropwat 8.0 software. Conveyance efficiency (Ec) was found to be 70.05% and 30% of water was lost through seepage and evapotranspiration through weeds in unlined channels. The overall deep percolation, seepage and evapotranspiration losses were found to be 25 mm/day. Considering the highest potential crop evapotranspiration (ETc) of 4.8 mm, it was indicated that huge water loss of 20.2 mm/day was caused by seepage and percolation within the soil. The application efficiency (Ea) was found to be 23.8%. Hence, the overall efficiency was 16.7%. With the current rice yield of 4.25 t/ha, a low water-use-efficiency of 0.089 kg/m3 was found. Key words: Cropwater requirements, rice, irrigation requirements, water use efficiency and Cropwat.

Dairy cooperatives should have a significant impact in the future in terms of regenerating rural life. The pressing need in the Cooperative sector in the era of liberalized environments is to seize every opportunity available for the country. Diary co-operatives mainly from cattle production played a vital role in our country’s economy in the previous era and will do so in years to come. This study aims to assess the impact of dairy cooperatives on milk producers’ revenues in the Gicumbi district of Rwanda. The total sample involved in this research was 974, from four cow milk producers, namely Bukure MCC-Cooperative d’Elevage Moderne de Bukure (COOPEMOBU), Koperative Zamuka Mworozi (KOZAMGI) and Borozi Twisungane Kabuga-Nyamiyaga and Giramata, which form the cooperative union of Ihuza Aborozi ba Kijyambere Bafatanyinje (IAKIB). The total sample size to be taken from three cooperatives and other recorded local farmers supplying their milk to the nearest Milk Collection Centres, as preselected, is 260 milk producers, including 187 participants and 73 non-participants of dairy cooperatives. The study used a descriptive survey design, encompassing three cooperatives and other dairy producers not members of cooperatives from Gicumbi district. Descriptive statistics, t-test, Standard Deviation, means, frequency and percentages, as well as a Propensity Score Matching model were used to analyse the results of the study. The study findings show that the average total gross revenue was 551,113 Rwandan francs for these farmers, while the mean difference between dairy cooperative participants and non-participants ranged from 50,146 Rwandan francs to 168,145 Rwandan francs as program impact. This is an indication that participants in dairy cooperatives gain more compared to their factual group. The study recommends that small holder dairy producers should be supported to enable them to produce surplus milk for markets and reduce local milking cow numbers by replacing them with crossbred cows. It is recommended that governments should also strengthen milk processing cooperatives and improve their infrastructure facilities to reduce the transportation cost for small-scale dairy producers.

Aerobic rice production system provides a sustainable alternative to the traditional rice cultivation. To evaluate the agronomic and economic effect of intercropping aerobic rice with four leafy vegetables, field experiments were conducted at University of Agriculture Science Bangalore research station, India during 2017 and 2018. The experiments consisted of 9 treatments with 4 replications and, a Randomized Completely Block Design was applied. The treatments were as follows: Intercropping (IC1): rice+amaranth; IC2: rice + coriander; IC3: rice + spinach, and IC4: rice + fenugreek plus other 5 treatments of solecrops (SC), SC5: rice, SC6: amaranth, SC7: coriander, SC8: spinach, and SC9: fenugreek. Results showed that intercropping produced significantly better plant growth and higher yields than sole crops. The rice-spinach intercrop produced highest rice grain yield (7,651 kg ha-1), vegetable yield (25,508 kg ha-1), land equivalent ratio (2.13), rice equivalent yield (16,153 kg ha-1), production efficiency (107.69 kg day-1), area time equivalent ratio (1.23) and system harvest index (0.77). Net return and benefit cost ratio of rice-spinach intercropping were also higher than that of sole crops. This suggests that intercropping of aerobic rice with leafy vegetables can be productive and economically efficient. Key words: Aerobic rice, intercropping, leafy vegetables, productivity.

Benefits of silicon to plant growth and yield in higher plants has been explored recently. This study was conducted to assess effects of application of foliar application of stabilized Orthosilicic Acid (OSA) with NPK fertilizer on growth and yield of rice. The study was conducted in Ntende site at Rwagitima marshland, Gatsibo district in the Eastern province of Rwanda. The field experiment was laid in randomized complete block design with three replications across two cropping seasons in 2019 and 2020. Two recommended doses of fertilizer (RDF); 100 % RDF (200 kgha− 1 NPK and 100 kgha− 1 Urea) and 75 % RDF (150 kgha− 1 NPK and 75 kgha− 1 Urea) were used in combination with different doses of stabilized orthosilicic acid (OSA), a commercial formulation is named as Silixol OSA (referred as OSA in the text). The Si fertilizer was applied in at panicle initiation and grain filling stages, at three different doses (2 ml/l, 3ml/l and 4 ml/l). Combined application of Silixol OSA with RDF produced better growth attributes (plant height, number of tillers, root length, flag leaf length and width) compared to that of RDF only. Similarly, OSA application showed higher yield components, number of panicles, panicle weight, grain weight per panicle and 1000-grain weight. Highest yield of 5.81 t/ha which equates to 24 % increase was obtained when 100 % RDF + 4ml/l OSA was applied. Interestingly, when OSA was used at 4ml/l dose, with 75 % RDF, it attributed to significant increase in yield. Rice fertilization with OSA helps to stimulate plant growth, yield attributes and yield. Therefore, potential of Si could further be explored among rice farmers in Rwanda. Further saving of 25 % of fertilizer dose would be a good economic benefit to farmers as well as government of Rwanda. Lesser use of fertilizers would also reduce the risk of degradation of environment following the application of OSA fertilizer.

Microfinance in Rwanda is considered as one of the most crucial mechanisms in the implementation of the Government program to reduce poverty and to increase economic growth. However, despite the effort made by the Government of Rwanda to put in place microfinance institutions in rural areas, little is known about the effects of microfinance on smallholder farmers’ income in Nyamagabe District of Rwanda. This study aimed at examining the contribution of microfinance services to the income of smallholder farmers in Nyamagabe District. Primary data were collected from 240 respondents randomly selected in 3 sectors of Nyamagabe District using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and Propensity Score Matching was used to assess the effect of microfinance on smallholder farmers’ livelihood. The results from descriptive statistics showing that 117 respondents were participants in microfinance services and 123 were nonparticipants and more men were committed to participate and to access microfinance services than women. Results from Propensity Score Matching Model using both Kernel Based Matching and Nearest Neighbor Matching showed that the households participating in microfinance services increased their total annual income by 256,674 Rwandan francs and 228,246 Rwandan francs more than non-participants, respectively. The study recommended that smallholder farmers should be encouraged to participate in microfinance services to increase their income and agricultural productivity. The use of SACCOs and microfinance services needs to be promoted in order to provide an instrument for mobilizing savings and extending credit.