visit rwanda january 2025

Visit to FRED’S FARM (FF)  11- 24 January 2025
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The minor rainy season begins in the first weeks of the new year. It's a shorter growing season, so it's more essential for "survival cultivation" that rain starts early enough, so crops are ready for harvesting in May before the dry season starts. As we check the weather forecast for the coming week, on the Norwegian "YR" forecast, the locals look to the sky, giving us a short term but very accurate weather prognosis!
​         On arrival in Rwanda, beans and maize were being harvested, and ground prepared for planting the next crop. At the farm, planting of mulching materials had begun but had stopped as no rain had come. Shade trees and fodder tree seedlings were carefully stored in the shade and watered daily, waiting patiently for "the right time" for planting out. At the end our first week, one morning 2 of the staff climbed nimbly onto the roof of, the house to fix loose tiles...... "the rain will come soon"! Two hours later, the wind blew up and the rain lashed down. On with our rain jackets and umbrellas in hand - the new drainage canals, improved during the past year functioned well, others are needed, the guttering on the outhouses needed adjusting, more trees must be planted here and there to help hold the soil, windbreak trees near the macadamia are still not big enough to "break the wind" but they're growing, more need to be planted....     
        The life of those who cultivate for survival doesn't always leave room for seeing solutions which can help reduce the impact of changing weather conditions. In a very local context, work at FRED'S FARM tries to demonstrate different measures to become more robust in the presence of life-threatening climate change.  Dairy goats need less fodder than cows pr. litre milk. Moringa trees have deep drought-resistent roots and once established produce edible, nourishing leaves year after year, in addition to holding soil. Hence trying methodically over time and eventually "succeeding" with these 2 initiatives, has been a "success story" we can now tell with pride. 

The Goats
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Our efforts to find a suitable model to "roll out" dairy goats in the community has over the past years encountered various obstacles. To find yet another model was top priority on this visit. Last year, the principal of Kizi school expressed the wish to have dairy goat/s at the school. There were two goals; to improve the nutritional status of the youngest pupils by providing goat milk, and to sensitize parents to using goat milk.  
           On our arrival, the farming club at the school had already built a goat pen and the school animal tender was ready to receive the dairy goat:) On day 5, our goatherd, Daniel, had to drag a pregnant, unwilling purebred dairy goat to the school. It was obvious this doe did NOT want to leave Daniel who has looked after her since she came to the farm!  In addition,  we gave the school a 50% purebred female. Having the 50% purebred at the school, enables FF to follow up at close hand how much milk this 50% can produce, and in time also breed a 75% purebred. 
       Recently, a well respected, honoured and resourceful neighbour contacted FF to discuss the possibility of borrowing a dairy goat to introduce into the local community. We visited, saw first hand there was suitable housing, enough feed and staff to care for the animals. So a few days later, we brought a mother and daughter purebred duo, to this farm. Both these does are pregnant. 
​      Cyprien, the district vet, is actively interested in the process of dairy goat introduction. The knowledge we have gained and documented well, through both "failure" and "success", helps us guide others who are interested in trying dairy goats. Over the past years, many individuals, Rwandan and international NGOs and educational institutions have contacted FF about dairy goats: can we sell goats? do we sell milk? do we sell cheese? can they come on educational visits? etc etc. 

Picture: L:  the purebred goat handed over to the school. R:  the 2 purebred goats handed over to the local farmer 

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​Kizi School

All the initiatives connected to the school are moving forwards. The school principal, the farming and sports teachers are key partners in these processes. 
 

School lunch
​The moringa trees at the school is now producing enough leaves to be used in the school lunch, improving its nutritional value.   
An area on FRED'S FARM is now set aside so the school can cultivate more food for use in the school meal. Preparation of this plot will soon begin.   

Solar Lamp library  
The lamp library was started 5 years ago to enable final year students to study in the evening. This has in general worked as planned. Pupils have told us how the lamps have  made it possible for them to read and study after nightfall (approx. 6pm). Most of the initial solar lamps have now stopped working. These have been collected and will be disposed in a responsible way. Over the past two years, 16 new lamps have been supplied. 

Pictures: L: an area at the farm is "handed over" to the farming teacher and farming club.    R: pupils have brought the solar lamps to be tested & recorded at the school office.  

The Interns
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Picture: former and present and interns at the demonstration plot

Football team
For the past 2 years, FRED'S FARM has supported the school girls football teams with football boots and balls, after a generous donation for this purpose. This is a way to empower the girls, something the school works actively towards.
        We were invited to attend a football match between two girls teams. Impressive strength and stamina! Only one set of boots was worn. The explanation was that last years boots were worn out as they had been  used by all the teams at the school! 6 - 8 competing teams:)  

Picture: The under 13s and under 16s girls teams. 

Solar lamps in teachers dormitory at the school. 
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Last year we were asked if we were willing to improve the facilities for the teachers who live at the school. There is no electricity and they have no lights, so preparing for next days school is limited to the one hour of daylight after school ends at 5 pm.
Some sponsors stepped up to support a small solar system. Six lamps are now installed, 3 in the female section of the building and 3 in the male section. It's also possible to charge telephones which are  used for school prep. 

TWA

Pictures: L: the new male farming & savings group. R: the 2 "veteran" farming groups receiving new cultivation tools. 

Savings groups are common in rural Rwandan society, but were not for the Twa villagers. Since its small beginnings with 6 individuals in 2018, the group has grown from 6 individuals to 36 families!
​       This year 8 men from the village asked if we would assist them to start a group. They described how it was increasingly difficult to sell their clay pots and they see how the women's groups function. They want to try to cultivate together, work together, and save together.  So we supplied start capital for the savings, and farming tools. 

Picture: Emerita proudly shows off the best moringa tree in the Twa village

Health initiatives

On our first day at the farm, Ishimwe came to the farm to meet us, and thank. Last year 2 of her children were treated for jiggers. In addition we offered her baby goat's milk and moringa leaves for herself. Throughout the past year she has worked hard to ensure the childrens' feet and hands are almost totally better, and she managed to motivate her husband to come for treatment this year. She was looking healthy and her baby is now out of the defined "malnourished" zone:)
12 children and 2 adults came for treatment. The health volunteers told us that all who have been treated for jiggers over the past years through FRED'S FARM, have prevented  relapse. This is  a very big step forward. 
Dried moringa from FRED'S FARM was supplied to the Twa village. Alice, the village leader, ensured this was given regularly to nursing mothers as long as the supply lasted. They reported increased milk production. 

Pictures : L: checking shoe sizes. R: Ishimwe showing off her healthy baby. Health volunteers wash and treat jiggers. 

​Cash crops 

Although we see an improvement in management and harvest, more effort, investment and close follow up is needed to lift these to a level to give enough income for the running costs. One immediate initiative was to employ a second person to work solely on the macadamia.
While in Rwanda, we invited an agronomist from a neighbouring professional coffee farm to assess the coffee. He gave valuable input. Two years ago after a visit to a coffee research station, we started planting banana as a shade tree along with the coffee. Now, not only does banana provide shade for the coffee, but also food for the staff, with surplus bananas sold for cash, and mulching materials!
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Picture - Coffee beans still green but some starting to change color and ripen

Picture - Macadamia nuts growing well

Picture - Bananas grows well 

​On  the Farm
​There are always possibilities for improvements, and this year we prioritized installing a small solar system to have 2 outdoor lamps as a security measure.  General maintenance is usually carried out during the dry season, but after severe storms recently, a repair job was carried out on the roof by our best handymen, Pascal and Damescene, the 2 coffee specialists:) 
Drying facilities for moringa leaves was also improved. 

Pictures: L: installation of solar lamp.  R: the new drying table for moringa leaves. 

Picture: Maintenance of the roof after strong winds.

​The way forward 

How can FRED'S FARM in time be independent of support from Norway?
The most important preparation is to have a good team in place in Rwanda and cash crops to finance the most essential activities. In addition, we also need to find local individuals and/or organisations who are capable and motivated to continue activities. This process has started and we are planning to have a model in place in 2 years time.
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​As always, we thank all of you who have given willingly to support FRED’S FARM in different ways!        



PS!  We brought 20 kg coffee also this time and it will be ready for sale around 20 mars 

Hanne and Sten
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Pictures - Same place, left 2017 and right 2025. Healthier, bigger coffee trees, established shade, non-invasive groundcover...  moving in the right direction.




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 Your contribution is making the difference:) ​