The call follows the Ministry of Agriculture's approval of 70 per cent of the districts' farmlands for crop farming, instead of being exclusively reserved for pastoralism, with a goal to increase agricultural productivity and reduce the risks of food scarcity in the country., the farmers welcomed the development, but noted that they have limited resources for making the most of the opportunity presented to them.
He plans to use profits from selling maize to invest in better livestock management practices and infrastructure, maximising the crop residues as feed for his livestock. "It is challenging to dig huge pieces of land using manual labour; we need tractors; the available are already booked; we have realised that the demand has exceeded the available tractors," said another farmer, Ruzindana Rusagara, a resident in Karangazi sector in Nyagatare District.
Rwanda's mechanisation programme began in the fiscal year 2009/2010 to encourage the use of farm machinery in various farming activities for rural farmers, with a strategic aim of increasing agricultural mechanisation from 27 per cent to 50 per cent by 2024.