Planting Resilience, Harvesting Hope: How A Community In Karongi Turned Climate-Smart Farming Into Food, Income And Safer Homes

In the hills of Karongi, Rwanda, farming is the foundation of livelihoods for hundreds of families. But changing rainfall patterns, soil erosion and water-related hazards have made that foundation increasingly fragile, and many farmers struggle to adapt due to limited access to quality farming materials and practical training. The Dushyirehamwe Nyakariba Cooperative, based in Nyegabo Village, shows what changes when that gap is closed.

A cooperative bets on a new crop

Through Water at the Heart of Climate Action (WHCA), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the cooperative’s 109 members received Irish potato seeds and fertiliser, alongside training in climate-smart agriculture practices such as soil conservation, proper spacing and improved water management. Irish potatoes were new to the area, but the crop offered the best combination of climate resilience and income potential. True to the programme’s locally-led approach, farmers themselves planned and implemented the process from the start, building the ownership needed for it to last.

“This is the first time this community is piloting Irish potato growing. Now that it’s possible, the communities have exhibited commitment to replicate it as a source of alternative livelihoods.”

Nsabimana Patrick, Sector Agronomist, Bwishyura Sector

A harvest that speaks for itself

The results have exceeded expectations: more than 40 tons of Irish potatoes were harvested within two seasons. Sold at local markets, the produce has strengthened household food security and generated income that the cooperative has turned into roughly RWF 7 million (nearly USD 5,000) in collective savings – marking growing financial resilience among its members.

“We have not only utilised the produce to meet urgent food requirements for our families, but also widened our household income to fill other health and education gaps. We are now determined to mobilise others and become the food basket of Kigali.”

Akarikumutima Emmanuel, cooperative member

More than potatoes

The income from potato sales has enabled cooperative members to pay for medical insurance, save for their pension schemes, and invest in home improvements. One member, who previously lived in an old and vulnerable house, used her earnings to transform it into a more flood-resilient home, allowing her to live with greater safety and dignity. Neighbouring communities have taken notice too and are now replicating the same climate-smart agriculture practices through farmer-to-farmer learning and demonstration plots, spreading resilience across Karongi with little external support.

“The lucrative sale of the surplus has given us confidence that we shall sustain our climate-smart agriculture intervention. We have also seen some of our members use the savings to reinforce their houses.”

Cecile Uwimana, Chairperson of the cooperative, Bwishyura Sector

The cooperative’s story is a reminder that climate action, when locally led and paired with the right knowledge and inputs, can deliver tangible results: more food on the table, sustainable income, and safer homes able to withstand the next flood.

Credit: Sirak Temesgen, Netherlands Red Cross; Paul Rutebuka, Rwandan Red Cross; and Shaban Mawanda, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre