Page 27 - 扶輪月刊 2025年6月號

to know
that it is no longer
carrying so much eroded soil.”

Sebeya catchment, and this has improved
ːЪيึ஗˥әԐf™ጅτ༺
agricultural outputs and the quality of life
of the people living here.”
˥༟๕၍ଣ҅Пࠇdӊɓʮ௠
Jacqueline Mukagatare, a resident of
Rubavu, a district in the Sebeya catch-
ٙ૒͞€ߒ 2.5 ߵल̙͛ପ
ment area, is one of the many people
Їˇ 20 Ї 30 ʮኚٙฌဧᚆ৵
who lost their homes and standing crops
to the flooded Sebeya. Things have im-
ཕᑠd޴༰׵ࠇ೥ྼ݄ۃٙ 8
proved, she reports: “We are currently
Ї 10 ʮኚʊϞɽష౤ʺf޼
tilling our land and have no worries that
our crops can be eroded.” The Rwanda
Ӻᜑͪdίࠇ೥ഐҼࣛd෦Ԏ
Water Board estimates that one terraced
ԭήਜٙอό૒͞ʊҷഛɺᘎ
hectare (about 2.5 acres) produces at least
20 to 30 metric tons of Irish potatoes, up
ۜሯdછՓəݳ˥dԨᜑഹ౤
from 8 to 10 metric tons before the proj-
ect. A study shows that radical terraces
ʺุ༵͛ପɢf
in the Sebeya area improved soil quality,
ʔཀdЬॶᅃܸ̈d༈
controlled floods, and bolstered agricul-
tural production by the project’s end.
ࠇ೥ͦۃස଄ႊ዆ࡈݴਹٙ
Bernard says, however, that the proj-
30%f࣬ኽ਷ყІ್ڭԃᑌຑ
ect has so far covered only 30 percent
of the catchment area. For the soil and
ٙႭجd߰ࠅॆ͍ҷഛԨၪܵ
river water quality to improve and, more
importantly, stay that way, the three-
ɺᘎʿئݴ˥ሯdසϞ 3 ϋٙ
year intervention is simply not enough,
Ϥ̮d૒͞ᒔცࠅܵᚃ
੻Չˀf™
ʧɝ݊ʔ੄ٙfternational Union for etc. — should be analyzed,” she says. sides, but “they are waiting for donors, as
according to the In
Conservation of Nature. “While there is evidence that scientifi- making terraces is too expensive.”
ၪᚐdϾவΝᅵɰܘڀ፺fЬ
ጅτ༺˥༟๕၍ଣ҅ٙ
cally done terracing can reduce land - Moreover, terraces need maintenance,
૒͞ᒱঐ༆Ӕਪᕚdۍɰ̙ঐ slides, unplanned, haphazard terracing which is expensive too. “We have to con-
ॶᅃႭj˜Ңࡁ̀඲ʔᓙၾٟ
Ьॶᅃۆڌͪd෦Ԏԭٙอό
TERRACING MAY SOLVE PROBLEMS, may have the opposite effect.”
੭Ըอٙࠬᎈ ķķ तй݊ ૒͞ಯˇɺᘎڧ႙d౤৷Ъي stantly engage with the community to
ਜΥЪdʑঐѼഛၪᚐவԬ૒
maintain terraces,” Bernard says. In 2023,
but it can also cause new ones — espe-
Bernard, of the Rwanda Water Board,
cially when it’s not done scientifically.
ί͊Ա߅ኪ˙ό݄ʈٙઋر says that radical terraces in Sebeya have a parliamentary committee found that
͞f™2023 ϋdɓࡈ਷ึ։ࡰ
ପඎdШ͊ᄣ̋ʆ੥ࠬᎈf˼
Judith Uwihirwe, a senior lecturer and reduced soil erosion and improved crop not all the terraces built so far in Rwanda
ɨfጅτ༺ɽኪุ༵ኪ৫༟ଉ yields without increasing landslide risk. are being used — because the soil
ܸ̈d݄ʈྠඟίܔிཀ೻ʕ
ึ೯ତdጅτ༺ͦۃהܔிٙ is
acting director of research and innova-
tion at the University of Rwanda’s Col-
ᑺࢪࡒ޼Ӻၾ௴อ˾ଣ˴΂ The implementation team took care, he acidic or because the residents who
तйءࠠᖢ֛චѪd၇ಔণᗳ
૒͞ԨڢΌ௅ேίԴ͜ ķķ
lege of Agriculture, studies the processes says, to stabilize the risers with grasses and worked on them have not been paid for
ব໛കhढ۾Ҏဧ۾ (Judith has dug ditches and trenches to prevent their labor. Without community buy-in,
ቩոഐ࿴dԨܱઢ๖ಬર˥˸
ࡡΪܼ̍ɺᘎཀაdא݊ਞၾ
beneath the earth’s surface that trigger
landslides in the country. Some land -
Uwihirwe) ޼Ӻ༈਷ήڌɨˏ waterlogging. To ensure soil fertility, the the long-term success and sustainability
ԣጐ˥fϤ̮dމəၪܵɺᘎ
݄ʈ֢ٙ͏͊ჯՑజཇfॹ˶
slides, she says, can be triggered by poorly team isolated the topsoil before leveling the of radical terraces in Rwanda remains a
designed terraces. “Terraces change the
೯ʆ੥ٙዚՓfμڌͪdϞԬ terrace and returned it to the surface only question mark.
ٟਜٙ˕ܵਞၾdᜫอό૒͞
ٙ٭Ӝɢdྠඟί዆ήࣛ΋ਗ਼
fundamental character of the mountain after the reverse slope had been created. Meanwhile, in Nyamirongo, Hategeki-
ʆ੥̙ঐ݊ணࠇʔԄٙ૒͞ˏ plain why villages and hillsides abutting mana and Innocent are done with their
ڌᄴɺᘎʱᕎdܙҁϓˀս૒
ίጅτ༺ٙڗಂϓࣖʿ͑ᚃ׌
terrain,” she says. Rainwater, instead of
The costs of building terraces could ex-
flowing down, is retained by terraces and
farm work for the day, their potato har-
ৎٙfμႭj˜૒͞ҷᜊəʆ
͞ܝΎΫ෬Їήڌf
ʥϞܙπဲf
PHOTOGRAPH: GEETANJALI KRISHNA ήήҖٙਿ͉त׌fڠ˥ʔΎ cent of the Sebeya catchment, remain un- the field. “Individually, we can’t afford to
vest safely stored in the cool mud near
pools underground. “This causes water to
Nyamirongo village, and almost 70 per-
Νࣛdί̵ԭϷඤˑӀd
ܔி૒ٙ͞৷׻ϓ͉d
move horizontally underground and can
terraced. An early estimate suggests that a
set off landslides,” she explains.
build more terraces, but what if we got
නսϾɨdϾ݊஗૒͞ኺИԨ
۞तႊਿ৵ॶၾͺፕಌतҁϓ
ɰ஢ঐ༆ᙑމʡჿί̵ԭϷඤ
single terrace could cost about US$1,660
Close to several volcanoes, the Se-
together in a cooperative?” Hategekimana
သɝήɨfவึኬߧήɨ˥˥
ɓ዆˂༵ٙਕdϗϓٙ৵ཕᑠ
muses. “Maybe then we could do it ...”
ˑӀմᗙٙӀ୿ʿʆս˸ʿਗ਼
per hectare to build. Of this, roughly a
beya catchment is in an especially fragile
third is the labor cost, and another third
seismic zone. “As a scientist, I recom -
̻ݴਗdආϾᙃ೯ʆ੥f™
ʊѼഛπ׳ί͞ᗙ૭ଗٙإɺ
ڐ 70% ٙ෦ԎԭݴਹdЇʦ
is the cost of fertilizer. Hategekimana says
mend that before a new site is terraced,
This story was originally published
෦Ԏԭݴਹቌڐεࢭ˦
its geomorphology — soil composition,
ʕf۞तႊਿ৵ॶ߰Ϟהܠή
ʥ͊ܔண૒͞fɓධϘಂПၑ
depth of groundwater, existing aquifers, welcome radical terracing on their hill-
solutions journalism outlet.
ʆdЗஈतйঌࢮٙήቤ੭f more residents around his village would by Reasons to be Cheerful, a nonprofit
Ⴍj˜Ңࡁࡈɛ݊ࠋዄʔৎΎ
ᜑͪdܔிɓʮ௠૒ٙ͞ϓ͉
μႭj˜ԒމɓΤ߅ኪ࢕dҢ ߒމ 1,660 ߕʩfՉʕdɽߒ ܔһε૒͞ədШν؈Ңࡁଡ଼ 47
JUNE 2025 ROTARY
ܔᙄίකᚠอ૒͞ʘۃd̀඲ ɧʱʘɓ݊ʈ༟d̤ɧʱʘɓ ϓΥЪٟճkɰ஢ԟᅵdҢࡁ
΋ʱؓήႶૢ΁ ķķ ܼ̍ɺ ۆ݊٭ࣘϓ͉f۞तႊਿ৵ॶ ఱঐ፬Ցənf™
ᘎϓʱeήɨ˥ଉܓeତϞў
jun25-D-RwandaFarming.indd 47 Ⴍd˼ٙӀɿմᗙϞһε֢͏ 5/2/25 01:39
˥ᄴഃfᗇኽᜑͪ߅ኪ஝ྌٙ ɰҎૐঐίІ࢕ʆսɪࡌጘอ ͉˖ࡡ̊༱׵ Reasons to be
૒̙͞˸ಯˇʆ੥dϾӚϞ஝ ό૒͞dؘɽ࢕ேίഃܙ༟ Cheerful‘ ķķ ɓࡈڢᐄлٙ༆Ӕ
ྌe͊຾ணࠇٙ૒͞ۆ̙ঐቇ пdΪމܔ૒͞ྼί˄൮əf™ ˙ࣩอၲద᜗f
臺灣扶輪 2025.6 25