Production of Irish potato is on the rise in the highlands of Rwanda and is considered a priority crop in the North and West regions of the country. Potato average yield in Rwanda is relatively low even though Rwanda is among top 5 producing countries in Africa. But there is high potential to close the gaps if improved pre and post harvest practices are introduced. Average consumption of Irish potato for one household member is 150 kg per year and up to 250 kg /year in some areas such as Gishwati, where potato production is very intensive. In Kadahenda, potato farmers face many challenges … [Read more...]
Getting Down to Business to Enhance Scaling of Innovation Platform Activities
Humidtropics uses Innovation Platforms (IPs) as one approach to achieve its agricultural research for development (R4D) objectives. IPs aim for innovations that can respond to site-specific constraints, through a process of participatory decision-making in which a variety of stakeholders collaborate. Stakeholders involved in the process are farmers, scientists and representatives from public and private sector. This far, IPs mostly concentrate on initiating the multi-stakeholder process, agreeing upon entry points for innovation and Natural Resource Management (NRM) experiments. Much less … [Read more...]
Institutionalizing Dialogue in Rwanda Through Innovation Platforms
A platform of farmers, retailers and service providers, civil society organisations, NGOs, government ofï¬cials, and researchers improves livelihoods in Rwanda. Through interaction and collaboration, these groups experiment with various technological and institutional innovations, thereby tackling local agricultural challenges. This experience illustrates the importance of institutionalizing a space where knowledge can be co-created. The high altitude hills and cooler temperatures of the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa provide the ideal conditions for agriculture. However, … [Read more...]