District: Gicumbi
In the Agriculture Session B of TLC’s Food Security through Conservation Agriculture (FSCA) project, field trials were conducted in the four sectors: Mutete, Kageyo, Rukomo, and Nyamiyaga using both Conservation Agriculture (CA) and Non CA methods. The focus was on beans and Irish potatoes with specific improved varieties.
Yield Comparison: Conservation Agriculture Non CA
| Harvest date | Sector | Crop Variety | Technique Used | Area Planted (Ares) | Yield (Kg) | Yield per Are (Kg) |
| 07/7/2025 | Mutete sector FFS Abakoranabushake | Kiryumukwe (Beans) | CA | 5 | 68 | 13.6 |
| Kiryumukwe (Beans) | Non CA | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | ||
| Gurigare (Beans) | CA | 3 | 43 | 14.3 | ||
| Gurigare ( beans) | Non CA | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | ||
| 11/7/2025 | Kageyo sector FFS Hangudushya | Karirosi (Potatoes) | CA | 2 | 298 | 149.0 |
| Karirosi (Potatoes) | Non CA | 2 | 148 | 74.0 | ||
| Rwangume (Potatoes) | CA | 3 | 358 | 179.0 | ||
| Rwangume (Potatoes) | Non CA | 3 | 178 | 89.0 | ||
| 2/7/2025 | Rukomo sector FFS Abakoranabushake | Rwangume (Potatoes) | CA | 17 | 1550 | 91.3 |
| Rwangume (Potatoes) | Non CA | 3 | 238 | 79.3 | ||
| 15/07/2025 | Nyamiyaga sector FFS Girumurava | Rwangume (Potatoes) | CA | 17 | 1280 | 75.2 |
| Rwangume (Potatoes) | Non CA | 3 | 180 | 60 |
Key Observations:
Conservation Agriculture consistently produced higher yields across all sites and varieties.
– In Mutete, the Kiryumukwe bean variety yielded 68kg under CA on 5 ares, compared to 45kg under conventional methods.
– In Kageyo, the Rwangume variety had a significantly higher yield under CA (358kg) than conventional (178kg), both planted on 2 ares.
– The Karirosi variety also showed higher performance under CA.
– In Rukomo, potatoes of the Rwangume variety yielded 1,550kg on 17 ares using CA, far exceeding the 278kg on 3 ares under conventional methods.
– In Nyamiyaga, though area details were not specified, yield under CA was 1,280kg, while non CA was only 180kg.
Conclusions
Conservation Agriculture is clearly more productive, especially for Irish potatoes. Farmers noticed better soil moisture retention and stronger crop performance under CA methods. The data supports continued training and scaling of CA techniques in all sectors.
Recommendations
1. Scale up CA practices across all FFS groups with stronger peer-to-peer learning.
2. Provide more training in post-harvest management to handle increased yields.
3. Encourage accurate record keeping among FFS participants for better impact tracking.
Prepared by
TLC/ Field staff: Mugirwanake Honorine
