Rental of farming land for Gatovu Model village residents

About this Project

Gatovu Integrated Development Program (IDP) Model village, located in Gataraga Sector of Musanze District, Northern province of Rwanda  is home to 312 people living in 64 households with semi-detached houses of four housing units each. The village was constructed by the government of Rwanda in 2019 to provide shelter for the poor and vulnerable residents of Musanze district who were living in areas putting their lives at risk or lack decent shelter. Other than the shelter provided by the government, residents of Gatovu model village do not have land or any other source of livelihood. They survive on finding casual work in the community such as farming for other people or working on construction sites. 

37 household heads from the model village came together and decided to start a group farming project. A $5,000 grant from World Connect Rwanda will be matched by $2,000 of their own contribution which will be used to rent land for farming Irish potatoes, purchase high-yeilding Irish potatoe seeds for planting and acquire other farming materials  and supplies such as pesticides and fertilisers. Crop insurance which is subsidised by the government will shield their project from losses in case of poor harvest. This project is expected to improve household food security as families will consume irish potatoes from their farm, create employment and generate income through sale of surplus irish potatoes from their harvest. 

Profits from the sale of the harvested potatoes will be shared among participants, with a portion reinvested into the next planting season to maintain the project’s sustainability
By investing in this project, the community aims not only to produce food but also to promote economic empowerment, especially for vulnerable members, and to build a self-sustaining farming model for future growth.