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Contribution of wetland agriculture to farmers' livelihood in Rwanda

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  • Nabahungu, N.L.
  • Visser, S.M.

Abstract

This study analyzes factors that contribute to the livelihood of smallholder farmers living in the vicinity of the Cyabayaga and Rugeramigozi wetlands. Three tools were used: 1) focus group discussion 2) formal surveys and 3) Monitoring for Quality Improvement (MONQI). Farming systems in wetlands and on hillsides differ. Level of education, resource availability, land ownership and location have an important impact on the location and type of farming systems practiced by households. The dependency of households on wetlands varies between sites. Field size, status of soil fertility and input use are also key factors determining the level of contribution that wetland agriculture makes to farmers' livelihood. In Cyabayaga, the per household per year contribution of wetland cultivation to gross margin (GM) was 74% ($1901) compared to 24% ($84) in Rugeramigozi. The rice in Cyabayaga was the largest contributor to household income providing on average $1045 per household per season. Vegetables cultivated in the dry season in Rugeramigozi have high potential as cash crops. Poor maintenance of drainage and irrigation channels as well as inappropriate cropping systems in wetlands can undermine sustainability and have repercussions for the livelihoods of farmers dependent on agricultural wetlands.

Suggested Citation

  • Nabahungu, N.L. & Visser, S.M., 2011. "Contribution of wetland agriculture to farmers' livelihood in Rwanda," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 4-12.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:71:y:2011:i:c:p:4-12
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.07.028
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ellen Verhofstadt & Miet Maertens, 2014. "Smallholder cooperatives and agricultural performance in Rwanda: do organizational differences matter?," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 45(S1), pages 39-52, November.
    2. Dawson, Neil & Martin, Adrian & Sikor, Thomas, 2016. "Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications of Imposed Innovation for the Wellbeing of Rural Smallholders," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 204-218.
    3. David L. Ortega & Aniseh S. Bro & Daniel C. Clay & Maria Claudia Lopez & Espoir Tuyisenge & Ruth Ann Church & Alfred R. Bizoza, 2019. "Cooperative membership and coffee productivity in Rwanda’s specialty coffee sector," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(4), pages 967-979, August.
    4. Verhofstadt, Ellen & Maertens, Miet, 2013. "Cooperative membership and agricultural performance: Evidence from Rwanda," Working Papers 157389, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centre for Agricultural and Food Economics.
    5. Adekola, Olalekan & Mitchell, Gordon & Grainger, Alan, 2015. "Inequality and ecosystem services: The value and social distribution of Niger Delta wetland services," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 12(C), pages 42-54.
    6. Kabirigi, Michel & Sekabira, Haruna & Sun, Zhanli & Hermans, Frans, 2023. "The use of mobile phones and the heterogeneity of banana farmers in Rwanda," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 25(6), pages 5315-5335.
    7. Noushin Refat & Md. Ahosan Habib Ador & Pabitra Singha Sagor & Farzana Raihan & Mohammad Abdul Munim Joarder, 2025. "Linkages among biodiversity, ecotourism and livelihood of wetland communities: a case study of Ratargul Swamp Forest, Bangladesh," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(7), pages 16525-16548, July.
    8. Linlin Fu & Wenhuan Peng & Xinjie Shi, 2022. "Do cooperatives exclude small-scale farming households? Evidence from Fuchuan County, Guangxi Province," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(8), pages 1-14, August.

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