Onions for greater resilience in Kayanza
On Ryirengeye hill, Kayanza commune, the faces of World Vision project participants light up as they hold bunches of red and white onions in their hands. For them, the harvest is a result of collective work and embodies a pace to resilience.
As part of the Turamirane project funded by the European Union and implemented by the consortium composed of World Vision Burundi (lead), Care International Burundi, and COPED (Council for Education and Development), the project participants of Ryirengeye Hill, Kayanza commune, Butanyerera province, are harvesting their shared field of red and white onions. This activity marks an important step in the economic empowerment of the households supported by the project.
The members of the Ryirengeye Farmer School Producers (CEP) group went through all the steps together, from soil preparation, planting, weeding to harvest. This dynamic not only made it possible to maximize production but also allowed learning and sharing of best agricultural techniques and practices, not to mention strengthening social cohesion.
"Before World Vision's intervention, we had three major challenges: access to quality seeds, the shortage of manure to fertilize the soil, and the lack of skills of improved farming techniques," said Jean Marie, a project participant from Ryirengeye hill.
As a solution, World Vision, through the Turamirane project: Granted 500 grams of onion seeds to the Ryirengeye Farmer School Producers group (250 grams of red onions and 250 grams of white onions), trained the group members on soil preparation and soil protection through contour plowing, taught techniques for making hot compost.
Standing together in solidarity for economic empowerment
The members of CEP Ryirengeye sowed the seeds on a plot measuring 240 meters by 240 meters and harvested one ton and 64 kilograms of red and white onions.
According to the group members, the harvests are impressive, and for them, what really matters is how the project is improving the daily lives of their families.
"What is much better is that during this period, onion cultivation offers optimal profitability. The money earned from selling part of the harvest becomes a real lever. It allows our families to put a little aside, to buy new seeds for the coming season, and, little by little, to start small projects that will generate additional income. Above all, we are able to take better care of our the children; the money earned contributes to their schooling, clothing, and food", testifies Evelyne, a mother of 5 children.
At Ryirengeye CEP group's, the harvest is not an end in itself, it’s a beginning of other farming related activities. They meet on a weekly basis for land protection, notably leveling contour lines, and spreading the best farming practices to other community members who are not beneficiaries of the project.
Story by Larissa Ndayiragiije, Communications Coordinator, Turamirane project