A total of 885 tea farmers in Nyaruguru District have completed a one-year training program under the Farmer Field School (FFS) initiative established by SCON to strengthen tea farming practices, improve household nutrition and promote farmers’ participation in groups.
The training went beyond teaching farmers how to grow and manage tea. Participants were also trained in good nutrition and household wellbeing, with the aim of helping families build healthier and more sustainable livelihoods.
During the graduation ceremony, farmers said the knowledge and practical skills acquired through the program had changed the way they manage their tea plantations and strengthened their understanding of tea farming as a long-term source of income and development.
Speciose Niyodusaba, one of the farmers who completed the training, said the skills she gained through FFS had helped her improve both tea production and her family’s living conditions.
“I farm tea on two hectares. Tea has helped us pay for health insurance on time, meet our children’s school expenses, plan for the future and improve our nutrition. We can now even afford to drink milk. Areas that used to be affected by erosion are now covered with tea plantations. I have learned that proper tea management and effective soil erosion control will help us increase our yields.”
The Farmer Field School approach was introduced to provide farmers with practical, hands-on learning opportunities. Through the program, farmers learn from one another while identifying and addressing challenges affecting their own farms.
Over the course of the year, the 885 farmers were trained in tea establishment and management, proper fertilizer application, soil erosion control, pest management, productivity improvement and household nutrition. The training comes at a time when tea farming continues to play an increasingly important role in the economic development of Nyaruguru district.
Evariste Harerimana, a farmers’ representative on the SCON Board of Directors and a tea farmer in the Kibeho Zone, commended the Government of Rwanda and partners for supporting the expansion of tea farming in Nyaruguru.
“It is a major achievement to see land that was previously underutilized transformed into productive tea plantations. In the past, poverty was a major challenge, but SCON has helped communities make better use of their land, and some farmers have also been able to access loans. This is a long-term investment, and everyone along the value chain, from the farmer to the final consumer, benefits from it.”
Felix Muthai, Manager of Brown Plantation and Kibeho Tea Factory, said the factory currently has the capacity to process three times more tea than the volume it receives at present.
He said the completion of the FFS training by 885 farmers was encouraging because improved farming practices could contribute to increased production. However, he urged farmers to put the knowledge they had acquired into practice.
“The fact that these farmers have completed the training gives me confidence that we will see an increase in tea production. However, achieving better results requires us to improve tea quality and increase yields per hectare. I encourage you to apply the knowledge gained from these classes because that is how we will achieve higher volumes and better-quality tea.”
Muthai said current tea yields stand at between four and five tonnes per hectare, but more efforts are needed if Rwanda is to reach the productivity levels achieved by leading tea-producing countries. He cited Sri Lanka, where yields can reach between nine and 10 tonnes per hectare, and Kenya, where yields can reach about 20 tonnes per hectare.
Philip Sigey, SCON’s Director of Operations, has urged tea farmers to embrace improved farming practices and produce high-quality tea, saying Rwanda has the potential to strengthen its position among the world’s leading producers of premium tea. He said SCON is committed to supporting farmers to achieve this goal and benefit from the growing value of high-quality Rwandan tea on the international market.
“When we produce high-quality tea, Rwanda’s tea can compete among the best in the world and command a better price on the international market. SCON is committed to working with farmers and supporting them to produce tea that meets the highest quality standards.”
Dr Emmanuel Murwanashyaka, the Mayor of Nyaruguru district, said tea farming has become one of the key economic activities helping residents improve their livelihoods while contributing to the district’s economy.
According to the Mayor, tea is currently grown in 11 of the 14 sectors that make up Nyaruguru District. He said the crop generated approximately Rwf13.5 billion for the district in the previous year. Tea farming also provides employment for thousands of people across the value chain, including approximately 10,600 tea pluckers, 7,300 factory workers and 3,200 people working with SCON, he said.
Addressing the 885 farmers who completed the FFS program, the Mayor urged them to become role models in expanding tea cultivation and encouraging other farmers to take up tea farming.
“You, the farmers who have completed this training, are the driving force behind achieving our tea sector targets. We urge you to take the lead in expanding the area under tea and encouraging other farmers to join this sector.”
He stressed, however, that increasing the area under tea alone would not be enough. Farmers must also focus on increasing productivity from each hectare.
“Tea requires proper management. If you do not apply fertilizer and take good care of your plantations, you will not get good yields. That is why the knowledge you have gained from this training must be translated into visible action on your farms.”
The Mayor further encouraged the 885 graduates to share the knowledge they acquired with other farmers so that good tea farming practices can spread throughout the district and contribute to increased production.
The Farmer Field School approach therefore extends beyond teaching farmers how to grow crops. It equips them with practical knowledge on nutrition, farm and production management, and ways of turning agriculture into a sustainable source of household income and improved living standards.
For Nyaruguru, where tea is increasingly becoming an important economic activity, the continued strengthening of farmers’ skills could play a significant role in improving productivity, expanding the sector and creating better livelihoods for farming communities.
