Rwanda
March 14, 2014

Source: Ministry of Agriculture

Rwanda plant health system was not well defined until November 2011 when Plantwise Project through Center for Agricultural Bio-services International (CABI) started its operations in Rwanda. One of its focuses is to raise awareness on pest and plant disease management and scaling up and out plant clinics.

Plant health clinics work as ‘human clinics’. Farmers bring plant samples to a plant doctor to get advice on plant health problems. Plant clinic helps to link extension and input suppliers. It also serves to link with regulatory bodies in crop protection related issues (pest and disease list). Through plant clinic, early warning system of pest and diseases is strengthened.

These clinics enable researchers and extension agents from various sectors to provide direct help to farmers. Bellancile Uzayisenga, Plantwise National Coordinator in RAB said that since farmers come more and more to the clinic, an indication that they are getting a better service. She added saying that others leave the plant samples and come back to see the diagnosis.

The exercise also serves as community – based surveillance where major diseases on crops and their distributions can be identified along with new and emerging diseases in four different agriculture zone divisions of Rwanda. Kalisa Jean Pierre, a researcher in RAB says that, it is only in cases where a plant health problem has no alternative control measure that plant doctors advise local farmers to use pesticides.

In Musanze District, 29 agronomists from all zones of the country are being trained to become plant clinics doctors; they are being helped in techniques to inform the surrounding rural communities on serious pests and diseases of important crops. This technique complements the established plant clinics in the area, and will help the RAB team inform and help more people with their agricultural pests and diseases.

During the 4-day training -a 6 day training- participants were taught to develop a simple extension message that can be announced clearly in less than ten minutes. This message explains the background to the problem, discusses symptoms, and recommendations to prevent or reduce its effects in the field.

Alphonse Hakizimana, an agronomist in in Mugina Sector of Kamonyi District is one of the trainees. Happily, he stated that plant clinics serve better in resolving most of problems that farmers face, among challenges of plant doctors; he mentioned the unawareness of some farmers towards these clinics and dissemination of crop diseases in some parts and sophistication of some diseases where there might be an intervention of senior plant doctors who are few at present, according to the large number of those who need their services.

From 8 plant clinics established at the beginning, Plantwise project has so far 30 with 129 trained plant doctors and 10 local trainers at the national level. These numbers are expected to be increased to 65 clinics and 150 plant doctors by December 2014