From May 13 to 17, 2024, Rwanda hosted an inspiring Learning Journey on Biodiversity Management and Sustainable Farming with support from FAO under the EU-funded ACP MEAs 3 programmme. As the third phase of the programme is coming to an end, farmers, extension and policy officers from five focus countries got together for a five-day practical and interactive learning journey to share their experiences and learn from each other on best farming practices applied in their countries.

Why this journey matters
The ACP MEAs programme aims to help countries adopt eco-friendly farming practices that boost crop yields, while reducing the use of synthetic pesticides and managing the associated risks on biodiversity. Through Farmer Field Schools (FFS), farmers and extension officers have been learning to blend new technology with traditional wisdom to tackle issues like pest and biodiversity management, climate change and soil fertility.

Mr Jean Bosco Kamali, a Rwandan farmer, shared his appreciation for being part of this exchange.  He emphasized that “to participate in this learning journey was an amazing experience for me, spending a week traveling with people from these 5 countries has been very powerful. I have improved my knowledge, for example, in the use of biopesticides, my new friends from Zimbabwe, told us that they use garlic, an ingredient that we also have here but didn’t use for this purpose.”

Success stories and field visits
Over 50 farmers, extension and policy officers from Rwanda, the Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe participated in this event. Participants from Niger were unable to attend. The event comprised a two-day exchange in the capital Kigali, where each country presented its activities, followed by discussions and networking; and a three-day tour of project-FFS across three districts.

Participants witnessed live how biodiversity-friendly practices are being implemented by the farmers in Rwanda, and the positive impact for the FFS members and their communities. From water conservation, intercropping and mulching to composting and the production and use of biopesticides and organic fertilizers, the project has contributed to higher yields and incomes.

Mr Richard Niyomugabo, Coordinator of the MEAs Project in Rwanda highlighted that “the interactions were really enriching. Delegates were super interested during the FFS demonstrations, they listened carefully, asked relevant questions and also shared their experiences about how they are applying the same practices in their own countries”.

The future
An FFS expert from Zimbabwe, Mr Obert Maminimini, emphasized that collectively “we achieved something that is not common, we manage to bring together the most important people from our projects - the farmers. We are creating a community between countries and regions, experiencing cross learning.  We have many plans in common, we hope we can keep the network going, learning from each other.”

The Learning Journey was a fantastic platform for farmers, extension officers and policymakers to network, exchange knowledge and build lasting relationships. The event fostered participatory and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, farmer-to-farmer connections and informed the development of national roadmaps to take the work forward.