Kenyan President William Ruto and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, braved a rainy morning as they toured Rwanda Institute of Conservation Agriculture (RICA) in Bugesera District.
The state-of-the-art university located between two lakes, Kirimbi and Gaharwa sits on an area of 1,300 hectares with a number of buildings and fields used to offer hands-on skills to students in modern agriculture and research.
Established In 2019 By The American Philanthropist Howard G. Buffet In Collaboration With The Rwandan Government, it now hosts 3 cohorts of 84 students each with the first one to graduate in August 2023.
In a three-year program, RICA students earn a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Agriculture, with specialization in Animal Production or Crop Production, Mechanization and Food Processing.
In addition to that, they are also taught about business, management, entrepreneurship and communication.
Both presidents and their delegation toured around different facilities at the university including the laboratory and a Post-Harvest Handling Facility, as well shown how drone technology is used in driving modern farming at the school.
Richard Ferguson, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Extension and Research, RICA, explained to the two heads-of-states that agriculture is critical in Rwanda but productivity is not at its best level.
Agriculture employs the majority of Rwanda’s working population, formally or informally, yet it has struggled over different seasons in 2022 due to climate change that brought about longer dry spells and heavy rainfalls, thus derailing the expected production.
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