Elisabeth Ntashamaje is a maize and beans farmer from Mishenyi Village in Mushongi cell, Mpanga Sector of Kirehe District in the Eastern Province of Rwanda.
Ntashamaje, 46, is a member of Covamis, a local farmer organisation which joined FtMA platform to access its sustainable market opportunities while benefiting from good agricultural benefits.
Before, Ntashamaje like most of her fellow farmers in the area practiced intercropping where they mixed crops like maize, beans or sorghum using local varieties and without applying any fertilizers. This traditional practice limited production where on a hectare, she would harvest only 1.5 to 1.8 tonnes of maize and 0.2 to 0.3 tonnes of beans.
This changed after receiving training on Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) and Post harvest handling and storage (PHHS) from Rwanda Development Organisation (RDO) field officers. RDO as the implementing partner of FtMA trained farmers in their respective cooperatives.
After the trainings, Ntashamaje immediately put into practice the new skills by focusing on a single crop per plot of land, she used improved seeds as well as fertilizers both mineral and organic. Productivity also shot-up, today she harvests at least 6.5 tonnes of maize and 1.5 tonnes of beans per hectare.
“All my achievements are clear result of the training from RDO agronomists and FtMA who are always with us, giving ideas and lessons to increase production both in quality and quantity,” she said.
Productivity increased exponentially with good prices because FtMA linked Covamis cooperative to big buyers such as Africa Improved Foods (AIF) and East Africa Exchange (EAX), who always sign forward contracts.
Before joining the cooperative, maize production was priced at 100 -150 Rwf /kg while beans were at 150-200 Rwf/kg. As formal markets were gained prices increased, in Season 2023B she sold maize at 480 Rwf/kg and beans at 1,200 Rwf/kg.
Ntashamaje was able to earn Rwf3.3 million from maize and Rwf1.8 million from beans in the latest season as compared to Rwf270,000 from maize and Rwf45,000 from beans she used to earn before joining the cooperative.
From the new income, she has been able to improve livelihood for her family. She constructed a commercial building which she rents out, pays school fees for the children where the elder attends a private university.
Last year she bought land in Kayonza town where she plans to construct a commercial building as she increases her real estate interests.
