LVEMP II News
Rwanda
Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (Phase II) Issue No 010 January-March 2017
Quarterly Online Newsletter
LVEMP II RWANDA paticipates in the LVBCON2017 and the regional exhibition; an opportunity to learn and exchange best practices from others. The exhibition yields positive feedback
Many lessons from
MWANZA
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
Editorial Content
Dear Readers, It is our great pleasure to bring to you this new edition of our online newsletter. Our quarterly Newsletter brings you hands-on information about our interventions in the protection of the Lake Victoria basin in Rwanda and the improvement of lives of communities who depend on them. Through our work, we target degraded hotspots in the basin and focus on priority areas for the benefit of communities, the country and region in general.
United for Lake Victoria .....
Through this newsletter, we look at some of the key achievements realized under the Project interventions- with a special focus on watershed management. Other achievements in the areas of livelihoods improvements, pollution control and the promotion of resource efficiency, among others, will be tackled in the next issues of this newsletter. We also look at the recently concluded Lake Victoria Basin Environmental Research and Scientific Conference (LVBCON2017) which was held in Mwanza, Tanzania. Through this newsletter, we look at what transpired in the conference and what were its key outcomes.
Lessons from Mwanza .......
P6
Notably, we shall also hear from our beneficiaries who travelled all the way to Mwanza, Tanzania, to participate in the regional exhibition by EAC Member States- the same countries which share the Lake Victoria Basin and which are implementing the LVEMP II Project. The individuals will share their experiences, lessons and memories from the exhibition. As we approach the completion of this important Project, we take this time to extend our appreciation to everyone who continues to support us in our efforts to protect the Lake Victoria Basin environment in Rwanda – and across the region- and in the quest to improve community livelihoods. More news and information on the project activities and interventions are available on our website: www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw.Together let’s continue to work for sustainably managed resources which benefit our communities.
Tracking the LVEMP II Progress: Focus on watershed management .....................................
Connect with Us
Enjoy the read.
Annette Sylvie MUHAYIMANA Project Coordinator
https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
LVEMP II RWANDA
2
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
e n i l Connect with O us n Visit www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw to learn more about the work of Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project, Phase II in Rwanda
The online presence is a step further to raise awareness about our work, ensure timely dissemination of information and encourage interaction and participation with and between our stakeholders, partners and the general public. The platform is also a one-stop source of information about our work in Rwanda and a channel to document and disseminate our best practices
Our website is available both in Kinyarwanda and English to help reach our diverse audiences. It’s also available on mobile devices. Through the webpage, you can read the latest news and access the recent videos and photos of our work in Rwanda. Don’t forget to give us feedback through our comments and contacts sections. Also download various documents related to our work; all that in a SIMPLE CLICK.
3 https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
LVEMP II RWANDA
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
United for Lake Victoria
A section of Heads of Delegations from EAC Partner States after the adoption of the resolutions of the Lake Victoria Environmental Research & Scientific Conference (LVBCON2017) in Mwanza, Tanzania https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
LVEMP II RWANDA
4
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
Standing together for the Lake Victoria Basin Fact:
The Lake Victoria Basin covers an area of 21, 362 Km2 or over 81% of Rwanda’s total surface area. The area is also equivalent to approximately 11% of the total area of the LVB.
The Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) Eng. Coletha U. Ruhamya, who headed the Rwandan delegation to the conference, signs the LVBCON Resolutions
East African Community Partner States have re-affirmed their commitment to keep working together to ensure that resources of the Lake Victoria Basin are well managed and benefits communities within the basin.
The conference, which centered on the Lake Victoria Basin, was held under the theme: “Harnessing Science and Research for Improved collaborative management of Trans-boundary resources in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB)”.
Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are implementing the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase Two (LVEMP II) whose aim is to improve the environmental management of selected degraded sub-catchments for the benefits of communities who depend on the natural resources of the Lake Victoria Basin.
The 23 resolutions that came out of the Mwanza Conference called for continued regional cooperation and collaboration in the management of the basin resources.
The resolution to continue working for the protection of the basin and the improvement of livelihoods of riparian communities was reached following a two day Environmental Research and Scientific Conference (LVBCON2017) that was held in Mwanza, Tanzania, from 15-16 February 2017.
Participants in the conference called for Partner States to “upscale the community-based and community driven approaches for sustainable watershed management, environmental conservation and livelihood improvement in the basin” and to “put in place adequate and innovative measures to conserve ecologically and biologically significant areas such as wetlands, fish breeding sites, biodiversity hotspots among others in the basin for posterity”.
The conference also called for continued capacity building for regional institutions, strengthened partnerships, and technology uptake in the management of trans-boundary resources and innovative pollution prevention and control strategies as well as in the control of water hyacinth, among others. The delegates also recommended cleaner production and resource efficient technologies as a strategy to curb industrial pollution in the basin. The conference, which also saw the presentation of over 45 scientific papers, also concluded that the campaign to save Lake Victoria needs firm political commitment and more resources. *Read the full resolutions of the meeting on our website: http://bit.ly/2o6HY3I *For more photos of the event, visit our flickr page: LVEMP II RWANDA
5 https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
LVEMP II RWANDA
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
Lessons from Mwanza
LVEMP II RWANDA participates in the regional exhibitions by EAC Member States. During the exhibition held in Mwanza, Tanzania, from 15-16 February 2017, our beneficiaties got an opportunity to showcase their activities and interact with communities, scientists, politicians, academicians and decision makers on ways of improving what they do. Read what the Rwandan exhibitors learnt from the expo on PAGE 7
https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
LVEMP II RWANDA
6
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
Lessons from Mwanza
LVEMP II Rwanda facilitated 3 beneficiaries from different Community Driven Development sub-projects (CDDs) to participate in the regional exhibition as a way of showcasing their activities and learning from others. In this story, the three individuals share their experiences and what they learnt from the Mwanza regional exhibition. Excerpts:
Vinant NIZEYIMANA KOTWIMA (pinneaple production)
I have realized that hard work and tirelessness are two important qualities in the quest to improved lives. I have learnt that we must continue to invest all our efforts in our pineapple project to ensure that we continue to produce more and that it uplifts our living condition. To the members of my cooperative, I take one message: that hard work pays and that if we want to live better we should fully invest ourselves in it.
Vestine MUSABYEMARIYA
KODUHARU
(potato seeds multiplication)
Participating in this exhibition helped me to acquire new knowledge and on doing things in a better way. Once back home, I will share what I acquired with other members of the cooperative and undoubtedly things are going to change: it will no longer be business as usual. Here, I have learnt that it takes hard work to develop and that we need to invest ourselves in what we do if we want to develop. I have also learnt of new techniques to connect with markets to ensure that whatever we produce can be bought on time and at a reasonable price.
The exhibition was a unique opportunity to learn how we can improve on what we do. Particularly, I have learnt ways of improving the production and marketing our products. From here, I go home convinced that we have the potential to transform our lives, increase our production, and improve our living conditions. I have realized that there are a lot of untapped opportunities within our reach which, unfortunately, we are not fully exploiting. I have been able to learn from other exhibitors and we have connected, two things I believe will act in our efforts to improve our livelihoods. Jean d’Amour UWIDUHAYE JAVECO (vegetable production) 7
https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
LVEMP II RWANDA
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
Investing in welfare creation
LEFT: DG/REMA Eng. Coletha Ruhamya hands over a cow to one of the beneficiaries as Mayor muzuka looks on; RIGHT: Some of the cows that were handed over to the beneficiaries in Huye District
As part of its flagship programme on livelihoods improvement and in support to the country’s One-Cowper-family programme (GIRINKA), Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase Two (LVEMP II) has donated 33 cows to two vegetable cooperatives in Huye District.
nities to welcome the animals.
The two cooperatives, based in Kigoma and Simbi Sectors of Huye District, received a financial and technical support from LVEMP II Project to implement modern vegetable production projects as part of the support to Community Driven Development Subprojects (CDDs). The ceremony to hand over the cows was held on January 26, 2017 in Huye District and was presided over by Eng. Coletha U. Ruhamya, Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) and Huye District Mayor Kayiranga Eugene Muzuka.
“It is our great honour to support livelihoods transformation initiatives. We believe that these cows will bring positive changes within the lives of beneficiaries,” observed Eng. RUHAMYA, the Director General of REMA.
Apart from the two vegetable cooperative, LVEMP II also supports 5 other cooperatives involved in modern farming and animal husbandry in huye District. All combined, the 7 cooperatives received grants of Rwf 99,717,758.
“We will continue to invest our efforts and resources in projects that improve community life because human beings remain at the heart of environment. Hence, when human beings live better, the pressure on environment reduces and our natural resources prosper,” Eng. RUHAMYA added.
Supporting communities living in LVEMP II Intervention areas is part of the project core mission of improving the management of natural resources for the benefits of communities who depend on it, as it has been proven that investing in life improvement projects reduces community pressure on natural resources and leads to far better lives. Countrywide, the project supports 53 Cooperatives in 12 Districts.
The mood was all in pomp and glamour as the beneficiaries- grouped under Imbere Heza Karambi and Twite Ku Bidukikije Twiteza Imbere cooperatives- joined local commuhttps://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
Involved in modern vegetable production (tomatoes, Onion, Egg plants and carrots) both cooperatives- with 100 members combinedhave received a total of Rwf 33, 784 542 in grant to implement their activities.
Huye District Mayor Kayiranga Muzuka Eugene pledged that the District will do all it takes to ensure that the cows - and other invest-
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
ments made by LVEMP II- are safeguarded and fully benefit communities. Once the cows start delivering, the beneficiaries will pass on the heifers to other members of the community thus impacting the lives of many individuals.
LVEMP II RWANDA
8
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
Tracking the Progress W a t e r s h e d
M a n a g e m e n t
As the LVEMP II Project draws closer to its completion, we look at some of the project’s key achievements. In this first episode, we focus on watershed management activities.
Rukarara riverbanks have been rehabilitated and restored with bamboos and reeds. The river, a major tributary of Nyabarongo, faced degradation over the past years. Its waters, which are used to generate electricity and to support agriculture plays a major role in the lives of riparian communities
Our watershed management protection-which includes establishing radical and progressive terraces on hillside areas, agro-forestry, protection of riverbanks, lakes and wetlands, among others- focus on 12 priority Districts in the Lake Victoria Basin in Rwanda: Ngoma, Bugesera (East), Rulindo, Gakenke (North), Muhanga, Ruhango, Nyanza, Huye, Kamonyi, Nyamagabe (South), Ngororero and Karongi (West). Under these interventions, over 5004.5 hectares of land have been rehabilitated (are under sustainable land management practices) and 244 hectares of degraded wetlands restored in areas located in the Lake Victoria Basin in Rwanda. Our focus is being put on land restoration, hillside protection, wetland rehabilitation, promotion of agro-forestry, and riverbanks protection for the benefits of communities in target areas. This component has also contributed to the creation of an estimated 10,000 green jobs, which contributed to livelihoods improvement in targeted areas. In Rwanda, the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) is defined by the extent of the Akagera River catchment and covers an area of 21, 362 Km2 or 11% of the total area of the LVB 9 https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
LVEMP II RWANDA
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
Tracking the progress in Watershed Management Wetland restoration In its contribution to wetland restoration, LVEMPII Rwanda focused on Rweru wetland by establishment and rehabilitation of the wetland’s buffer zone on 144Ha in Ngoma and Bugesera Districts. Today the level of water has risen and biodiversity improved. Agriculture productivity in the neighboring lands has improved mainly as a result of the introduction of irrigation activities in the areaand so the community welfare. Riverbanks protection 501.7 Hectares (250.85Km) have been protected, mainly along Nyabarongo River and its main tributaries. This has reduced the siltation and pollution of rivers as well as stopped the collapse of unprotected riverbanks due to flooding and river deterioration.
Water Hyacinth control Soil and water conservation structures
Lake Rweru -a transboundary lake shared by Rwanda and Burundilong tended to disappear due to uncontrolled water hyacinth. Using manual removal techniques, LVEMP II cleared 100 hectares of the lake from the invasive weeds as part of efforts to stop its proliferation. Apart from contributing to the restoration of the Lake’s ecosystem, our water hyacinth control interventions also led to the creation of hundreds of jobs for local communities and a significant increase of fish stocks in the lake, as confirmed by fishers.
Through establishing radical and progressive terraces, and agro-forestry and fruit trees, LVEMP II worked to control erosion. Radical terraces were established on 269.7 hectares and progressive terraces on 4233 Ha in its intervention areas. This has reduced erosion and improved soil fertility- and thus the production capacity of farmers.
Local communities were also trained on composting the weeds to transform them into organic fertilisers- which contributed to increasing their agriculture yields. https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
LVEMP II RWANDA
10
numbers LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
Project Implementation in
The following is
a summary of the
5004.5 Number of hectares under sustainable land management (radical & progressive terraces and riverbanks rehabilitated)
25
project key achieve-
ments per indicators (as of March 2017), summarised in numbers:
The total number of Project Direct beneficiaries (36.9% are women)
De mmu ve ni p r und oje lopm ty Dr er cts ent ive in 1 impl (CD Sub n 2 D em Ds ist enta ) ric tio ts n
53
244
In ado dustr pte ies d h e cle fficie reso ave ane nc urc y r e pra prod and ctic uct es ion
7327
Co
Hectares of degraded wetlands rehabilitated by communities (Including water hyacinth removal on 100 Ha)
11 https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
LVEMP II RWANDA
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
LVEMP II Result Indicators (As of March 2017) INDICATOR
TARGET
PROGRESS
Number of hectares under sustainable land management practices in the targeted subcatchments
5000 Ha
5004.5 Ha of land were rehabilitated and are under sustainable sustainable management practices including land on protected riverbanks (501.7Ha or 250.85 Km) and buffer zones, established radical terraces (269.7 Ha) and progressive terraces (4233 ha) and agro-forestry.
4000
The number of direct project beneficiaries is 7327, exceeding the original target of 4,000. 36.9% of them are women
Target industries in the LVB adopting Cleaner Production Technologies
8
The target for 8 industries to adopt cleaner production techniques has already been exceeded. Currently, 25 Industries have adopted resource efficiency and cleaner production practices. 12 industries were awarded during the 2nd edition of RECP Awards
Number of hectares of degraded wetlands restored and/or rehabilitated by communities in targeted sub-catchments
200 Ha
244 ha (122% of the target) of degraded wetlands have been restored and rehabilitated by communities in Rweru subcatchments. They include 144 ha rehabilitated on Rweru Wetland and water Hyacinth removal on Lake Rweru completed on 100 ha
Percent of community natural resource management subprojects whose implementation is rated satisfactory or better in the targeted sub-catchments
60%
53 Community Driven Development Subprojects (CDDs) are under implementation in 12 Districts
Direct Project Beneficiaries
https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
LVEMP II RWANDA
12
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
This newsletter is a quarterly publication of the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase Two (LVEMP II), Rwanda Chapter. In Rwanda, the Project is implemented by Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA)
Connect with Us www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw @LVEMP2_Rwanda LVEMP2Rwanda LVEMP II Rwanda LVEMP II Rwanda
13 https://www.
www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
@LVEMP2_RWANDA
@LVEMP2RWANDA
LVEMP II RWANDA
@lvempii_rwanda
LVEMP II RWANDA