Datasource:
Seasonal Agricultural Survey
Period:
September, 2016 to December, 2017
The 2017 Seasonal Agricultural Survey (SAS) covers the agricultural seasons for the year 2017 in Rwanda. The datasource is expected to cover three agricultural seasons (A, B and C) for the year 2017 in Rwanda
Crop area
The results of the 2017 USAS indicate that the four Season A main cultivated crops are bananas at 237,849 ha is the largest planted crop but this estimate is a 26% decrease in cultivated area compared with the 2016 crop estimates, the second largest crop is Beans at 268,095 ha but this is a 2% decrease in cultivated area from 2016A, Cassava at 219,845 ha is the third largest crop and a 24% increase in cultivated area from 2016A, while Maize are the fourth largest cultivated crop at 210,609 ha which is a 23% increase from 2016 estimates. The district with the largest overall Season A crop cultivated area was Nyagatare at 98,375 ha, the second largest was Kirehe at 73,691 ha, and the third largest was Gatsibo at 70,296 ha.
For 2017 Season B the four largest main cultivated crops are beans at 276,435 ha are the largest planted crops and this estimate is a 18% increase from the 2016 estimates, Bananas at 226,472 ha are the second largest crops and it is a 27% decrease from 2016 B estimates, cassava at 164,529 ha is the third largest but a 41% decrease in area from 2016 B estimates, and the sorghum is the fourth largest cultivated crop at 112,694 ha which is a 13% decrease from 2016. The district with the largest overall Season B crop cultivated area was Nyagatare at 78,232 ha, the second largest was Kirehe at 71,047 ha, and the third largest was Gatsibo at 67,927 ha.
Season C is a small crop season in Rwanda focused on cooler season crops. The crop with the largest cultivated area is Irish potatoes estimated at 8,526 ha which is a 1% increase from the 2016 crop year estimate, sweet potatoes at 7,609 ha is the second largest cultivated area and this is a 4% decrease from 2016, and vegetables are the third largest crop at 3,525 ha which is 45% decrease in cultivated area from 2016 estimates. The district with the largest overall Season C crop cultivated area was Musanze at 4,044 ha, the second largest was Gisagara at 2,952 ha, and the third largest was Nyabihu at 2,927 ha.
Production
Results of the 2017 USAS indicate that in terms of production grown in Season A, Paddy rice was 55,215 MT, a 12% increase from the 2016 production estimates, sweet potatoes were 574,500 MT, a 14% increase from the 2016 production estimate and cassava was 451,362 MT, a 11% increase from 2016 estimates and cooking banana was 415,868 MT which is a 10% increase from the 2016 Season A estimates while maize production of 324,368 MT was increased 8% from the 2016 estimates of Season A production.
During 2017 Season B in terms of production grown, cassava was 590,481 MT, a 13% increase from the 2016 production estimates, sweet potatoes were 483,898 MT, a 23% increase from 2016 estimates, and Irish potatoes were 398,934 MT, a 29% increase from 2016 estimates. Season C in Rwanda is quite different as to the crops grown and in 2017.
Season C, many crops undergo a decrease of production where vegetables decreased by 60%, legumes and pulses by 21%, and tubers and roots by 2 % but it should be noted that bush bean and sweet potato individually increased respectively by 6% and 3 % by comparing with 2016 season C production estimates.
Irrigation practices
In Rwanda during Season A the SSF only irrigates overall 4% of all cultivated plots, however, this is heavily influenced by virtually no usage of irrigation on the crop hillside and rangeland stratum cropland while the marshland strata farmers practice irrigation on 26% of their cultivated plots.
During Season A the SSF overall used surface irrigation on three-quarters of their irrigated cropland versus 90% of the LSF irrigated cropland. The LSF use sprinkler irrigation on 8% of their irrigated cropland versus 5% of the SSF in the hillside strata. The remaining portion of SSF irrigation utilizes traditional methods on 57% of the hillside, 13% of the marshland, and 100% of the rangeland stratum while LSF have reported use of the traditional methods on only 1% of their irrigated cropland.
Anti-erosion activities
During the 2017 Season A the SSF reported to have practiced erosion control on two-thirds of their cropland which is only slightly less than the 69% of cropland that erosion control practices are utilized by the LSF. However, erosion control is practiced at a lesser extent by the SSF in the rangeland strata at only 23% of the cropland having reported a control applied.
Twenty-one districts are estimated to have xv erosion controls applied to 60% or more their cropland. Only Nyagatare and Kirehe at 48% report erosion controls used on less than half their cropland land. The methods of erosion control vary widely but cover plants/grasses are the major erosion control method practiced by SSF at 54% of the cropland reported utilizing a control method.