Manitoba farmers, Jill and Ryan Martens, recently travelled to the African country of Rwanda with the Canadian Foodgrains bank for a three-week study tour.

The two cousins from Boissevain were the only two Manitobans to join the 12-person team to learn more about food security, agriculture in Rwanda and the mission to end world hunger. The team consisted of fellow farmers from across Canada, as well as employees of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and a few journalists.

“It was very interesting to get to interact with farmers from all over the country,” says Jill Martens, “and then to represent our country and the organization of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank to the people who are working in Rwanda. So, it was a very meaningful experience.”

Martens explained the main concept of the study tour. “The purpose of this trip was to connect the donors of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank to the recipients in Rwanda; those people who are benefiting from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank work. So, a message from the Rwanda relief beneficiaries to Canadian Foodgrains Bank supporters is a resounding ‘thank you and please keep supporting us and know that the work that you are doing is really making a difference.’

The team visited a number of project sites in Rwanda, including the Mennonite Central Committee’s project.

According to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank website, Mennonite Central Committee Canada is supporting Evangelical Friends Church of Rwanda with a 3-year agriculture and livelihoods project in eight districts. The decline in soil fertility, reduction in crop yields, erosion and the extreme variations in rainfall, have resulted in great difficulty for families in these areas to produce enough food to sustain their households on a consistent basis. The project supports 960 farmers and their families (approximately 4,800 people) and is worth $360,000. By adopting conservation agriculture strategies, they have been able to improve their soils, better retain moisture and increase the productivity and profitability of their farmland.

Martens said the country of Rwanda has recovered from the horrors of genocide from 20 years ago. “It’s almost a miracle. They say it takes about 3 generations to get over genocide and it’s been about only 2 generations. But the country is very peaceful. There is a military presence but it is a very peaceful and safe country right now.”

With respect to the extreme drought and the very high population, three specific projects were visited that focused on conservation agriculture and nutrition.

Rwanda has a population density of about 445 people per square kilometre resulting in some 11.6 million people in a country that is 23,338 SQ km; this, in comparison to our Westman Area in Manitoba of 27,242 SQ km with a population of some 109,000 people.

Jill and Ryan will be sharing their experience through pictures and stories of what they witnessed and learned through the study tour. Jill says they were very well received in Minnedosa where they held a recent presentation, and they are excited to be sharing in their home community of Boissevain.

“I would love it if people could come out to see our pictures and hear our stories so we can share our experiences with the community and share the messages that the Rwandan beneficiaries have been eager to share with their Canadian supporters.”

 

The Martens cousins will be holding a presentation tonight, at the Boissevain Canadian Foodgrains Bank fundraising event at the Boissevain Mennonite Brethren Church at 7pm.