Rwandan woman farmer turns better farming into family prosperity

For Nyirahabimana Vestine, a mother of four from Giseke Village in Ndora Sector, Gisagara District, the transformation began with learning how to manage money, set family goals and invest in productive activities.

A member of Urumuri Cyamukuza Cooperative, which grows maize and vegetables, including peppers and eggplants, Nyirahabimana previously relied on crop farming, livestock rearing and small-scale trading to support her family.

Despite working on her own farm and participating in cooperative activities, she struggled to determine whether her efforts were profitable. Income from different activities was combined without proper records, making it difficult to track expenditure, assess profits or decide where to invest.

Her situation began to change in 2024 when she joined the Joint Programme on Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE), which provided training in financial management and the Gender Action Learning System (GALS).

The training helped her understand the importance of setting financial goals, keeping records and making investment decisions based on the performance of individual income-generating activities.

Previously, even hiring workers to cultivate large fields did not guarantee that she could assess her annual financial progress. “We could cultivate a large field and hire workers, but the year would end without knowing whether we had progressed or lost money. The training completely changed the way we think,” she said.

Financial planning drives investment

Nyirahabimana shared the knowledge with her husband, enabling them to develop a common vision for their family’s future and make household financial decisions together.

They began keeping separate records for farming, livestock and trading, helping them identify profitable activities and determine where additional investment would generate better returns.

Through savings activities within the cooperative, the couple established practical financial targets and worked towards achieving them.

Their first major goal was to buy a motorcycle that would enable her husband to earn additional income as a motor-taxi operator while making it easier to transport agricultural produce to markets.

Through disciplined saving and financial planning, they achieved the goal within two years. They subsequently purchased additional land for farming.

The family also invested in a dairy cow and installed a household water tank, demonstrating how better financial management can support productive assets and improve living conditions.

Another important change concerns borrowing. Previously, loans from the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) could be spent on household consumption, making repayment difficult.

Nyirahabimana and her husband now prioritise planned investments in income-generating activities and maintain financial records to monitor their performance.

She has also started sharing the knowledge with fellow cooperative members, encouraging them to improve financial management and use their resources more effectively.

The experience highlights the importance of combining access to savings and credit with financial literacy, particularly for rural households that depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Better farming improves productivity

Beyond financial management, Nyirahabimana has adopted improved agricultural practices that have increased productivity on her farm. Through learning activities associated with JP RWEE, she acquired knowledge of appropriate crop spacing, improved seed selection and better farm management.

She says these practices have helped her improve maize and vegetable production, including under difficult weather conditions.

“Before, I could harvest about 200 kilograms per hectare and think I had done well. Now, after learning proper spacing and improved practices, I can harvest up to one tonne, even during drought,” she said.

Her experience illustrates how agricultural knowledge can help farmers make better use of their land and improve production despite climate-related challenges. However, sustaining these gains also requires access to quality seeds, agricultural extension services and climate-resilient farming practices.

From cooperative member to model farmer

Nyirahabimana’s progress attracted the attention of the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), which selected her as a model farmer to participate in research and foundation seed multiplication. RAB also provided seeds to support the initiative.

She now supplies high-quality maize and vegetable seeds to farmers in her community, creating an additional economic opportunity while helping other producers access improved planting materials.

Her experience demonstrates how rural women can move beyond producing crops for household consumption and become agricultural knowledge providers and suppliers within their communities.

The cooperative has played an important role in this transformation by providing a platform for members to exchange experiences, learn together and adopt better farming and financial management practices.

For Nyirahabimana, the greatest transformation extends beyond higher yields and increased income. By participating actively in the cooperative, farming together, learning together and saving with other members, she has gained confidence and strengthened her leadership.

She has become a source of guidance for other farmers and now shares knowledge with her family and neighbours, encouraging them to adopt better practices and improve their livelihoods.

She believes that greater progress can be achieved when women and men participate together in household development.

“When both husband and wife receive the training, they share the same vision for their family’s future. They make decisions together, and the household develops much faster,” she said.

Her experience highlights the importance of involving both spouses in financial planning and agricultural decision-making. Shared goals can help households manage resources more effectively, make productive investments and build a stronger economic foundation.

As the world marks the International Year of the Woman Farmer, Nyirahabimana’s journey demonstrates how women’s economic empowerment can contribute to agricultural transformation and rural development.

Her progress also shows that improving agricultural livelihoods requires more than increasing production. Financial literacy, collective action, productive investment and access to agricultural knowledge can help farming households turn their labour into measurable economic gains.

Today, Nyirahabimana is not only improving her family’s future but also helping other farmers adopt better practices. Her journey demonstrates how knowledge can build confidence, collective action can create opportunities, and empowered women can become catalysts for change in their communities.

For rural women in Rwanda, such opportunities can strengthen household resilience, expand participation in agricultural markets and contribute to more sustainable food production and rural prosperity.