Rwanda's Nasho Solar-powered irrigation project to boost productivity

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, recently inaugurated the Nasho Solar-powered irrigation project that includes pivot irrigation systems serving 2099 small scale farmers, with a capacity of 3.3MW to power the irrigation system, with 2.4 MW battery storage and a model village of 144 houses.

Funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Nasho irrigation project, worth $54m, was established with objectives to improve on-farm productivity by providing electricity to pump water and reduce the burden from farmers.

“Agriculture and conservation have come together to make a big difference for so many lives, not just benefiting by receiving handouts but receiving best practice, different inputs from the investments that Howard you have made,” Kagame said.

In addition to the solar project, about 24km of existing roads within the project area were widened, 10 km of new roads created easing installation of irrigation systems as well as transportation of inputs and produce.