Banana farming

The banana farming project in Rwanda aims to improve the livelihood of local farmers near our Asyv solar plant.

The challenge

The solar plant is adjacent to the community and leases the land from the local school. A needs assessment revealed that complying with the Environmental Impact Assessment of relocating trees cut prior to site construction could also be an agriculture project for the community.

How we worked together

3 hectares of land were given to the community and 1,200 banana trees were planted – expected to be harvested in early 2022. The fruits are both kept by the households and also sold on the market. Other crops such as beans, potatoes and corns are also being planted. The farm is being managed by the farmers until 2030.

Key results

10

Farmers assisted

13

Thousand $ invested in the farming project

360

Current net savings of the farmers*$

10

Project monitored over 10 years
*The average monthly income in rural Rwanda in 2020 was $180 (RWF 187,000). Hence savings of $360 amount to 2-months income.

“We sincerely thank the site project owner for providing us the opportunity to improve our living conditions from utilising the land for food crops”.
– Byiringiro Anastase, local farmer

Asyv, Rwanda, 8.5 MW

Situated in the Rubona District, the solar plant provides energy to the national grid. The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) is the only utility scale solar plant in the country, and was the first large-scale solar plant to be constructed in Eastern Africa.