The 2012 RUFORUM Biennial Conference is the third in the series. The main objective of the Biennial conferences is to provide a platform for agricultural research for development stakeholders in Africa and beyond to actively exchange findings and experiences, while at the same time learning lessons towards improving performance of the agricultural sector and ultimately people’s livelihoods. The biennial conference is RUFORUM’s most comprehensive meeting for the diversity of stakeholers in agriculture. It is especially dedicated to graduate students and their supervisors, grantees in RUFORUM member universities and alumni. It is a platform for peer review, quality control, mentorship, networking and shared learning. The third Biennial Conference was attended by 657 participants.This record contains an extended abstract accepted under the Cross Cutting theme
Changes in Farming Practices in the Lake Kivu Basin
Abstract:
Provinces of eastern D.R. Congo are going through a period of
political instability which has impacted negatively on the way
smallholder farmers manage natural resources. This has
contributed to increased degradation of Lake Kivu water and
its productivity. The Lake supports a range of pelagic fish
species that provides currently animal proteins to people within
the basin. Its instability will therefore contribute to increased
poverty, food insecurity and will exacerbate more conflicts over
resources. This study aimed at determining changes in farming
practices in the Lake Kivu basin in the last twenty years. A
total of 200 households were interviewed using a semi-structured
questionnaire. Preliminary results show that crop cultivation
remained the major farming activity in Lake Kivu Basin; while
livestock rearing, fishing and small businesses activities had
significantly declined after the war. Other causes of the decline
in livestock rearing included pest and diseases and the increased
level of poverty in the region.
Les provinces de l’Est de la République Démocratique du Congo
traversent une période d’instabilité politique avec un impact
négatif sur la gestion des ressources naturelles par les paysans.
Ceci a contribué à l’accroissement de la dégradation des eaux
du Lac Kivu et leur productivité. Le Lac supporte un spectre
des poissons pélagiques qui fournissent présentement des
protéines animales à la population au sein du basin. L’instabilité
du Lac contribuera alors a l’augmentation de la pauvreté,
l’insécurité alimentaire et exacerbera l’émergence des conflits
autour des ressources. Cette étude visait à déterminer les
changements dans les pratiques agricoles dans le bassin du
Lac Kivu dans les 20 dernières années. Ainsi un total de 200
ménages ont été interviewées au moyen d’un questionnaire
d’enquête semi-structure. Les résultats préliminaires montrent
qu’après la guerre l’agriculture est demeurée l’activité principale
dans le bassin du Lac Kivu; les activités d’élevage, de pêche et
les petits business ont baissé considérablement. Les autres
causes de ce déclin inclus les pestes et les maladies, les vols,
augmentation du niveau de la pauvreté dans la région.
Language:
English
Extended abstracts submitted under the Cross Cutting theme
Date of publication:
2012
Country:
Collection:
RUFORUM Conferences and Workshops
Agris Subject Categories:
Agrovoc terms:
Licence conditions:
Open Access
Access restriction:
Form:
Printed resource
Publisher:
Notes:
