Rwanda: School dropout reaps millions from horticulture

To his peers and village mates, he is ‘Mr Greenhouse’. One gets to fully understand why residents call Xavier Baributsa, a resident of Nyakariro sector, Rwamagana in Eastern province, ‘Mr Greenhouse’ only when they visit his farm. There is no doubt that Baributsa has taken horticulture farming to another level as he has embraced use of greenhouses and irrigation to ensure production throughout the year. But there is more to the self-taught horticulture farmer.

Baributsa says after dropping out of school, he resorted to tilling the land.

“This was the only way to sustain life, but also be able to share the same table with colleagues that continued with their education after he dropped out. However, his journey into farming wasn’t straight as he started out as a farm worker, tilling people’s land to earn a living.

“From all this, I was able to get experience and knowledge that I used to start my own farming business as an independent horticulture producer,” he points out.

The farmer says he had, by then bought a two-hectare piece of land using his savings. His previous experience managing other people’s farms came in handy to plough through the initial stage of the project. “The beginning was difficult especially because I lacked key resources and funds,” he says, adding that he was inspired by the need to improve his livelihood despite the poor educational background.

Read more at The New Times