CIBITOKE, August 30th (ABP) – As part of the “Kugwiza project” initiative for accelerated dissemination of agricultural innovations in the Great Lakes region, implemented by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and run by the NGO ACORD, 600 laying hens and concentrates for their two-week feed were distributed on 27 August 2024 to 167 vulnerable households and two cooperatives in the communes of Buganda and Rugombo, in Cibitoke province.
Dr Noé Niyoncuti, veterinary officer at the BPEAE Cibitoke, urged the beneficiaries of those poultry to take good care of them, to ensure their good health and increased production. He reminded them to report any illnesses or abnormalities they noticed in their chickens.
He also emphasized the need to fatten the hens, to produce more meat and plenty of eggs to eat and give to their offspring, in order to eradicate malnutrition and poverty.
The provincial coordinator of ACORD in Cibitoke, Michel Ruriryanino, added that the donation of hens was aimed at improving the food security and nutrition of the beneficiary families. He told ABP that in the livestock sector, the Kugwiza project has supported the province in capacity building in relation to artificial insemination using natural heat, vaccination against theileriosis, and the dissemination of nutrient-rich modern fodder crops.
On the agricultural front, the same official spoke of the project’s support for the dissemination and adoption of agricultural innovations, such as improved seeds, which has taken place in the communes of Mugina, Rugombo and Buganda, we were told.
The same source pointed out that this project, which is being carried out by ACORD in the provinces of Cibitoke, Kayanza and Ngozi, is working on the coaching and training of poor people, with the aim of improving food security and nutrition, as well as reducing poverty in a number of households.