Author: richardbferguson

Observations from Rwanda: May 25, 2023

Construction workers repair leaking waterproof lining on Muhazi House, a First Year student residence, on the campus of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). In the center in the background is an African Fish Eagle in a tree on the shore of Lake Kilimbi. A RICA center pivot irrigated field of soybean is on the hill in the background. April 29, 2023.
A bumblebee preparing to land on a Senna Tree bloom on the RICA campus. April 10, 2023.
A Southern Red Bishop vocalizing early morning. Unfortunately the focus jumps in and out a bit, but hopefully the sound comes through, along with other birds in the background. RICA campus, April 29, 2023.
Monkeys on the RICA campus, with construction sound in the background. April 29, 2023.
RICA students practicing tractor driving – learning to back a trailer. April 29, 2023.
Male Pin-Tailed Whydah – RICA campus. April 29, 2023.
Common Waxbill, RICA campus. April 29, 2023.
A White-Browed Coucal, and Rueppell’s Starling, foraging and vocalizing late afternoon after a rain. At about 90 seconds in the video, the descending/ascending trill is the call of the White-Browed Coucal. April 29, 2023.

Observations from Rwanda: April 10, 2023

Visit to the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) by President Kagame of Rwanda and President Ruto of Kenya. April 5, 2023.
View over Lake Kilimbi from Kilimbi House, the new Vice Chancellor residence at RICA. April 2, 2023.
A worker brings cabbages from the Vegetable and Fruit Enterprise fields to RICA’s cafeteria. March 29, 2023.
RICA landscaping workers are gradually replacing landscape species in some areas of campus with plants that better protect against erosion and are easier to care for. Fields on the hill in the background are center-pivot irrigated, used for maize and soybean production. March 29, 2023.
A RICA 3rd Year student presents her poster describing her capstone project to a faculty review team. 3rd Year students have completed one term of their internship with a host company in Rwanda. They will spend one more term in their internship placement before graduation in August. April 4, 2023.
Black-headed Heron perched on an acacia tree, RICA campus. April 8, 2023.
Southern Red Bishop. RICA campus. March 26, 2023.
Evening rainbow over the RICA Howard G. Buffett Campus Center. April 4, 2023.

Observations from Rwanda: March 12, 2023

Overlooking Lake Kilimbi from the entrance roundabout for the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). The Howard G. Buffett Campus Center is the building in the foreground. The village of Kayovu is on the hilltop across the lake. February 5, 2023.
Using a RICA research plot combine as a stationary sheller for hand-harvested maize. February 11, 2023.
Feeding maize ears into the combine. February 11, 2023.
Unloading shelled maize grain at the RICA grain & feed center, where it will be cleaned and run through the dryer before storing in the bin. February 11, 2023.
RICA students competing on the newly completed football pitch. February 5, 2023.
Four-toed elephant shrew, brought to us by our cat Little Bit. Unfortunately she dispatched it before bringing it in, so it was not much fun to play with. March 1, 2023.
Teresa and I on the patio of our home, Burera House, at RICA. March 4, 2023.
Waiting in line to fill water jugs, Mwendo village near RICA. February 19, 2023.
Yellow-billed ducks on Lake Gaharwa near RICA. March 11, 2023.
Pied Kingfishers with a meal, perched on a papyrus branch on the shore of Lake Gaharwa near RICA. March 11, 2023.
Learning to eat maize, RICA campus. March 4, 2023.
View from my office door down the administrative wing of the RICA Campus Center.
Milking time – Kagasa village, near RICA. February 19, 2023.
Children from Kayovu village watching activity at the newly completed RICA recreation center. February 12, 2023.
Three-banded Plover, Lake Gaharwa. March 11, 2023.
Ants crossing the Peninsula Road, RICA. Lines of apparently millions of ants on the move are common. March 11, 2023.
Hamerkop taking off from the shore of Lake Gaharwa. March 11, 2023.
Bicycle taxi on the Peninsula Road through RICA. March 11, 2023.

Observations from Rwanda: January 30, 2023

Setting sun illuminates rain clouds over Lake Kilimibi, with the campus of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) in the foreground. January 2, 2023.
Arrow-marked Babblers. RICA Campus. December 31, 2022.
Cardinal Quelea. RICA Campus. December 31, 2022.
RICA student basketball game, Cohort 2 vs Cohort 3. Cohort 3 won. Senna trees, with yellow flowers in the background, are currently in bloom. January 20, 2023.
Bananas in a farmer’s field across Lake Gaharwa from RICA. January 2, 2023.
Igonde (Sesamum angolense), a common plant on the RICA campus – December 31, 2022.
Our cat, Little Bit, with a friend she brought in to play. December 27, 2022.
Trying out the grain dryer, with newly harvested soybeans, in RICA’s grain and feed center for the first time. January 18, 2023.
RICA kitchen staff grill goat brochettes for lunch. January 13, 2023.
Roan antelope, Akagera National Park. January 14, 2023.
African Fish Eagle. Akagera National Park. January 14, 2023.
Cape Buffalo. Akagera National Park. January 14, 2023.
Zebra. Akagera National Park. January 14, 2023.
Butterflies on elephant dung. Akagera National Park. January 14, 2023.
Warthog. Akagera National Park. January 14, 2023.
Lilac-breasted Roller. Akagera National Park. January 14, 2023.
Giraffe. Akagera National Park. January 14, 2023.

Observations from Rwanda: December 10, 2022

Fishermen on Lake Kilimibi, where the marsh joins with Lake Gaharwa near the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). October 16, 2022.
Grasshopper on a cassava plant, on the peninsula between Lakes Kilimbi and Gaharwa. October 16, 2022.
First Year RICA students learning carpentry skills, building poultry houses. October 21, 2022.
Learning basic carpentry. October 21, 2022.
Local cows headed to graze near Kagasa Village, near RICA. October 23, 2022.
RICA students enjoying a performance during Open Mike night – October 27, 2022.
Red-Chested Cuckoo. This bird is seasonal, and not around RICA all year. It often likes to ‘sing’ very early in the morning, sometimes going on for long periods with its repetitive call, which is much less musical than most birds at RICA, such as those you hear in the background. December 4, 2022.
First Year students of RICA building temporary fences for soon-to-arrive day old chicks. September 23, 2022.
Students and a dairy technologist milk early in the morning in RICA’s newly finished dairy enterprise milking parlor. December 5, 2022.
Members of RICA’s traditional dance troupe, Ingangi, perform during Cultural Night on campus. December 1, 2022.
A Fan-Tailed Widowbird on the RICA campus, perched on a Lantana bush. December 10, 2022.
Fan-Tailed Widowbird coming in to land. December 10, 2022.
Fumigating for bats at the RICA Campus Center. December 10, 2022.
Teresa and I with most, but not all, of RICA’s faculty during a retreat at Lake Muhazi. December 3, 2022.

Observations from Rwanda: October 16, 2022

The campus of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) in the background, looking across Lake Kilimbi from the road leading to Kayovu, the village across the lake. September marked the first time that RICA was at capacity for students, with approximately 250 students on campus. September 12 was the first day of classes for the 2022-2023 academic year. This photo was taken September 25, 2022.
RICA students and staff spent Umuganda Saturday in September (day of community service) picking up trash along RICA roads and helping with construction in the neighboring village of Kayovu. Here RICA students and staff help make mud bricks for house construction. September 24, 2022.
These kids helped pick up trash during Umuganda in Kayovu, then wanted their picture taken afterward. September 24, 2022.
Incoming RICA students during orientation on campus. August 31, 2022.
Some of RICA’s faculty following the Matriculation Ceremony for incoming students. September 9, 2022.
Newly planted maize plants emerging on one of RICA’s center pivot-irrigated fields for Season A, which will be harvested in January. September 17, 2022.
A RICA staff member working in the shop. September 28, 2022.
Dr. Chane, RICA’s biology lecturer, explaining the process of completing a lab notebook to 1st year students. September 22, 2022.
A family heads to the field on the road past RICA fields. September 17, 2022.
Casual laborers (hired by the day) weed one of RICA’s maize fields. October 6, 2022.
RICA 1st year students, with faculty direction, harvest maize planted by students in Practical Farming class last term. September 28, 2022.
A Marabou Stork in one of RICA’s fields. This is a very large bird, standing about 5 ft tall. September 30, 2022.
Watering RICA’s latest maize crop. October 2, 2022.
Scarecrow in a field of watermelon across Lake Gaharwa from RICA. October 15, 2022.
Second-year students, along with Crispin Kabeja, RICA Precision Agriculture Lecturer, grid soil sample a field using GPS receivers. October 6, 2022.
RICA’s mostly complete central campus, taken from a center pivot-irrigated maize field looking east. October 15, 2022.

Observations from Rwanda: September 25, 2022

The majority of the month of August was a break between academic years at the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). Consequently, most students were away from campus, and the academic calendar took a break as well. In mid-August to early September Teresa and I welcomed our family for a visit, and we spent a couple of weeks touring around Rwanda as well as on the RICA campus. This photo is from Rusizi, looking across the southern end of Lake Kivu towards Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). August 23, 2022.
Our family on a boat trip to Peace Island, Lake Kivu: Ryan, Alison, Teresa, Ben, Asher and Alice. August 23, 2022.
Lions in Akagera National Park. August 19, 2022.
Three White Rhinoceros in Akagera National Park. August 19, 2022.
Egyptian Geese – Akagera National Park. August 19, 2022.
Giraffe with Yellow-Billed Oxpeckers. August 19, 2022.
Teresa on the Nyungwe National Park Canopy Walk. August 22, 2022.
Asher and Ben – ready for the Canopy Walk trek. Nyungwe National Park. August 22, 2022.

Blue Monkey – Nyungwe National Park. August 22, 2022.
Great Blue Turaco. Nyungwe National Park. August 22, 2022.
Ferns in Nyungwe National Park. August 22, 2022.
Picking tea leaves. On the edge of Nyungwe National Park. August 22, 2022.
Colobus Monkey, Nyungwe National Park. August 22, 2022.
Regal Sunbird (?). Musanze, August 24, 2022.
Asher Ferguson – RICA campus. August 28, 2022.

Observations from Rwanda: August 14, 2022

Thursday, August 11, was the last day of final exams for students at the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). This completed the last term of the academic year, and students departed campus for a well-earned break of about one month. These students are taking an exam evaluating plant disease symptoms as part of the specialization course Plant Health and Integrated Pest Management.
During the week preceding final exams, students wrapped up field responsibilities in several classes. Here students in the Practical Farming class weed carrots. During the term break, some students will remain on campus to care for livestock and crops, and food processing. August 5, 2022.
Dr. Fritz Elango, RICA’s IPM Professor (green shirt), retires at the end of August. Here he advises his successor as Practical Farming coordinator, John Bosco Talemwa, RICA’s Mechanization Lecturer. August 5, 2022.
During the last week of each class, RICA students provide an evaluation of the course for their instructors. Here students provide input on the course Genetics and Breeding, which covers both plants and animals. August 3, 2022.
Workers harvesting peat in the Akanyaru River valley west of RICA, laying the harvested peat out to dry. I understand it is burned for electricity generation. July 17, 2022.
Workers spread peat to dry. Akanyaru River valley. July 17, 2022.
Boys transporting recently harvested cattle feed. Akanyaru River valley, July 17, 2022.
Workers bagging lime from an exposed limestone vein – Akanyaru River valley, July 17, 2022.
Fisherman in a dugout canoe, Akanyaru River valley, July 17, 2022.
Worker picking maize from one of RICA’s center-pivot irrigated fields. July 21, 2022.
Shelling and cleaning maize in a RICA field. July 21, 2022.
Winnowing maize grain after shelling to remove chaff. The tractor and mower in the background are used shred stalks after harvest to leave crop residue in the field. to July 21, 2022.
The final step – visual inspection and cleaning of grain before bagging for transport. July 21, 2022.
Picking, shelling and cleaning maize from RICA’s irrigated fields. July 21, 2022.
Lesser Striped Swallow, RICA campus. July 17, 2022.
Juvenile Sacred Ibis, Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-Tourism Park, Kigali. August 6, 2022.
Erythrina blooms, Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-Tourism Park, Kigali. August 6, 2022.
Yellow-Billed Storks, Gashora Wetland Bird Watching Spot near the Nyabarongo River. August 7, 2022.

Observations from Rwanda: July 20, 2022

The Campus Center of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) at sunrise, with Lake Kilimbi in the background. Note that many trees have few leaves at this point during the dry season, which extends from May into September. June 30, 2022.
RICA laborers harvesting soybean by hand, with the campus in the background. June 29, 2022.
RICA laborers cut soybean plants with a hand sickle, then carry bundles of plants to the wagon for transport to the threshing location. July 4, 2022.
Threshing soybeans – the only equipment needed is a tarp and a stick. RICA’s campus and Lake Kilimbi are in the background. July 4, 2022.
Casual laborers threshing and winnowing soybeans. The process of harvesting and threshing by hand is labor-intensive! July 4, 2022.
RICA students learning to drive a tractor – in this case a prototype electric tractor. June 29, 2022.
Construction workers melting tar for the process of roof construction of new housing units. June 28, 2022.
Young man fishing on Lake Kilimbi. June 26, 2022.
Mowing RICA’s new football field. Indonzi and Ifundi Halls are in the background. These contain the farm shop, mechanization lab, soils teaching lab, and a classroom. July 4, 2022.
An Auger Buzzard resting on a Candelabra Tree. July 4, 2022.
A Black-headed Gonolek in Umusambi Village, a wetland area and crane sanctuary east of Kigali. July 1, 2022.
A Red-chested Sunbird in Umusambi Village. July 1, 2022.

Observations from Rwanda: June 19, 2022

View of Lake Kilimbi from the campus of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). Buildings in the foreground (left to right) are a classroom and office, pesticide storage and handling facility, and the grain and feed center. This view is changing now, as grain bins, grain handling equipment, and feed production equipment are being installed at the feed center. May 2, 2022.
Another view of Lake Kilimbi from the RICA campus. Occasionally “islands” such as this will show up in the lake, then be gone the next day. These are floating mats of papyrus plants, which move about the lake with wind. April 23, 2022.
Bare-Faced G0-Away Birds – a less-colorful relative of Turacos – on the RICA campus. April 10, 2022.
Soil sampling using a hoe. On the RICA campus, in a long-term demonstration study of different conservation agriculture practices. May 2, 2022.
Male Pin-Tailed Whydah on the RICA campus. April 23, 2022. (I’ve previously included a photo of this bird).
Construction workers preparing to erect a roof beam on RICA’s Inuma Hall. This roof was removed for repairs in May. June 15, 2022.
Grain bins under construction adjacent to RICA’s feed center. June 15, 2022.
Purple-Crested Turaco on the RICA campus. June 13, 2022. (I’ve previously included a photo of this bird). Note that leaves on trees show drought stress as we’re in the dry season.
Speckled Mousebird on the RICA campus. June 19, 2022. (I’ve previously included a photo of this bird).
Passionfruit bloom, RICA vegetable and fruit enterprise. June 19, 2022.
Wild Morning Glory – RICA campus, June 19, 2022.