Author: richardbferguson

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.

Observations from Rwanda: May 12, 2022

Lake Kilimbi with the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) campus in the background. May 7, 2022.
View from our house of Lake Kilimbi and the RICA campus. 5:30 AM, May 11, 2022.
Early morning view of the RICA Campus Center. May 11, 2022.
Meyer’s Parrot in front of our house, RICA campus. May 1, 2022.
RICA students laying out drip irrigation line for a newly planted field of potatoes. April 13, 2022.
Construction worker on the RICA campus. May 2, 2022.
Soybean developing on one of RICA’s center-pivot irrigated fields. April 30, 2022.
Black-Headed Heron perched on one of RICA’s center-pivot irrigation systems. May 2, 2022.
Pair of Crowned Lapwings, RICA campus. April 30, 2022.
Crowned Lapwing in flight. May 7, 2022.

Construction worker watering RICA’s new football (soccer) field. May 7, 2022.
A kite (uncertain species) launching from a Candelabra Tree. April 30, 2022.
RICA’s campus on a hazy morning. April 30, 2022.
Flock of Grey-Backed Fiscals. RICA campus. April 30, 2022.

Observations from Rwanda: April 10, 2022

Little Egret in marshland along Lake Kilimbi, near the campus of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). April 3, 2022.
No-till planting soybean in a RICA center-pivot irrigated field. March 19, 2022.
RICA students in a field session of the March Plant Health Workshop. March 17, 2022.
A farmer watering newly planted trees, on the peninsula between Lakes Kilimbi and Gaharwa near RICA. April 10, 2022.
A goat leads the way for a group of kids on the Peninsula Road near RICA. April 10, 2022.
Bats leaving Rufunzo Hall in the evening. The roof is to be repaired shortly, which should encourage bats to move elsewhere – hopefully not inside another building. April 9, 2022.
Enjoying sugar cane on the road between Kigali and Musanze. March 26, 2022.
Farming on slopes in the Northern Province – road between Kigali and Musanze. March 26, 2022.
Golden Monkey, near Volcanoes National Park. Monkeys come out of the park to adjacent crop fields to eat small potatoes left after harvest. March 27, 2022.
Mother and baby Golden Monkeys. March 27, 2022.
Baby Golden Monkey. March 27, 2022.
Golden Monkeys grazing a potato field adjacent to Volcanoes National Park, with Mount Sabinyo in the background. March 27, 2022.
Golden Monkey enjoying a potato breakfast. March 27, 2022.
Volcanoes National Park trackers follow Golden Monkeys to insure visitors can find them. Weapons are for protection as a last resort from buffalo in the park. March 27, 2022.

Observations from Rwanda: March 10, 2022

Looking back to Lake Kilimbi on a Sunday morning bike ride. March 6, 2022.
Grey-Crowned Crane, at the Gashora Bird Watching Spot north of the campus of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). January 30, 2022.
Great White Pelican. Gashora Bird Watching Spot. January 30, 2022.
White-Faced Whistling Duck. Gashora Bird Watching Spot. January 30, 2022.
RICA Second Cohort students preparing to plant vegetables in a new production field. February 11, 2022.
Hippo tracks through a field of newly planted pepper plants on the RICA campus. The papyrus marsh along Lake Kilimbi is in the background. February 28, 2022.
Maize drying on racks outside a home. North of Lake Sake, which is northeast of RICA. February 18, 2022.
Dried maize, ready to be bagged and trucked to the buyer. Nasho Irrigation Project, February 25, 2022.
RICA students, along with RICA faculty and staff, visiting with a farmer in his field at the Nasho Irrigation Project. The farmer has mulched his corn with composted corn residue, and removed weeds in a timely manner. The area in the foreground is a different farmer’s field, which is not as well managed. These are two of around 30 farmer’s fields under one center pivot irrigation system. There are 63 center pivot irrigation systems in this project, each pivot with 30-40 farmers. February 25, 2022.
Area residents stop to listen to RICA students visiting with farmers – Nasho Irrigation Project. February 25, 2022.
Termites working in a newly planted irrigated soybean field – RICA campus. February 26, 2022.
Banana trees in the foreground of a misty valley east of Lake Sake. February 18, 2022.
Black-Headed Weaver building a nest. February 26, 2022.
Black-Headed Weaver building a nest. February 26, 2022.
White-Browed Robinchat song. February 19, 2022.
Woodland Kingfisher song. February 6, 2022.

Observations from Rwanda: February 6, 2022

Cattle grazing near Lake Gaharwa, with the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) on the far bank. RICA is situated between Lake Gaharwa on the south and Lake Kilimbi to the north. January 2, 2022.
Children cooling off in Lake Gaharwa before filling water jugs and returning to the village with water on bicycles. January 2, 2022.
Pushing a bike uphill loaded with water is a team effort. January 16, 2022.
RICA student Jean Claude picking mangoes in the RICA orchard. January 14, 2022.
RICA Vegetable and Fruit Enterprise Technologist Pacifique demonstrates to students how to identify damaged mangoes while harvesting. January 14, 2022.
A RICA dairy cow in the pasture after milking on a foggy morning. January 2, 2022.
Construction workers arriving to work early on a foggy morning. January 2, 2022.
RICA dairy cows in the pasture after milking in the morning. RICA’s dairy herd is mostly Friesian (Holstein). Approximately 20 cows are being milked in a temporary facility until the permanent dairy enterprise construction is complete. RICA’s water treatment facility is in the background. January 9, 2022.
Cattle Egrets are typically near the RICA dairy herd in the pasture. January 16, 2022.
A Cattle Egret over RICA’s dairy herd. January 16, 2022.
A RICA housekeeper sweeping the sidewalk near Muduha Hall early in the morning. January 15, 2022.
RICA students dissecting rabbits in Biology Lab, with oversight of RICA faculty. January 11, 2022.
Heading to market in the nearby village of Gashora. Jackfruit are currently in season. January 30, 2022.
A farmer preparing a paddy rice field for planting near Gashora, north of the RICA campus in Bugesera. January 30, 2022.
A Wire-Tailed Swallow on a bridge over the Nyabarongo River, east of Gashora in Bugesera district. January 30, 2022.

Observations from Rwanda: January 1, 2022

The campus of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) has been very quiet the last couple of weeks. Students finished final exams and left campus on December 16. Most construction activities have taken a break over the holiday season. A few staff and students stayed on campus to milk cows and feed chickens, and others insured RICA’s solar power plant and water supply systems continue to function. Students will begin returning to campus in another week, with the next term starting January 10, 2022.

Richard Ferguson

The dormitory for 2nd and 3rd year students on the campus of the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) across Lake Kilimbi. The short structure in the foreground is the water pumping system to draw water from the lake for the campus; the structure under construction to the right is a swine barn for the First Year Farms. December 5, 2021.
A Black-Headed Heron taking flight from one of RICA’s fields. December 5, 2021.
Trees in the conservation savanna woodland on a misty day on the RICA campus. RICA has the second largest area of natural savanna woodland in Rwanda, after Akagera National Park. December 29, 2021.
Female Grosbeak Weaver in a farmer’s sunflower field near Lake Kilimbi. December 5, 2021.
Male Grosbeak Weaver (also known as the Thick-Billed Weaver) in the same farmer’s field as the photo above. December 5, 2021.
Children gathering firewood from RICA savanna woodland. December 29, 2021.
Side-Striped Jackal on the RICA Peninsula Road. December 22, 2021.
Our cat (Little Bit) watching for monkeys. December 29, 2021.

Observations from Rwanda: November 20, 2021

Hadada Ibis pair on the banks of Lake Kilimbi, near the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). July 25, 2021.

Candelabra Tree (Muduha) in the RICA dairy pasture, with Lake Kilimbi in background. July 25, 2021.
RICA students using a GPS receiver to locate soil sample points in their Site-Specific Crop Management class. September 28, 2021.
RICA students processing soil samples in Site-Specific Crop Management class. September 29, 2021.
Measuring soil electrical conductivity, Site-Specific Crop Management class. October 6, 2021.
Planting maize for a study field for the Site-Specific Crop Management class. September 22, 2021.
Young pineapple in our garden. September 26, 2021.
Student Learning Center in the newly completed Campus Center. October 27, 2021.
Exterior of the Campus Center, with Dining Hall on the right. October 21, 2021.
Saturday morning community exercise, RICA campus. October 23, 2021.
Ammocharis bloom, along RICA’s peninsula road. Grows as an above-ground bulb. Blooms have very short duration. September 25, 2021.
Along the peninsula road through RICA. September 25, 2021.
Vervet monkey reflection after a rain. RICA Campus Center, October 24, 2021.

Observations From Rwanda: October 3, 2021

Mount Sabyinyo in Volcanoes National Park. Farmers are working in potato fields in the foreground. August 28, 2021.

The past few weeks have been eventful, and very busy. The 2021 academic year for the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) finished on August 12. Students left campus for a well-earned break of about a month before the next academic year started in September. During that time faculty and staff took short breaks, along with conducting a two-week orientation for new students before the start of the term. Teresa and I, along with some other RICA staff, had the opportunity to visit mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park during the break. We had a great visit!

Richard Ferguson

Kwitonda (humble) – the dominant silverback gorilla (30 yrs old) of the Kwitonda family – 20 members total. August 28, 2021.
The silverback gorilla’s hand as he eats. August 28, 2021.
One of the juvenile members of the Kwitonda family. August 28, 2021.
An adult female stripping leaves from a plant stalk. August 28, 2021.
One of the youngest members of the Kwitonda family – around 1 year old. August 28, 2021.
The silverback gorilla with young playing around him – and Teresa observing. August 28, 2021.
RICA Second Cohort students, during class portrait session. August 29, 2021.

The arrival of an additional 84 students to RICA has changed the atmosphere around campus. Having twice as many students, often with multiple classes occurring at the same time, along with relaxation of RICA’s COVID restrictions, makes the campus feel more like a fully functioning university. Classes for the academic year started September 13, 2021.

RICA is partnering with a German manufacturer to evaluate a prototype electric tractor, studying systems that may be appropriate for use by smallholder farmers in Africa. September 22, 2021.
Construction workers arriving on campus in the morning. Construction continues – currently up to 1800 workers are on campus each day, with some work continuing around the clock. September 19, 2021.
Night construction on the Campus Center. September 13, 2021.
African Pygmy Kingfisher, on the shore of Lake Gaharwa, RICA Campus. September 25, 2021.
Our most recent negative COVID test results. All RICA students and staff are currently tested twice a week on campus by RICA’s nursing staff. Frequent testing, coupled with all students and staff being vaccinated, has allowed RICA’s hands-on approach to education to proceed. October 2, 2021.
The entrance to the now complete housing complex for 2nd and 3rd year students at RICA. The building is in a figure-8 shape; the east side is Akagera Hall, the west side is Nyungwe Hall. September 16, 2021.

Observations from Rwanda: August 1, 2021

A Swamp Flycatcher greets the morning on a papyrus stalk on the shore of Lake Kilimbi. June 27, 2021.
Students get their first look at the interior of Akagera and Nyungwe Halls – the housing complex for second and third year students at the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). The building is scheduled to be ready for the next academic year starting in September. July 24, 2021.
RICA students and staff view the interior courtyard of Akagera Hall. July 24, 2021.
Small blooms appearing during the dry season on new growth of a Candelabra Tree (Muduha) on the RICA campus. July 11, 2021.
Ring-necked Doves courting near Lake Kilimbi. July 17, 2021.
A Palm-nut Vulture on the RICA campus. June 27, 2021.
A Hamerkop carrying nesting material. June 27, 2021.
RICA students and Dr. Ullman installing a net electric fence around a small zucchini field, to evaluate this as an option to deter monkey damage to student fields. July 17, 2021.
A Brown Parrot near the RICA cafeteria. July 7, 2021.
A Grey-headed Kingfisher near our house on the RICA campus. July 24, 2021.
The RICA cafeteria, Inuma Hall (Ring-necked Dove), as dinner time approaches. July 20, 2021.
Hamerkop nest building near Lake Kilimbi. June 27, 2021.