No abstract

The crop intensification program (CIP) was introduced in Rwanda in 2007 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) as a solution to the land fragmentation, low use of agricultural inputs and low access to extension services. However, due to the voluntary nature of farmers' participation and their reluctance to participate, this study aimed at assessing the factors that influence their participation. Data were collected from 340 respondents through a household survey in Mayange and Rusarabuye sectors. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model were used to analyze the data. Results show that the factors that significantly influenced the farmers' participation in the CIP include gender, non-farm income, farmland size, farming experience, land acquisition means, market access, trust and agro-ecological conditions. In fact, the non-farm income significantly increased the farmers' decisions to participate in the CIP (P<0.001) as it eases the financial capital needed to invest in the CIP activities. On the land acquisition means, the farmers who inherited or bought the land positively and significantly participated in the CIP (P<0.05) because they had the land tenure security. However, the participation in the CIP was hindered by inadequate irrigation and mechanization facilities, lack of farmers' participation in the CIP planning process, inadequate extension services, inadequate agricultural inputs and inadequate postharvest technologies. Closer collaboration between farmers, local leaders, extension agents and agricultural service providers as well as the farmers' practical skills in irrigation and mechanization could enhance the participation to the program. Therefore, there is a need on the part of policymakers to empower farmers with adequate knowledge on better cropping practices and agricultural technologies through appropriate extension services and bottom-up based program.

The role of extractable pool of biochar in crop productivity and soil greenhouse gas (GHGs) emission is not yet clear. In this study, two biochars with and without extraction was added to a paddy before rice transplantation at 20 t·ha−1. Crop yield, plant traits and greenhouse gas emission monitored throughout a rice-wheat rotation. Between the biochar treatments, changes in bulk density and microbial biomass carbon were insignificant. However, the increase in organic carbon was similar between maize and wheat biochars while higher under bulk wheat biochar than extracted one. The increase in available P and K was higher under wheat than maize biochar regardless of extraction. Moreover, the increase in plant traits and grain yield, in rice season only, was higher under bulk than extracted biochars. Yet, there was no difference in changes in GHGs emission between bulk and extracted biochars regardless of feedstock. Nevertheless, increased methane emission for rice season was lower under extracted biochars than bulk ones. Overall, crop productivity rather than GHGs emission was affected by treatment of extraction of biochars. Thus, use of unextracted biochar is recommended for improving soil crop productivity in the paddy soils.