Cultivation AND Challenges OF Macadamia IN Rwanda PDF

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The macadamia plant is an indigenous plant that belongs to the Proteaceae plant family and it was first initially grown in Australia with four major species. Macadamia was introduced in Rwanda in the early 1980s and the Rwandese farmers have adapted growing of this plant on a commercial scale basing...

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MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 1

CULTIVATION AND CHALLENGES OF MACADAMIA IN RWANDA

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MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 2 Introduction Background and Context The macadamia plant is an indigenous plant that belongs to the Proteaceae plant family and it was first initially grown in Australia with four major species. Macadamia was introduced in Rwanda in the early 1980s and the Rwandese farmers have adapted growing of this plant on a commercial scale basing on information provided by National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) (Zuza, et. al 2021, p2). In Rwanda there are over 268820 trees that have been planted on about 1300 hectares of which the 109003 of these macadamia trees are planted on a global scale. Basing statistical information provided by the NAEB indicates that over 405 tons of Macadamia plant was exported in the year 2019 to 2020 and the Rwandan government generated a revenue of over 1.93 million dollars which is approximately 1.9 billion Rwandan Francs (Devdiscourse. 2019., p1). Besides in 2020 to 2021, the macadamia export mounted from 390 tons which generated over 1.61 million dollar which is about 1.6 billion Rwf. The plant takes about 6 to 7 years to start bearing fruits and there are four major species that are grown including Macadamia jasenii, Macadamia tetraphylla, Macadamia ternifolia, and macadamia integrifolia (NAEB., 2019, p1). There are two major companies that are involved in macadamia growing and these include Rwanda nut and Norlega Macadamia Rwanda limited. Macadamia has various health benefits and these may include lowering risks of heart disease, it helps in preventing of cancer, it also helps in improving on the metabolic syndrome as well as diabetes, it also protects the human brains and other health benefits (Ntirenganya, 2021, P2). Problem Statement

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 3 This paper aims at exploring the challenges facing Macadamia cultivators in Rwanda and these challenges have hindered the growth and the development of the sector. This paper will provide an outline of challenges and the ways in which they hinder or affect the farmers involved in growing the plant. Research aim and Objectives. This paper aims at exploring the challenges involved in Macadamia growing and the objectives include; 

To explore the challenges involved in Macadamia growing in Rwanda.

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To determine the possible solutions in resolving the identified challenges.

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To explore the impacts of the identified challenges on the country's economy.

Research Questions 

What challenges are affecting Macadamia growing in Rwanda?

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What are the possible solutions that can will aid in resolving the identified challenges?

Relevance and Importance of the Research This paper will help in identifying of the challenges that the Macadamia cultivators face in the Rwanda. This research will also help in exploring the possible solutions for solving the identified challenges. The paper will also help in understanding the challenges that are faced by Macadamia cultivators in other countries for example Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and other states. Besides it will also aid in understanding how the other countries have been able to manage the challenges that have been identified. Literature Review

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 4 Key Concepts, Theories and Studies. Zuza et. al (2021) stated that in Malawi, macadamia is an essential crop and it is used for different purposes including home consumption, earning of foreign exchange, and generating of income at country level. Production of macadamia in Malawi has significantly increased over the recent years and it among the top producers of the crop in Africa and the country generates revenue of about 23.5 million dollars with a market share of about 3% on the global scale (Zuza et. Al, 2021, p14). Zuza et. al (2020) explored the historical trends regarding the market trends about Macadamia production in the country, the country's value chain with their major focus on the small-scale farmers and also the constraints that regard policy making about production of macadamia. The authors explained the opportunities and challenges that hinder the production of macadamia in Malawi and these are explained as follows. There is limited access to high quality seedlings which greatly affects the small-scale farmers in Malawi (Zuza et. Al, 2021, p14). This challenge is due to having a few certified suppliers of the quality seedlings which are demanded by a large population of Macadamia farmers in Malawi. Besides the limited number of high quality seedling supplies, there is also a problem of the high cost of the seedlings which discourages many small-scale farmers from engaging in growing od macadamia (Zuza et. Al, 2021, p14). Secondly, the adaptability of the Macadamia cultivars whereby the climatic conditions have to be assessed before carrying on with the planting activities. It should be noted that different species of Macadamia require different climatic conditions hence there is need to first identify the conditions of a given area before carrying on with planting because poor climatic conditions will result in low yields which in turn discourages the small-scale farmers from

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 5 growing the plant (Zuza et. Al, 2021, p15). The third challenge is having minimal extension of the macadamia experts and training staff in the country who could provide advice to the farmers on how to grow these trees. Another challenge is low infrastructure development in the country to provide processing services which can add value to the macadamia harvests for example there is limited access to drying racks, shortage sheds, processing industries and a well-developed road network that would aid in transportation of the harvests from the gardens to the processing plants and later to the potential markets (Zuza et. Al, 2021, p15). These limited infrastructure developments lead to high costs which discourages the small-scale farmers from participating in planting of Macadamia for example macadamia farmers in Malawi transport their harvests for about 600km in search for the processing plants which is so costly. Pests and disease are another challenge that affects macadamia growing in Malawi and these lead to huge losses for the farmers as they lead to low quality yields. The pests that affect the plants include termites, stink bugs, fruit borers and the tropical nuts borers. When these pests damage the fruits, this makes the nuts to be unfit for human consumption as well as lowing the market value of the nuts (Zuza et. Al, 2021, p17). The other challenge is lack of support policies from the government which would encourage small scale farmers to participate in growing of Macadamia in the country. Besides the government has failed to establish agricultural boards that can provide advisory services to the Macadamia farmers. The government has also failed to develop infrastructures like roads and processing plants that would help in quicker processing of the nuts at relatively low prices (Zuza et. Al, 2021, p18). The government of Malawi has also failed to established organized markets that can purchase the harvested nuts from the farmers and also offering of support financial support to the farmers.

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 6 Climatic changes have also stand as another great challenge that affects the participation of small scale farmers in growing macadamia. These conditions include drought, floods, and heatwaves. These climatic conditions will result in low yields thus leading to losses for the farmers which discourages them from taking part in growing of macadamia (Zuza et. Al, 2021, p19). Lastly Zuza et. al (2020) stated that lack of stakeholder collaboration in Malawi is another challenge that affects macadamia growing in the country because there is lack of value chain dialogs and communications from the stakeholders of different small-scale farms. The possible way to address this challenge is through establishing of associations and marketing boards that must ensure collaboration between different stakeholders and meeting to discuss ways in which the identified challenges could be resolved (Zuza et. Al, 2021, p119). According to Quiroz et. al (2020), explained an analysis of the macadamia nuts value chain in Kenya. The authors also provided statistical information about the country's foreign exchange that is generated from macadamia exports as well as the countries potential competitors in growing the crop all over the world. However, for this research paper the main focus will be on the challenges that Quiroz et. al 2020 explained that other hindering growth of the plant and these are explained as follows. The poor quality of the nuts which discourages foreigners from purchasing the country's export. Another challenge is low productivity which results from climatic changes, pests and diseases, limited access to the necessary inputs and poor practices of harvesting. Traceability is another challenge that hinders growing of macadamia in Kenya because there is a challenge of accessing independent purchasing agents and the smallscale farmers by the marketing boards that are established by the government (Quiroz et. al 2020, p5). When the farmers adopt to these traceability systems that are established by the government this will make it easier for the government to establish marketing boards that will help in

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 7 addressing of problems that are related growing macadamia. The other challenge that affects macadamia growing in Kenya is the lack of stakeholder collaboration which can unit different small marketing boards (Quiroz et. al 2020, p6). Lastly, the authors explained the challenge of poor access to the European union markets due to the country's low quality which is less considered on the international standards. Key Debates and Controversies According to reports by The New Times, a Rwandese newspaper explains the challenges that have discouraged farmers from continuing with Macadamia growing the reasons are explained as follows. The first challenge is the increased price of the macadamia seedlings from 800 Rwandan Francs to 2000 Rwandan Francs for each kilogram of the seedlings within just a period of one year (Devdiscourse. 2019, p1). This increase is proved to be among the factors that are discouraging farmers from growing Macadamia in the country. Besides these prices have been fluctuating over the years and by 2016 the price of one kilogram had increased up to 5000 Rwandan Francs and this has discouraged a large number of Rwandese farmers from planting macadamia (Devdiscourse. 2019, p1). During an interview between the Norce Gatarayiha (chief of Norelga company) and a news report, Gataayiha stated that an increase in the price of seedlings directly leads to an increase in the production costs which leads to scarcity of the macadamia nuts in the market (NAEB., 2020, p1). The government of Rwanda is fighting so hard to resolve the above-mentioned challenge and in 2021, through its agriculture minister Mukeshimana the government supplied over 90000 macadamia seedlings to the farms so as to motivate them to carry on with planting of macadamia which is proved to be highly demanded on the international markets (NAEB., 2020, p1). Gaps in Existing Knowledge.

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 8 Basing in the articles and journals discussed above each of these articles and journals requires conducting of new research about the solutions that can be utilities to solve the identified problems because all the articles indicate the challenges that are faced in their respective countries however there are no possible solutions that are provided to help in overcoming these challenges. This rises the need to conduct new research that can help in resolving the identified problems in each of these countries. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Research design The research design which was utilized for this research paper is the qualitative type of design because it houses lots of methodologies that can be utilized to collect information for the research at relatively low costs as compared to the quantitative kind of research which would require lots of capital to invest in conducting physical interviews and experiments (Hameed, 2020, p15). Besides the qualitative kind of research was used in this research paper so as to save time and other resources like paper because the information that has already been published on the internet and printed text books or journals was used when conducting this research and the results of the reviewed studies were examined to get a better understanding of the challenges that are affecting macadamia farmers in Rwanda with regard to the challenges that have been faced by farmers involved in this activity in other countries (Hameed, 2020, p15). Methods and Sources The method that have been used to get information for this research include case study research, observations, and literature review as explained below. Case study research was used to get an understanding of the methods through which data was collected and there are activities of

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 9 reviewing different cases to get an understanding of the current topic being discusses and it is one of the easiest methods through which research can be conducted (Hameed, 2020, p13). Secondly literature review was used to get a better understanding of the research topic through reviewing of already published materials like articles, journals and text books (Adedoyin, 2020, p8). Literature review is cost saving because it only required identifying of information that is related to current research questions and reviewing of this information to attach meaning to the current study (Adedoyin, 2020, p8). Lastly, observation was used to gather data or systematic information that is helpful in addressing the research questions for example through the observation method different news articles were checked to find out the challenges that are affecting macadamia farming in the country and also observations on the weather were taken to determine which months affect these plantations as well as the months that favor the plantations. Practical Considerations The practical considerations for this research include self-collection, security, and sharing. Using self-collection as a practical consideration I have to consider the conditions that have to be undertaken when process the personal data that I directly collected from individuals and also ensuring that data is kept confidential (Evans, 2020., p3). Another practical consideration that needs to observed is security in that I have the responsibility of ensuring that the right security measures are implemented when handling of personal data (Parshotam, 2018, p17). Lastly, sharing is another practical consideration that I have to consider through examining the ways through which this information that have provided can be shared by other people for example making of a legal agreement regarding the ways through which data can be made available to other people that may need to use this research (Science Direct, 2019, p4). IMPLICATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 10 Practical Implications The practical implications of this research paper are explained as follows. This research paper will help in identifying of the challenges that are affecting macadamia farmers in Rwanda and when these challenges are properly solved by both the government of Rwanda and farmers this will result in improved generation n of government revenue which will help in improving on infrastructures like roads and processing plants in the country (CBI, 2017, p3). Besides this research paper will act as an eye opener for the government to start addressing the identified challenges which will help in providing on the standards of living for the people in the country. The challenge of climatic conditions that affect the farmers when well addressed this will improve on the irrigation services in the country thus attracting more farmers to engage in the activities of macadamia farming (CBI, 2017, p3). Theoretical Implications The theoretical implications that will arise from this research include better farming methodologies which will help in farmers to have better yields after participating in the farming activities (Barrueto, 2018, p14). Different better farming practices will be developed and advisory boards will be established by the government to help farmers through providing them with macadamia seedlings either for free or at a reduced cost, as well as free advisory services to the farmers which will help them in better planning and high yields (Quiroz, et. al 2019, p19). RESEARCH SCHEDULE The research study was conducted in a period of 3 days and different activities were conducted on each of the ten days as explained below. 15-Jul-2021

The research background was conducted

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 11 outlining the research problem, research aim

16-Jul-2021

and the research objectives. Literature review was conducted and the

17-Jul-2021

methods used in this research. The practical considerations were conducted. The practical implicactions and the theoretical implications were conducted. The research schedules and references were also arranged and finalized the research work.

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 12 Reference List Adedoyin O.B., 2020. Qualitative Research Methods. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340594471_Qualitative_Research_Methods Barrueto, A.K.; Merz, J.; Hodel, E.; Eckert, S. 2018., The suitability of Macadamia and Juglans for cultivation in Nepal: An assessment based on spatial probability modelling using climate scenarios and in situ data. Reg. Environ. Chang. 18, 859–871 Bishaw B., Neufeldt H., Mowo J., et. al 2020. Farmers’ Strategies for Adapting to and Mitigating Climate Variability and Change through Agroforestry in Ethiopia and Kenya. Retrieved from: http://apps.worldagroforestry.org/downloads/Publications/PDFS/B17503.pdf CBI 2017., ‘Exporting macadamia nuts to Europe’, Retrieved from: https://www.cbi.eu/marketinformation/processed-fruit-vegetables-edible-nuts/macadamia-nuts/ Challenges Zambia. 2020. Feasibility Study for the Cultivation of Macadamia in Zambia. Retrieved from: https://prospero.co.zm/app/uploads/2021/03/MacadamiaFeasibilityStudyPublic_2021.pdf Devdiscourse. 2019., Rwanda govt encourages farmers to boost macadamia nuts farming despite price-rise. Retrieved from: https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/other/442592-rwandagovt-encourages-farmers-to-boost-macadamia-nuts-farming-despite-price-rise Evans, N. 2020., Macadamia Industry Consultation: Summary of findings; Evans Consulting: Lilongwe, Malawi.

MACADAMIA IN RWANDA 13 FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). 2017. Assessing the Policy Environment for Cash Crops in Malawi: What Could Hinder the Achievement of the National Export Strategy Objectives? Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: FAO Agricultural Development Economics: Rome, Italy, p. 17. Government of Malawi. 2020., Annual Economic Report; Government of Malawi: Malawi, Lilongwe, p. 223. Hameed H, 2020. Quantitative and qualitative research methods: Considerations and issues in qualitative research. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344417186_Quantitative_and_qualitative_resea rch_methods_Considerations_and_issues_in_qualitative_research Hardner C., 2018. Contribution of the 2nd International Macadamia Research Symposium. Retrieved from: https://www.horticulture.com.au/globalassets/laserfiche/assets/projectreports/mc16700/mc16700---final-report-complete.pdf https://www.eatradehub.org/kenya_macadamia_exports_are_on_the_rise_the_u_s_is_buying. Economic Growth & Trade, p. 1. International Nut Council. 2020., Nuts and Dried Fruits—Statistical Yearbook 2019–2020; International Nut Council: Reus, Spain. Jansen C, 2017., ‘Macadamias in 2018: Bonanza or bubble?’, Fresh Plaza,Retrieved from: http://www.freshplaza.com/article/181943/Macadamias-in-2018-B...