[01] Willy Uwimana, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Lay Adventists of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda. [02] Lamek Nahayo, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Lay Adventists of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda. [03] Eric Ndorimana, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Lay Adventists of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda. [04] Guhuta Anastase Mabarira, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Lay Adventists of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda. [05] Xixbert Uwizeyimana, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Lay Adventists of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda.

In Rwanda, the major constraints to agriculture include population pressure coupled with the dominance of traditional practices and low application of modern inputs like improved seeds and fertilizers. This study examined the impact of irrigation practices on poverty reduction in Rusizi district, western Rwanda. The authors employed a sample of 100 respondents selected from 7,925 members of four cooperatives growing rice at Bugarama wetland. The participants were selected by using purposive and random sampling techniques. This study adopted a comparative descriptive design which used questionnaires and interviews for data collection. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS version 21.0. The results indicated that there was a high degree of positive correlation between irrigation and poverty reduction where Karl Pearson coefficient of correlation (r) was 10.986. This implies that irrigation contributed to the poverty reduction positively and at high level and the raise of income positively affected farmers’ livelihood. The study also highlighted existing challenges of practicing irrigation and way forward to ensure poverty reduction at large scale. The findings of this study will be important to different stakeholders with provision of information on the impact of irrigation in increasing food security and poverty reduction in general.

Agriculture Practice, Irrigation, Poverty Reduction, Rice Production, Rusizi District, Rwanda

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