Firm turns vast marsh into farmland

KIRUNDO TOWN, BURUNDI — On a recent December morning, Burundian farmer John Ahiboneye stood wearing his rain boots in a rippling green paddy field that stretched beyond sight.

The field, in the southwestern suburbs of Kirundo Town in the country’s northeast, used to be unfit for growing rice until STECOL Corporation undertook an irrigation and water conservancy project that covers more than 538 hectares of land.

The Chinese company started work on the project in September 2014, with completion approved by December last year. Vast areas of marsh have been transformed into usable farmland thanks to its efforts.

“In the past, mud here would reach my waist, and in some places my whole body could get stuck in mud,” said Ahiboneye.

“I had to lift my hands above the mud in order to plant seedlings in it, but now I’m able to stand on the land and plant them.”

Before the project was implemented, the 42-yearold farmer was only able to harvest one rice crop per year, but can now manage at least two.

According to Guo Huaiguang, project manager, about 75 percent of the land they targeted used to be marsh. Some parts could only be farmed during the rainy season due to water shortages at other times of year.

STECOL built dams and a network of irrigation and drainage channels to divert the water to where it was needed.

These channels helped drain the marshes, while the dams prevented a surfeit of fresh water from again saturating the land.

A water pumping station was also built to assist with drainage after heavy rain, Guo said.

Not only did the project turn the marshes into productive farmland, it also enabled the Chinese company to build new roads connecting areas that were previously separated by water.

It also built a soccer field and a bus station, as well as leveling the uneven grounds of a local school, Guo said.

Over 4,000 families in northeastern Burundi’s Kirundo province have received parcels of land from the project, including families who didn’t have land in the past, said Kirundo provin- cial engineer Jean Baptiste.

The province’s total population stands at about 780,000, according to official statistics.

Melchior Nankwahomba, province governor, described the area’s agriculture as underdeveloped, due to constraints such as the weather, low quality rice seeds and poverty, among other factors.

“The project helps improve the lives of local people,” he said.

According to Guo, STECOL overcame many challenges to complete the project, such as the marshland’s complex geology, the risk of malarial infection, a lack of skilled workers in Burundi and difficulty purchasing materials.

“After the project’s completion, the Burundian government and others gave accolades to it. Many people outside Kirundo province tell me it is a good project,” he said. “I feel my effort and sweat are worthwhile.”

I had to lift my hands above the mud in order to plant seedlings in it, but now I’m able to stand on the land and plant them.”

John Ahiboneye,