Rwandan ‘agripreneurs’ taken on Argyll safari
It is not something that might be expected to be seen on a sunny – but decidedly cool – autumn Saturday morning on the beaches of Kintyre, but for 24-year-old Regis it was impossible to resist stripping off and plunging into the icy waves of the Atlantic for a quick swim.
Delegates
Regis Umugiraneza is one of four delegates currently touring Scotland as part of the Scottish International Young Farmers Clubs’ International Plus programme.
Regis, along with fellow Rwandan farmers Celestin Nakuredusenge, Benjamin Michel Rusinanbakwe and Jean Damascene Manishimwe arrived from the landlocked central African state to Scotland last week.
Choosing Argyll as their starting point, they are on a fact-finding trip to learn from their Scottish counterparts how they might develop their fledgling farming businesses into a profitable, sustainable industry.
Dubbed ‘agripreneurs’, the four young men are leading the way for a country ravaged by the 1994 genocide and now focused on transforming the economy through the nation’s natural resources.
Delights
As well as visiting farms, processing plants and spending time with members of the National Council of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC), they are being introduced to the delights of ceilidhs, a tour of the Scottish Parliament and a very special trip on the Hogwarts Express.
The visit is part of a longterm relationship between the SAYFC and its Rwandan counterparts.