By: Rose Mukagahizi
Different farmers in Huye District who work with the PRISM Project have praised the benefits of livestock insurance, saying it helps protect them from financial losses.
The farmers explain that in the past, they lacked awareness about the importance of livestock insurance. However, after being selected to work with the PRISM Project, they received training and gained enough knowledge about the need to insure their animals.
Thérèse Mukantwari and her husband, Etienne Ndikuryayo, who live in Karama Sector in Huye District, are among those who testify to the value of livestock insurance. They were selected to receive pigs from the PRISM Project to help improve their livelihoods.
Mukantwari says she had previously been raising pigs using traditional methods, which did not bring her much profit. At one point, she even lost a pig, which caused her a financial setback because she did not yet understand the importance of livestock insurance. Later, the PRISM Project provided her with an improved breed, trained her in artificial insemination, animal care, and the benefits of insuring livestock.
She said: “Livestock insurance is very important because now that my animals are insured, I feel secure knowing that if any problem arises, I can be compensated. Before, I once lost a pig and suffered a big loss.”
Juvenal Hakizimana, a community mobilizer in the PRISM Project, says livestock insurance was initially slow to gain acceptance, but that the situation has now improved. He notes that there are now insurance entrepreneurs specializing in livestock insurance, making the service more accessible to farmers.
The Vice Mayor of Huye District in charge of Economic Development, André Kamana, commended the PRISM Project for helping change people’s mindset, noting that whenever PRISM gives a beneficiary livestock, it also ensures that the animal is insured.
He said: “During the recent exhibition, we were pleased to see beneficiaries supported by the PRISM Project showcasing what they have achieved. There are visible changes in their journey out of poverty, and they have also taken the important step of insuring their livestock, which protects them against losses.”
He added that efforts to promote livestock insurance will continue, not only for farmers working with PRISM, but for all livestock farmers, especially since government subsidies are also included in the insurance scheme.
PRISM is a project jointly implemented by the Government of Rwanda in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), through the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), and under the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).
