Regenerative agriculture involves farming practices that focus on rejuvenating soil health. “Heaps of waste were becoming a huge problem for those living near landfills because of the odour from it. But we realised most people didn’t have an idea the country could make its own fertilisers from the waste instead of relying on non-organic fertilisers imported from other countries,” says Ngarukiye.

They founded BIDEC Group in 2018 after being trained by experts from Bangladesh and the Netherlands and researching on regenerative agriculture between 2011 and 2017. BIDEC’s workers collect and sort waste from the landfills with a special machine and then compost it together with manure from domestic animals such as cow urine, chicken droppings, cow dung and piggery waste and green leaves.

The company produces 40 tons of compost manure per day and presently has about 16,000 tons in its stores at Huye, Rubavu and Gasabo districts where it also operates. A kilo of the manure costs Rwf 100, but the price is lower for those who place an order.

A farmer is advised to apply 4kg per banana plant, two ladles in a hole for cabbage, eggplant, tomato, pineapple and 4kg in a hole for coffee. For rice, a farmer is required to apply 150kg per hectare after planting and 100kg per hectare at flowering. Experts believe that regenerative agricultural practices such as applying organic manure ensure the soil is able to sustain a huge volume of crops, reduces degradation of natural resources and improve farmers’ incomes and livelihoods. Solange Mbabazi, a potato farmer in Gasabo District, says that since she started using organic manure,