On the green slopes of Burundian hills, where the soil is as rich as the local culture, winds of change are slowly but surely bringing about a significant change. Here, women rice growers, traditionally over-shadowed in a male-dominated field, are forging a new legacy for their families. 

Armed at first with just a humble pack of rice seeds, a gift from the American people, some fertilizer and the new knowledge of modern planting techniques, these women are not just nurturing rows upon rows of lush green rice, but also cultivating a future of gender equality. 

As the sun rises, 850 women, members of a farmers’ cooperative in Muhanga, head to their fields. The resilient hands toil in the mud and water, transforming their incomes, breaking the stereotypes, and harvesting a nutritious and healthy food staple - rice. They rely on their unity and on the power of the improved seeds they received from the project locally known as Kugwiza, meaning “multiply” in Kirundi. The project is designed to work fast, train the farmers in modern techniques, and give them seeds and fertilizer to get them started. Then, each farmer keeps some food for feeding their family, sells a portion at the market, and keeps some seeds to plant again. 

Thanks to the innovation at Feed the Future, the United States Government initiative for global food security, the rice seeds were created and specially selected for their resilience, disease-resistance, high yield and adaptability to difficult growing conditions. And the conditions are certainly getting harder, with frequent floods, landslides, and other negative effects of climate change. The rice seed known as V564 variety was successfully tested in Burundi in 2023, and has already started giving new hope to farmers.

The agronomists from the project worked with farmers to help them waste less, grow more and ensure a plentiful harvest each season. The adjustments included learning about proper plant spacing, irrigation, integrated pest management and nurturing crops with appropriate fertilizers. 

The small pack of just 100 grams of rice seed of the V564 variety surprised the farmers, yielding as much as 30 kilograms of rice at once. 

Seeing this high yield, farmers are eager to plant more seeds and on larger plots of land, as they see the tremendous potential for improving their lives, the economic situation of their families and establishing themselves as equal contributors in the community. Above all, they are proud to see the fruit of their hard work, a fruit that brings many layers of progress with it. 

Word of their success spread fast, and way beyond the boundaries of their rice fields. Neighboring communities took note, and farmers started coming to Muhanga to learn from their example and adopt similar practices on their own land.

As the productivity grew, so did their ambitions and dreams: the farmers are on their way to becoming rice seed multipliers, transforming their communities and shattering negative gender stereotypes.