If you can gather fallen leaves, grass and any other biodegradable scraps, toss them into a compost pit, introduce earthworms in it, and wait for the mixture for two months, you can start earning real money from selling your organic fertilizer-as an experienced agroecologist gives advices.

In rural Rwanda, one kilogram of the compost sells for about 200 Rwandan francs, a lucrative venture according to Isaac Mubashankwaya, a university lecturer who is also a farmer.

Demand for organic fertilizer is rising nationwide. This is confirmed by Mubashankwaya, an agroecology expert and farmer, and François Hakuzimana, the Western Province chairman of Imbaraga, a big federation of farmers in Rwanda.

A farm where everything has value—especially what can rot

Mubashankwaya runs an agroecology park on four hectares of land in Ruzo Village, Kibari Cell, Byumba Sector, Gicumbi District. On his farm, nothing is considered waste—least of all anything that can decompose.

His farm is also a tourist attraction. International visitors pay 10 USD, while Rwandans pay 10,000 RWF to tour his ecological center.

Mubashankwaya, the lecturer in Agriculture at the University of Byumba, built his composting system from simple wooden planks sourced from agroforestry trees on his land. Into these compost bays go plant residues, livestock bedding, and every other organic material that can rot.

Even without wooden planks, he says, anyone can build a functional compost pit using affordable materials.

At his farm—The Center for Agroecological Practices & Conservation of Nature (CAPCN)—they produce organic fertilizer but never sell it. Every handful is used on-site to nourish vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes, roots and tubers, fodder crops, and medicinal plants.

“Here, organic fertilizer sells for 200 francs per kilogram. It’s good business because people need it,” he explains. “I don’t sell mine because I need it for my crops, but there are others down the road who produce and sell it.”

He adds that the market value skyrockets in Kigali, where a kilogram can cost up to 1,000 francs.

“In cities, households should separate true waste—plastics, metal cans, broken glass—from biodegradable materials that can become compost,” he says.

In Kigali, residents often struggle to find organic fertilizer for their flower pots, home gardens, and vegetable beds—yet it would help many improve nutrition by growing their own vegetables.

Farmers push for organic fertilizer and warn against misuse of chemical inputs

According to the Rwanda Consumer Protection Organization (ADECOR), improper use of chemical fertilizers not only degrades soil by killing beneficial organisms but can also harm human health.

ADECOR’s 2024 publication titled “Good Nutrition at Home,” warns that many foods now contain chemical residues due to excessive or careless application of chemical fertilizers.

Christophe Ayabagabo, an agriculture expert from Kilimo Trust Rwanda working with ADECOR, says “Amaranth is very popular. To make it grow fast, some farmers dissolve UREA in water and pour it directly into the soil. I’m not fully against chemical fertilizers, but I oppose their misuse.”

The U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that eating vegetables treated with chemical fertilizer less than 14 days before harvest can introduce methemoglobinemia into the bloodstream—a compound that interferes with haemoglobin’s ability to transport oxygen.

In children especially, this can lead to respiratory problems, suffocation, diarrhoea, cancer risks, and kidney complications.

Farmers’ organizations like Imbaraga are therefore urging members to rely more on organic fertilizer, as Hakuzimana confirms “Organic fertilizer is becoming scarce because everyone wants it. If you produce it, you will never fail to find a market. Anyone who tells us they have some—we will buy it immediately.”

A 2024 survey by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) found that 94% of farming households use organic manure. However, Rwanda’s livestock population is still too small to meet national fertilizer needs.

Despite more than 3.29 million households, the country has only about 1.63 million cattle, 1.78 million goats, 440,000 sheep, 785,000 rabbits, 3.86 million chickens, and just over 1 million pigs.

A farm where nothing goes to waste: A living example of circular economy

At CAPCN, chemical fertilizers and pesticides are strictly prohibited. The farm relies entirely on natural solutions.

After harvesting crops like cabbage, they plant marigolds around the plots—plants known to repel destructive insects. If they ever need pest-control spray, they crush marigolds, Ricinus leaves, tobacco leaves, garlic, or onions, mix them with water, and spray the crops with the natural extract.

Not even non-biodegradable materials go to waste. Old car tires and other durable items are filled with soil and used as planting beds.

Rainwater from rooftops is also channelled into a 40-cubic-meter reservoir, providing irrigation in the dry season.

This philosophy—where nothing is wasted—is the essence of circular economy, the approach championed globally by the World Resources Institute (WRI). WRI trained Mubashankwaya and 19 other small and medium enterprise owners from across Rwanda.

Tina Nyunga of WRI notes “Every household in Rwanda generates waste. That waste can become fertilizer or be processed into animal feed or other valuable products.”

A 2020 study by Paulin Buregeya of the waste management cooperative COOPED, revealed that organic waste is the largest portion of waste transported to Kigali’s Nduba landfill—40% of all waste is food scraps that could have become compost instead.

Even leaves falling from roadside trees in Kigali, workers say, have nowhere to be dumped—yet they too could be turned into fertilizer.