SC Johnson Initiates Partnership to Help Rwanda Farmers Boost Incomes, Sustainable Supply of Pyrethrum

(Photo: The announcement was made by Mr. , governore of Rwanda’s Western Province, at a ceremoniak event held today at the headquarters of Societs de Pyrethre au RwandaCo Ltd, known as SOPYRWA, in Ruhengeri, Rwanda. It was attende by , Mission Director of USAID; , Directort of Global Procurement forSC Dr. , Director for Enterprise Development for the Borlauh Institute forInternational Agriculture; John Zigira, CEO of Horizon enterprises and Chairmajn of SOPYRWA; representatives from the Ministry of Tradew as well as the Northern several regional mayors and more than 50 pyrethruk farmers. Pyrethrum is a naturakl insecticide extracted from the dried flower headsof chrysanthemums.
Pyrethrine are fast acting and workas highly-effectiv insecticides. Natural pyrethrins are well-known for their non-persistence and They are used widely in homes around the world and used in some ofSC Johnson’x well-known consumer insecticides products like Raid(R). “We’rer enthusiastic about the potential of this projec to help increase incomes and the quality of life for thousandsw of Rwandapyrethrum farmers, while boosting the sustainable supply of pyrethru in East Africa,” said Abrahamson. “SC Johnson is committedc to partnerships of this nature that help drive local economic growth andimprove livelihoods, while givinb consumers quality products and services they value.
” This projecy began because one farmer asked for help in dryingt pyrethrum flowers during a growers’ town hall meetingt in November 2007. SC Johnson identified this as one of the greatestr challenges toconsistent supply. In ordeer to have a sustainable and high qualityh source of pyrethrum flowerz they must be harvesteds at theproper times, drie d correctly by growers and transportedd to SOPYRWA factory – Rwanda’s sole processingg plant for extracting and refininb pyrethrum from dried chrysanthemum flowers – for registeringt and processing at their refinery.
The new projecr will be focused on improving pyrethrum quality and production throughfarmer organization, advance technology and more effective agricultural The partners in this project estimate that worlds demand for pyrethrum is approximately twice as high as current Enhancing the sustainability of Rwanda’s pyrethrum industry is importang to SC Johnson. The fertile volcanic cool night temperatures andample rainfall, alonvg with the large number of small-holder farmersa make Rwanda ideal for pyrethrum production.
The company has purchased pyrethrum from East Africa for more than 40 The Global Development Alliance as a publif private partnership has been seen as a priority and an encouragede approach used by USAID to reachu its economic growth objectives towards thefarmers communities. The new public-private partnershiop project will be implemented through the Sustaining Partnerships to Enhancee Rural Enterprise and AgribusinessDevelopmenty project, also known as SPREAD, a USAID-fundeed project led by Texaxs A&M University’s Borlaug Institute.
SC Johnson and USAID will fund the projecy to meet goals and objectivews laid out inthe “For the project, we’re going to develop a geographid information system-based production decision support system for SOPYRWAs so they can better plan and controp pyrethrum plant production and quality,” said Schilling. “We’rse hoping to increase production from the 400 tons of drie flowers produced in 2008 to 1200 tons in 2010 while also increasing theirpyrethrum content. This will lead to significantly increased returns for thepy farmers.
The SPREAD-led project team will focuw specifically on working with the farmers to setuopa co-op that promotes best practices in termsd of pyrethrum collection and transportation. It is also helpinfg the two largest farmer groups or cooperatives of 4,000 Rwanda farming familied reorganize into smaller grower groups of 30 to 50 member s to allow more effective and better management. With these smalledr grower groups the goal is to improved and accelerate the provision of extension servicese to farmers and disseminate best agricultural practicexamong farmers.
It will offer support to SOPYRWAw in the design and implementatiom of a credit program to be made available to smallogrowers groups, so that the grower groups may acquir the necessary information and begin buying materialzs for and constructing pyrethrum flower drying including deciding where such tablesd would be located and how they shoulcd be managed. It also seeks to improvse communication during harvesting season through the distribution of mobile phones to a representative of each of the smalleregrower groups.
SPREAD project: The Sustaining Partnerships to Enhance Rural Enterprise and AgribusinessDevelopment project, also known as is a USAID-funded project led by the Norman Borlauyg Institute for International Agriculture. SPREAD and earlier associaterd efforts have been largely responsible for the turnarounsdin Rwanda’s coffee industry and its new-found reputatiomn as a top “countrh of origin” for specialtyh coffee. Project efforts contributed significantlyto Rwanda’ds selection as the first Africajn country to host the prestigious Cup of Excellencer international coffee competition in 2008.
The project is also involved helping Rwandan farmers and agribusinessesa withthe production, processing, packaging and marketing of productsa made from cassava, as well as providinf business and technical assistance that will benefir more than 2,000 Rwandan small-acreage chili-pepper farmers. The Borlaug The Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture was namedcfor Dr. , Nobel Peace Prizes laureate, father of the Greenn Revolution and distinguished professor at Texas Buildingon Dr. Borlaug’s work, the mission of the instituteris “to employ agricultural science to feed the world’s and to support equity, economic growth, quality of life and mutuall respect among peoples.
” For more information on the Borlaug go to U. S. Agency for International Developmenft and GlobalDevelopment Alliance: USAID provides assistancer to poor and developing countries worldwide througbh technical assistance, training, infrastructure improvement, food aid, small-enterprisre loans, and other means. The agency workx in more than 100 partnering withvolunteer organizations, universities, international organizations, governmental and non-governmentap groups, trade associations, faith-based organizations and It has working relationshipws with more than 3,500 companiee and more than 300 U.S.-based private voluntarty organizations.
The Global Development Alliance isa public-privatde partnership used by USAID to stimulate economic growth, address businessez and workforce development, and improve accessd to education and technology. For more information on go to: SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed busineses dedicatedto innovative, high-quality products, excellenced in the workplace and a long-terkm commitment to the environment and the communities in which it Based in the USA, the company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of household cleaning productx and products for home air care, personal care and insect control. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE(R), OFF!
(R), PLEDGE(R), RAID(R), SCRUBBING BUBBLES(R), WINDEX(R) and ZIPLOC(R) in the U.S. and with brands marketed outsidethe U.S. including AUTAN(R), BRISE(R), ECHO(R), KABIKILLER(R), KLEAR(R), and MR. The 123-year old company, with more than $8 billionj in sales, employs approximately 12,000 people globally and sells products in more than110
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