ASSESSMENT OF MAIZE PRODUCTION SYSTEM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN RWANDA: CASE STUDY OF KIGALI CITY REGION

The SARS-CoV-2 virus caused a major transformation in the food system globally including in Rwanda. This research identified and assessed the status and structure of the maize production system in the Kigali city region before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The methods adopted for this study include both quantitative and qualitative methods using primary data obtained from the participants’ interview and focus group discussions, the secondary data were obtained from national institute of statistics of Rwanda (NISR). While production, processing, distribution and consumption are the four parts of the maize production system, the study only focused on the production system. The sample size for the study was 256 respondents who were maize production system actors from the Kigali city region. The study showed that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the prize of dried maize was significantly influenced by the cost of diammonium phosphate (DAP) (p=0.000), the source of the irrigating scheme (p=0.008), being a cooperative member (p=0.000) and marital status (p=0.002). During the pandemic, DAP (p=0.109) was absent at market due to lockdowns, and farmers did not access it. Maize farmers-built responses of resilience, persistence, adaptation, transformation, and persistence to encounter the consequences of the lockdowns. Innovative responses to shortage of maize- input stocks, and poor imports were presented, which represented 26.66% of resilient responses adopted by farmers. The innovative responses to labor shortage with farm workers` migration to their home provinces before and during the implementation of containment measures were 20%. Resilience built against the absence of extension services due to restricted movements was 13.33%. Reactions to restricted movement to and from fields, and adaptation to COVID-19 pandemic containing measures were 26.66 %, while reaction to the shortage of dried -maize at the market, which shortened the maize production cycle was 13.33%. Apart from maize production, more than half of the maize selling system were women 51.61%. Women in raw maize processing were 67.67% with a 100% level of university.

新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）引发了全球粮食系统的重大变革，卢旺达亦受其波及。本研究针对基加利都市圈的玉米生产系统，在新冠疫情前后的发展现状与结构展开识别与评估。本研究采用定量与定性相结合的研究方法，原始数据来源于受访对象访谈与焦点小组讨论（focus group discussions），二手数据则取自卢旺达国家统计局（National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, NISR）。玉米生产系统涵盖生产、加工、流通与消费四大环节，但本研究仅聚焦于生产环节。本次研究的有效样本为256名基加利都市圈的玉米生产经营主体。研究显示，新冠疫情暴发前，干玉米售价显著受磷酸二铵（diammonium phosphate, DAP）成本（p=0.000）、灌溉方案来源（p=0.008）、合作社成员身份（p=0.000）以及婚姻状况（p=0.002）的影响。疫情管控期间，因封控措施导致市场无DAP供应，农户无法获取该农资。玉米种植户采取了韧性应对、持续经营、适应性调整、转型变革等多种策略以应对封控带来的影响。针对玉米农资库存短缺与进口受阻问题所采取的创新性应对措施，占农户韧性应对举措的26.66%；针对疫情防控措施实施前后务工人员返乡导致的劳动力短缺问题，创新性应对措施占比达20%；因人员流动受限导致农技推广服务缺位，农户采取的韧性应对措施占比为13.33%；针对跨地块流动受限及适应新冠疫情防控措施的应对举措占比26.66%；针对市场干玉米短缺、进而缩短玉米生产周期的应对措施占比13.33%。除玉米生产环节外，玉米销售体系中女性从业者占比超过半数，达51.61%；在原粮玉米加工领域，女性从业者占比为67.67%，且该群体全部拥有大学学历。