Typology and Prospects for the Improvement of Market Gardening Systems in South-Kivu, Eastern DR Congo

Abstract

Vegetables play a very important role in rural and urban communities as both food and a business opportunity. They are fast-growing species, with high nutritional values and able to generate income in a relatively short period compared to other crops. A characterization of market gardening systems was carried out with 368 producers from major market gardening sites in South-Kivu, in Easten of the RD Congo.The aim pursued was to assess existing systems and perspectives to enable steady transition to integrated, sustainable and resilient crop systems. The results showed that very few producers in the region practice plant integration. The typology carried out made it possible to identify three classes of market gardening farms based on adopted agronomic practices, production factors and possible outcomes derived from different systems. Most of the surveyed farms practice crop rotation and are market-oriented. However, they majorly differ in terms of farm size, practices of intercropping, permanent agriculture, mulching, production constraints and producer’s perception on the level of production. For instance, producers who are much more into intercropping also cultivate small areas (less than 0.25 ha). Results also showed that variables such as type of labour, cropping system, type of fertilizer used, mulching practice, adoption of permanent agriculture, producer’s perception of the level of soil fertility, and the water source used affect producer’s appreciation of the level of production obtained (p < 0.05). These variables can be mobilized for improvement of the market gardening system towards more sustainable, diversified and resilient systems.