Practise reading the following conversation.
Kankindi and McPherson are chatting on Facebook. Kankindi is in Kigali and McPherson is
in Ireland.
MCPHERSON: Did you say you come from Ru – a- nda?
KANKINDI: Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills.
MCPHERSON: You must be very proud of
your country.
KANKINDI: Indeed I am.
MCPHERSON: Why are you studying
Agricultural Economics? Do
you have many farmers in Rwanda?
KANKINDI: (laughing) You got the pronunciation right! I
am studying Agricultural
Economics because I want
to help farmers in my district
earn more from their produce. Nearly 91%
of Rwandans earn their living from farming. They are either farmers or they buy or sell farm products.
MCPHERSON: Is the farming large scale?
KANKINDI: I wouldn’t exactly say that. For instance, coffee is grown in western Rwanda
by small producers. On the other hand, tea is grown on large estates.
MCPHERSON: Those are cash crops ... what of food crops? Do you keep livestock?
KANKINDI: Coffee and tea are our main exports. I should mention plantains which are
both cash and food crops. However, the plantain crop is used mainly for
making beer and wine.
MCPHERSON: Really ... wine from plantains?
KANKINDI: Yes ... Then we have pyrethrum, maize, beans, sorghum, potatoes,
sugarcane, and cassava and ... yes, we keep livestock.
MCPHERSON: If I ever visit Africa, I will come to Rwanda.
KANKINDI: Africa is not all about war and starvation. It is beautiful, full of resources
and amazing people.
Which of these crops are grown in your village: coffee, tea, plantain, pyrethrum, maize,
beans, sorghum, potatoes, sugarcane and cassava?
1. Working in groups of five, draw the map below in your exercise books. Thereafter,
study the sentences that follow and then label the map correctly.
a) Coffee is grown in the Virunga Region. It is also grown in the Akagera, Kivu, Kizi Rift
Valley and Muhazi Lake Region.
b) Tea is planted in Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi and Kibuye provinces.
c) Bananas are grown all over Rwanda.
d) Potatoes are grown in Ruhengeri, Gisenyi, Byumba, Gikongoro, and Kibuye regions.
e) Beans are grown in Ruhengeri, Kirambo and Musanze in Burera district.
f) Sugarcane is grown in Bugesera, Kicukiro and Rwamagana districts.
g) Cassava is grown in Ruhango, Muhanga, Gisagara, Kamonyi, Nyanza and Bugesera
districts.
h) Pyrethrum is grown in Musanze, Nyabihu and Rubavu districts.
i) Sorghum is grown in Ruhengeri, Gisenyi, Kibuye, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Butare,
Kibungo, Umutara, Byumba and Gitarama districts.
j) Livestock keeping is practised in many parts of Rwanda.
2. Study the graph below in your small groups. It shows amounts of agricultural yield in
tonnes.
a. Which crop is most produced in Rwanda?
b. Are the least produced crops cash or food crops?
c. What do you think of this way of presenting information?
B. Reading and comprehension
Read the following report.
Overview of resources in Rwanda
Rwanda’s chief natural resources include tin ore, gold, methane and tungsten ore. The
significant export commodities in 2010 included tin ore, columbite, tantalite and tungsten
ore. In 2010, the country’s tantalum production accounted for 15% of the global tantalum
production. Peat increased by 10%, and tin increased by 46%. The country’s quarrying and
mining sector accounted for only 0.7% of the GDP.
Industrial minerals
About 100,000 tonnes of cement were produced by Cimerwa in 2010. The company
planned to construct a new cement plant by the end of 2011. It was expected to produce
700,000 tonnes of cement per year. The company planned to export cement to eastern
Congo and Burundi.
In 2010, however, the demand for cement in
Rwanda increased to almost 460,000 tonnes.
Therefore, cement had to be imported to meet
this growing demand. Demand for cement was
expected to reach 680,000 tonnes by 2015.
Metals
In 2008, TransAfrika Resources Limited carried
out gold exploration activities in Gicumbi District.
This site had resources that amounted to 5.55
millionmetric tonnes of gold.
In 2010, Centrale Multi-Services SARL mined cassiterite at the rate of almost 300 t/yr.
In the same year, Wolfram Mining & Processing produced 120 t/yr of tungsten. Eurotrade
International produced about 480 t/yr. Equally, Natural Resources Development Rwanda
Ltd produced between 12 and 36 t/yr of tungsten.
Fossil fuels
Rwanda’s Lake Kivu was estimated to contain 60 billion m3 of natural gas. In 2010, Kibuye
Power 1 Limited extracted natural gas from Lake Kivu. Kivuwatt Limited planned to
construct a gas-fired power station and extract natural gas from Lake Kivu.
Pollution
Mining activities surrounding River Sebeya in the Western Province were suspended.
These activities were polluting River Sebeya, which is a source of livelihood for the local
people. Mining in this area will continue only after the execution of proper environment
protection measures.
(Source, allafrica.com)
Answer the following questions.
1. Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the passage.
a) natural resources d) production
b) demand e) loans
c) investments
2. According to the passage, what are the main resources in Rwanda?
3. How much did the quarrying and mining sectors contribute towards the GDP?
4. Why do you think the demand for cement increased at a high rate?
5. Where were gold exploration activities carried out, according to the passage?
6. What did Kivuwatt Limited plan in 2010?
7. Explain the consequences of polluting River Sebeya.
8. Which words would you use to describe the mining industry in Rwanda?
A. Small and of little importance
B. Small but with potential
C. Small but important
D. Challenging but beneficial
9. How can the mining and mineral industries in Rwanda be improved?
C. Language use
Passive voice, present tense and connectors of time
Passive voice
Do you remember what passive voice is? Study the sentences below.
1. Coffee is grown in western Rwanda.
2. It is grown by small producers.
3. Tea is grown on large estates.
These sentences are in passive voice. In passive voice, the thing doing the action is the
object. The subject may or may not be included. For example, in sentence 1, we do not
know who grows the coffee. In sentence 2, we are told who grows the coffee – the small
producers.
Here are more examples:
1. Gas is extracted from Lake Kivu.
2. Tantalite is found in Kamonyi and Gatsibo districts.
3. Gold is mined in Gicumbi District.
You must have noticed that we are using the present tense. We are talking about things
that usually happen. They are habitual. Do you remember what we said about the present
tense? The present tense indicates actions that are happening or that happen regularly,
that a situation exists or is true. In this case, the actions happen regularly. Remember, ‘is’
is the present form of the irregular verb ‘be’.
Complete the following sentences correctly.
1. Cassiterite is ............. Rutongo Mines.
2. Wolframite is ............. at Nyakabingo.
3. Nyakabingo mines ............. 18 tonnes of Wolframite per month to Malasya.
4. Coltan is ............. in the western parts of the country.
5. Gold deposits are ............. in Miyove.
Describing a process
We can use the present tense, passive voice and connectors of time to describe a process.
For example:
Here are sentences on the production of coltan:
1. Coltan is mined near Kamonyi.
2. The ore is weighed.
3. Coltan is taken to factories.
4. It is offloaded at the factories then it is smelted.
We can join these sentences using connectors to show the sequence like this:
First, the coltan is mined near Kamonyi. Then the ore is weighed. After that, the coltan is
taken to factories. Finally, it is offloaded then smelted.
The words in bold type are called connectors. They help us understand a sequence of
events. First, then, after that, meanwhile, later, before and that are called connectors of
sequence because they indicate the sequence and time aspect of a procedure/process.
Using geography books, or a library if there is one in the school, carry out a research on
the processes of producing three minerals and describe these processes. Ensure that you
use connectors of time and passive voice.
Talking about imports and exports
We can use the passive and present tense to talk about imports and exports.
Study the table below and in groups of five, form sentences using the listed items.
Your sentences should be in passive voice and present tense.
Table showing Rwanda export /import table for the year 2014 in metric tonnes
From the table, 60 metric tonnes of tea were exported while 100 metric tonnes of fertilizers
were imported.
1. Describe other imports and exports.
2. What were the sum total export and sum total import?
D. Writing
Tables and graphs
Tables are visual representations. They are used to organise information to show patterns
and relationships. Tables show this information by representing it as a shape. Researchers
and scientists often use tables to report findings from their research. In newspapers,
magazine articles and on television they are often used to support an argument or point
of view.
Importance of tables
Tables can be useful tools for helping people make decisions. However, they only provide
part of a story. Inferences often have to be made from the data shown. It is important to
identify what parts of the story are missing. This can help the reader decide what other
information they need. The reader can decide whether the argument should be rejected
or not.
As a student, you need to know how to study and interpret a table.
Have a look at this table again.
What can you say about this table?
In small groups, study and interpret the table below. In five paragraphs, comment on these exports.
In small groups, study and interpret the table below and then write two paragraphs
about these imports. The amounts are in US dollars
BOY:Everyone seems so wealthy here! Does it rain money?
OLD WOMAN: Yes, it does.
BOY:When is that?
OLD WOMAN: When there is change in weather ...
Which of these crops are grown in your village: coffee, tea, plantain, pyrethrum, maize,beans, sorghum, potatoes, sugarcane and cassava?
1. Working in groups of five, draw the map below in your exercise books. Thereafter,study the sentences that follow and then label the map correctly.
a) Coffee is grown in the Virunga Region. It is also grown in the Akagera, Kivu, Kizi RiftValley and Muhazi Lake Region.b) Tea is planted in Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi and Kibuye provinces.c) Bananas are grown all over Rwanda.d) Potatoes are grown in Ruhengeri, Gisenyi, Byumba, Gikongoro, and Kibuye regions.e) Beans are grown in Ruhengeri, Kirambo and Musanze in Burera district.f) Sugarcane is grown in Bugesera, Kicukiro and Rwamagana districts.g) Cassava is grown in Ruhango, Muhanga, Gisagara, Kamonyi, Nyanza and Bugeseradistricts.h) Pyrethrum is grown in Musanze, Nyabihu and Rubavu districts.i) Sorghum is grown in Ruhengeri, Gisenyi, Kibuye, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Butare,Kibungo, Umutara, Byumba and Gitarama districts.j) Livestock keeping is practised in many parts of Rwanda.2. Study the graph below in your small groups. It shows amounts of agricultural yield intonnes.
a. Which crop is most produced in Rwanda?b. Are the least produced crops cash or food crops?c. What do you think of this way of presenting information?
Using geography books, or a library if there is one in the school, carry out a research onthe processes of producing three minerals and describe these processes. Ensure that youuse connectors of time and passive voice.
From the table, 60 metric tonnes of tea were exported while 100 metric tonnes of fertilizerswere imported.1. Describe other imports and exports.2. What were the sum total export and sum total import?
What can you say about this table?
In small groups, study and interpret the table below and then write two paragraphsabout these imports. The amounts are in US dollars