Enumerating landscape change
Restoration landscape in Rwanda’s Western Province. Image: Clémence Mukankuriza
Agroforestry, woodlots, and terraces were at the heart of our latest data collection round for the RESTORE project. How did we study them? Find out through stories from our research team in Western Rwanda.
This article was collaboratively written by: Emma Marie Niyigena, Delphine Mpayimana, Clémence Mukankuriza, Jeannette Uwitonze, Pacifique Niyodushima, Anatholia Mizero, Faustin Mbarubukeye, and Laura Kmoch.
. . .
Using photos to start conversations
Which benefits do rural people derive from restored sites? Which emotions — good and bad — do they associate with different intervention types? How do they feel about encountered challenges, and what could be improved?
We are about to find out, through our latest data collection round in Rwanda’s western highlands. A photo-elicitation survey was our tool to engage residents from 35 villages in structured conversations about three restoration types: agroforestry, woodlots and terraces.
“This method relies on photos as conversation starters. Each respondent reflects on a set of images that show the restoration types from different perspectives: close up, mid-range, and at a landscape-scale.”
It’ll take a while until we can share the full results of our statistical analysis. Our respondents’ first-hand accounts moved the entire enumerator team, however, and triggered reflections. Read on for their stories of what stood out.
. . .
Emma Marie: Rebuild bonds and roasted maize
“Yes, restoration is about land, but it’s also about people, resilience, and shared joy.”
My name is Emma Marie Niyigena. I work as an enumerator for the RESTORE research project in Western Rwanda. My job is to talk with people in different communities, and to learn how land restoration is changing their lives.
I have been interviewing locals about woodlots, agroforestry, and terraces. Only a few people shared challenges — most of them expressed joy, because these activities increase their productivity and bring both food and cash crops to their families.
Emma Marie, engaged with an interviewee (left), landscape with forest, tea, and pastures in the study area (middle), maize snack sweetening the team’s long drive (right). Images: Clémence Mukankuriza and Emma Marie Niyigena.
“For me, this work is personal because I grew up seeing how land degradation affected people’s daily lives. Now, I am proud to be part of a mission that not only restores the environment but also gives hope to families for a better future.”
We listen to their stories, understand their challenges, and collect information that helps guide better solutions. This work supports efforts to bring back healthy soil, protect the environment, and improve livelihoods for the future.
“Beyond the survey, it was amazing to see stunning terraced hills and the warmth of villagers who often invited me for lunch.”
Sadly, I was usually rushing to the next interview. And also, the routes were tough sometimes, far from the main road and slippery with rain. But the smiles, stories, and teamwork made it worth it. And the nice moments with the team after work, when we used to buy roasted maize and laughed over the day’s adventures and shared the day’s stories.
“Restoration is more than planting trees. It’s about rebuilding the bond between people and the land, creating a sustainable future for the next generation.”
. . .
Delphine: Honesty and open conversations
This is the third week of my data collection on how terraces, woodlots and agroforestry trees support rural livelihoods. Every day is a good day — I never get used to how rural people are overwhelmed to welcome us, with smiles on their faces, excited to have an open conversation on the research.
“The most interesting part about this journey: Rural people are honest in their answers. You can tell, based on how you try to challenge or prompt them, their answers still remain the same. This is a good thing in research — it shows how trustworthy the results will be.”
Good enough, many of them want to see more restoration practices in their farmlands, because they have seen how beneficial they are. Due to those restoration practices, a lot has changed and a lot still needs to be done as they said in their responses.
. . .
Clémence: Restoration, but at what cost?
As a research enumerator, I thought I understood restoration. Yes, I had seen it in action: Farmers building terraces, planting trees on bare hills, digging trenches to fight off erosion, bending their backs day after day to care for land that gives so much and asks for more.
“But one question from a farmer, after we finished our interview on restoration, stopped me in my tracks: ‘We are told to protect the land. But who protects it from them?’”
At first, I didn’t understand. But then he pointed to the road above his plot — cracked, unpaved, and built without drainage. Every rainy season, it sends torrents of water roaring down the hill, flooding his terraces, sweeping away soil, and undoing years of backbreaking work.
Terraced farmland — maintained through smallholders’ hard work (left), Clémence in dialogue with a respondent (middle), team members crossing a bridge — this stream will greatly swell during the rainy season (right). Images: Clémence Mukankuriza and Laura Kmoch.
Also, he wasn’t just speaking for himself. He was voicing what so many rural farmers feel — that they are praised when things go well, but left alone when the system fails them.
“‘They say restoration is for our good’, the farmer told me. ‘But what good is it if I’m too tired and powerless to protect what I’ve restored?’”
This experience challenged everything I thought I knew. Restoration isn’t just about planting trees or digging terraces — it’s about systems, decisions, and accountability. It’s about listening to farmers’ lived realities, not just policies on paper.
. . .
Jeannette: How agroforestry benefits farmers and the environment
It was fantastic to speak with farmers, with experiences in various restoration techniques! They talked about their feelings after learning about various types of restoration, such as terraces, agroforestry, and how they help to maintain their livelihoods:
.
“As a farmer, I used to struggle with soil erosion and low crop yields. But since I started integrating trees into my farm through agroforestry, I’ve noticed a huge difference.”
Homegarden in Rutsiro District (left), Jeannette in dialogue with a survey respondent (middle), sheep of a hillside farm (right). Images: Jeannette Uwitonze and Laura Kmoch.
The trees provide shade, stakes used to support agricultural crops, firewood, and on terraces they got fodder for livestock, and they keep the soil moist. The additional income from selling timber, fruits, and other tree products has significantly improved their family’s livelihood and reduced financial risks.
“It’s amazing how agroforestry has improved their livelihoods and health.”
. . .
Pacifique: From offices to the field, from relying on secondary data to gathering primary data
My name is Pacifique Niyodushima — a Masters student in environmental economics and natural resources management. I was honored to be among the enumerators collecting primary data on the livelihoods of local people living in restoration areas in western Rwanda, under research being carried out by University of Göttingen in Germany.
“This role was fully field-based, involving direct interaction with local community members through interviews and discussions as well as learning from their lived experiences.”
Cows on a silvo-pasture in northern Rutsiro District (left), Pacifique during an interview with a respondent from Nyabihu District (right). Images: Jeannette Uwitonze and Delphine Mpayimana.
I learned from the respondents how they perceived restoration projects in their initial stages, and how their perceptions have changed so far. By taking terraces as an example, in the early stages most of the people were unaware of the importance of terracing, but now it is totally different. Mainly due to the benefits they experienced from this type of restoration.
“Most respondents I have interacted with suggest to initiate terraces on all mountainous landscapes, to create flood and erosion-resilient farms, as a way of maintaining soil fertility and to increase crop yields.”
. . .
Anatholia: Woodlots in focus
A woodlot is a parcel of woodland, mainly used for land restoration because of its capacity to prevent soil erosion, and for its main products — fuel wood and timber for building. Today I visited Rugari Cell, where I saw how beneficial woodlots are for the farmers. For example, they derive wood fuel, timber, leave mulch as fertiliser, and food for their livestock.
The challenges that the respondents met were that people in this area have planted many small woodlots, with tree seeds that they received from the government. But they planted those trees in their land for agriculture— where these trees take much water, and crops around them can’t grow — rather than on the hilltop. This leads to people gaining lower amounts of crops from their cultivation.
“The respondents told me that they would like to put woodlots in one side — mainly on hill tops — separate from their land used for agriculture, because when woodlots and crops are mixed, they compete for water and the crops can’t grow well.”
. . .
Faustin: From challenges to production
During the July/August 2025 survey most of the respondents acknowledged that the most effective approaches to soil restoration and conservation include: agroforestry, terracing, and woodlot establishment.
Furthermore, the respondents expressed satisfaction with the discussions held during the survey process and indicated that they would appreciate future visits.
“At the beginning of the interventions, terracing and agroforestry challenged the farmers. They were thinking they lose their land for crops. But today they are happy, because they benefit from increased crop production with those methods.”
. . .
At the end of our research stories lies this bridge: We invite you to cross it, to explore the restoration landscapes of Western Rwanda for yourself. The roads were not always easy — more than once we continued on foot. But kindness and thoughtful conversations always lay ahead. Image: Laura Kmoch.
Successful data collection depends on more than choosing the right method. It’s just as much about the group experience of the research team — the shared learning, growth, and quiet strength, arising when people with diverse skills and personalities collaborate.
Thanks to the entire team — including our dependable drivers, the survey respondents who shared their time and knowledge, and many people, from cleaning to kitchen staff in the hotels, who cared for us — we can now dive into the analysis of our survey data. Stay tuned!
. . .
Further reading:
For details about the RESTORE project, visit our website: https://ecosystemrestoration.net/
An earlier blog post, on how we used photovoice to explore rural people’s restoration experiences, can be found here: https://ecosystemrestoration.net/tag/sp6/
Additional stories about forest-related research of the social-ecological interactions group can be found here: https://medium.com/people-nature-landscapes/forestday-f24dced220c5