The Tuzamurane Co-operative was established in 2016 when Wilderness approached the collective Bisate villagers to purchase parcels of their agricultural land to develop Wilderness Bisate, which opened for guests in June 2017. The award-winning lodge has since expanded, with the exciting additions of Bisate Kwanda Day Lounge in 2021 and the recently opened Wilderness Bisate Reserve. The Co-operative has grown and developed every year, and currently consists of 241 households – 169 men and 72 women – representing the villages around Wilderness Bisate.
Since its formation, the Tuzamurane Co-operative has been supplying goods and services to Bisate – from labour for the lodge’s construction and other development projects (ongoing to this day), to freshly harvested potatoes and carrots! Many of Bisate’s permanent team members are connected to the Tuzamurane Co-operative in an enduring relationship that has greatly improved the lives of the community members in the villages.
The successful reforestation project at Bisate is the result of a joint effort between the lodge and the Tuzamurane Co-operative – during each planting season many casual workers are employed to assist with planting and taking care of the indigenous saplings in the Bisate nursery. By now we can say that most of the Tuzamurane members are skilled agronomists!
The Tuzamurane Co-operative has grown and developed every year, and currently consists of 241 households.
Through our community committee in the Bisate area, and funded by generous guest donations, we support Tuzamurane with small-business development projects to empower the residents in the villages.
The first business we helped initiate was in 2021 – a large-scale agricultural and indigenous tree nursery situated in the Bisate villages. Currently, the nursery focus is mostly on agricultural trees, especially avocado saplings as a food source for the community. However, a smaller part of the nursery focuses on growing indigenous tree saplings to maintain the natural environment.
Two plots of land were purchased with our financial assistance, but are registered in the name of the Tuzamurane Co-operative. We also supported the storage space for this nursery, the water connection, all tools, a toilet for the workers and all necessities to start up the business. The nursery now runs independently and successfully sells avocado trees each year. The total value of Wilderness’ support, through donations from our guests, is USD 17,570.00
Each year the Co-operative sells their avocado saplings in October and November, after which new avocado seeds are planted again. This year the co-operative has 11,500 avocado saplings that are ready to be distributed. One thousand of the saplings will be donated to the families in the Bisate village, the others will be sold to generate income for the Tuzamurane Co-operative members.
“I am so happy to be involved in the efforts to empower the residents in our villages.”
Aline Umutoni
The second small Tuzamurane Co-operative business we supported was a start-up for the production of organic fertiliser and compost to supply farmers in the area. This project has been running since March 2023, and impressively, has now trained most farmers in the area on the usage and production of organic fertiliser. The total support provided by guests of Bisate is valued at USD 8,000.00. The organic fertiliser is a combination of raw materials like leaves and grasses, maize and bean crop waste, clay, cow dung, ash from the kitchens, and charcoal residue. As a result of the project many farmers in the Bisate area are currently using compost as a fertiliser, improving their produce whilst reducing the toxins from chemical fertiliser.
The third small business we support via the Tuzamurane Co-op in the Bisate villages is a mushroom farm. This project, valued at USD 4,500, started at the end of 2023, and was made possible thanks to the support of our generous Bisate guests. With the aim of diversifying the crops in the area and providing additional income, the Co-operative started by training all the Tuzamurane members on how to successfully grow the fungi.
Simultaneously, the villagers constructed a number of mushroom huts on the same property as the tree nursery. In September 2024 the Co-operative started to harvest and sell their mushrooms. Amongst their customers are Wilderness Bisate, Bisate Reserve and Sabyinyo! The chefs in our kitchens could not be happier with the quality of the beautiful, fresh mushrooms grown so close to the lodges.
“The Bisate team works together with the Tuzamurane Co-operative every day. Wilderness Bisate and the surrounding community and people in the area are intertwined. I am so happy to be involved in the efforts to empower the residents in our villages”, says a proud Aline Umutoni, Community & Children in the Wilderness Manager for Rwanda.
