CENTRE INERA

It is one of the research centers of the National Institute for Agronomic Study and Research (INERA) inherited from the colonial era. The center dates from 1933 but the general architecture is of the colonial type of the 1950s. The site includes administrative buildings, greenhouses, laboratories, a large factory, warehouses, housing for management and staff, and of course fields for experimental crops. Most of the buildings are well preserved, made of stone and brick, with high pavilion roofs originally covered with baked tiles. Even though the site suffered some damage during the war years (especially the greenhouses). The center is still more or less active today. Research is mainly focused on banana, corn, potato, legumes and cassava. There is also an important soil laboratory, a herbarium and a catalog of local wood species. Tree seeds are produced and distributed by various national and international agencies. A weather station is also located on the estate. This impressive site can be seen when arriving in Bukavu by boat from Goma.