Agriculture is the backbone of Rwanda's economy, accounting for 27 per cent of its national GDP and employs 64.5 per cent of the total population.
Cassava, cultivated on roughly 147,320 hectares, equivalent to 5.6% of Rwanda’s territory, is a vital crop to ensure food security, ranking second in production after bananas. This tuber crop sustains over 700,000 families, particularly in the drought-prone southeast.
While a significant portion of cassava is consumed domestically, limited value addition restricts its export potential. However, its resilience to climate stress, such as low rainfall and poor soil conditions, makes the tuber crop an asset for Rwandan farmers.
Increasing and more frequent droughts, floods, and rising temperatures connected to climate change have led to poor harvests, worsen food insecurity, and malnutrition in Rwanda. The project aims to help farmers adapt to the new climatic reality by improving cassava production, utilizing clean and improved seeds and promoting the Zai Pit technique an improved farming method that improves soil fertility and water retention in degraded soils. In addition, the project will also promote Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) which guide farmers activities and Post-Harvest Handling and Storage (PHHS) methods.
To safeguard these gains, the project will also build the farmer’s resilience by raising awareness, providing training on climate change adaptation strategies, disseminating climate-smart technologies, promoting the use of early warning systems, and advocating for soil health and water conservation methods.
As a farmer-led organisation, INGABO will play a crucial role in ensuring project sustainability. The project will strengthen the organisation’s capacity and member cooperatives through improved project management, knowledge management, and monitoring & evaluation systems.
The initiative will strengthen the links across the cassava value chain that offer new job opportunities to women and young people, especially through better access to financing.
The project will directly benefit smallholder farmers in 10 districts: Kamonyi, Muhanga, Ruhango, Nyanza, Gisagara, Nyamasheke, Rusizi, Bugesera, Gatsibo, and Kayonza.