Rwanda Dairy Development Project

The dairy subsector offers a pathway out of poverty for many Rwandan households. Annual milk production has already increased significantly since 2000, yet performance lags behind other countries in the region.

Over 100,000 resource-poor rural households will benefit from the Rwanda Dairy Development Project (RDDP), of whom 80,000 will be involved in dairy farming and 20,000 in off-farm activities along the dairy value chain. The project aims to raise rural incomes by intensifying dairy production and improving market access.

RDDP will contribute to pro-poor national economic growth and improve the livelihoods of rural households. It will focus on improving food security and nutrition, the empowerment of women and young people, and sustainable and climate-resilient dairy value chain development.

Through ‘climate-smart dairy production', dairy farmers will learn to sustainably achieve higher volumes of quality milk for the dairy market. RDDP also aims to build the capacity of cooperatives in the areas of milk collection and marketing, input supply, animal health, breeding and financial services, in order to increase earnings and incomes.

RDDP will also invest in processing and marketing infrastructure to help reduce post-production losses and enhance the supply of quality milk in domestic and regional markets. The project will also leverage financing for climate-resilient dairy enterprise development, and facilitate the establishment of a policy framework and institutional structure for the dairy sector.