A farmer who was supported by FAO stands at the kraal of his cow. Improving nutrition of Rwanda is a focus in FAO Rwanda's CPF.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rwanda organized a consultative workshop with multi-stakeholders, as the Organization embarks on the formulation of its Country Programming Framework (CPF) that will run from 2019 –2023.

CPF is a document entailing priorities guiding the FAO’s collaboration with the Government of Rwanda (GoR) based on identified gaps and comparative advantages in the areas of agriculture, food and nutrition security, fisheries, and forestry.

About 57 projects were implemented in the last CPF that ended in 2018 within four priority areas: i) Improved food security and human nutrition among Rwandan Population; ii) Agriculture and livestock productivity through sustainable natural resource management adapted to climate changes; iii) Value chain development and private sector investment as a basis for boosting commercialized agricultural development; iv) Institutional collaboration and knowledge sharing in addressing agricultural development, food security and poverty actions.

Addressing the meeting, the Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Jean Claude Musabyimana, urged FAO to consider a support on farming or commercialization of insects to complement household food security and for income generation in the new CPF.

He added that FAO’s programming process starts at the right time after the endorsement by the Cabinet of the fourth National Strategic Agricultural Plan (PSTA4) in July 2018.

The current PSTA4 which will run from 2018-2024 is expected to increase agriculture sector annual growth by 10 percent. Currently, Rwanda’s Agriculture sector contributes 33 percent to National GDP.

PSTA4 was designed by FAO with financial support from the European Union (EU).

CPF successes    

During the last generation of CPF, FAO in collaboration with MINAGRI, supported in the establishment of the National platform for Youth in Agribusiness “Rwanda Youth in Agribusiness Forum (RYAF)”.

The forum now boasting over 12,000 members, brings together different youth organizations, individual youth farmers and entrepreneurs in Agriculture Sector working in; crop production, livestock, agro-processing, inputs and other Agro-services as well as ICT for Agriculture in Rwanda.

The platform helps the youth to exchange business and technical knowledge and to raise awareness on the practice of business oriented agriculture.

FAO also, implemented a poultry project that supported both female and male rural young graduates who were unemployed. Twenty five unemployed youth got permanent job opportunities and became entrepreneurs in poultry value chain (egg end-producers).

More 220 poor households got supplemental income through egg sales and improved their diets with nutritious food.

Honorata NZATEGIMPAYE, was supported by the project in Gakenke District. When the project started, she had two children aged 3.5 and 5 under the red line, indicating acute malnutrition.

“We were poor people. We were classified in the first social economic category. When the poultry project started, it provided fertilizer, eggs and we now had food to eat and sell eggs for income. My children are no longer malnourished,” says Honorata.

The Government has owned the poultry project model, and as a result, a similar small livestock project has been initiated in five districts of Western Province.

Further partnerships

FAO Representative to Rwanda, Gualbert Gbehounou, said that the current CPF will outline strategic areas of focus, adding that FAO will make a further consultation with partners to leverage synergies and partnerships.  

Partners at the meeting expressed their interest to further collaborate with FAO on areas related to management of post-harvest handling, Value Chains development, Climate Change, private sector and agriculture finance, Technology transfer to farmers, Nutrition education, Coherence between Agriculture and Social protection, Knowledge management and dissemination; Capacity development of farmers organizations on optimizing production costs, among others.

Contact:

Teopista Mutesi | Communications Specialist | FAO-Rwanda | Email: [email protected] OR [email protected]