Participants at the national inception workshop of the project conducted in Kigali.

Kigali – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with partners has unveiled a new project to strengthen agricultural innovation partnerships and processes that support climate-relevant and sustainable transformation of agriculture systems in Rwanda.

The four year-project will focus on three areas: diversification of livestock and crop systems; effective management of irrigated areas; crop intensification; and diversification in drought-prone areas.

“This project will contribute to efforts to revamp agriculture and livestock activities in Rwanda, so we can shift from traditional to modern farming. This is a great support to solving some of the issues related to skills and capacity which impede the vision of farming as a business,” said Jean Claude Musabyimana, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI).

“The DeSIRA project is going to place innovation at the center of agriculture development in Rwanda. It will involve farmers throughout every step and together explore areas where innovations and improvements are needed to achieve the four betters defined by FAO: Better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all; Leaving no one behind,” FAO Representative in Rwanda, Gualbert Gbehounou said.

Innovations for healthy food systems

The project “Capacity Development for Innovation in Rwanda: strengthening innovation partnerships in six districts: Burera, Rutsiro, Gatsibo, Nyagatare, Bugesera, and Ruhango” builds on, and further develops, the approaches and lessons learnt from the EU-supported CDAIS (Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems) project (2015-2019), which strengthened capacities for agricultural innovation in three local partnerships (Cassava value chain in Ruhango District, Dairy value chain in Burera and Effectiveness use of Water in Nyagatare and Gatsibo Districts) and at policy level.

Financially supported by the European Union, it will be implemented in partnership with Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), University of Rwanda (UR) and Ecole supérieure d'agro-développement international (ISTOM).

“The project comes at the right time, when science and innovation are needed to promote Climate-smart agriculture and keep the food systems alive,” Lluis Navarro, Head of Cooperation of European Union Delegation to Rwanda, said.

Leveraging partnerships

At national level partnerships and capacities will be improved through stakeholders’ collaboration.

The project will facilitate a research exchange program between the University of Rwanda’s College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (UR-CAVM) and Ecole supérieure d'agro-développement international (ISTOM). In addition, six Masters’ students (two per each thematic area) and one PhD student researcher will be supported to better craft scientific approaches that are needed to develop sustainable, resilient and inclusive farming in six selected districts.

“The University of Rwanda has been a teaching-led university and we have to transform it to be a research and innovation led university. The project is another platform to join hands with other sister institutions to deploy science and make a difference,” Alexandre Lyambabaje, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Rwanda, said.

“ISTOM has developed its own Agro-development and Innovation researches. It’s a great opportunity for our research unit and students to be able to examine areas of innovation in Rwanda and contribute to finding solutions,” Marc Pouly, General Manager of ISTOM, said.

Achieving climate-smart agriculture

Under the project, scientific research will be deployed to help farmers promote climate-smart agriculture. Agriculture that has preventive, adaptive, and anticipative capacities to shocks and stresses caused mainly by climate change. This will increase yields; help fight food waste and foster innovation along the food chains.

Related links:

• Rwanda CDI DeSIRA
• Rwanda: A story of Change