Eric sharing his rabbit farming experience with other youth agripreneurs during a study tour. ©FAO/Teopista Mutesi

Young people in Rwanda constitute more than 40 percent of the entire population of 10,515,973 persons (Fourth Population and Housing Census, 2012) that is projected to increase to 12,663,116 persons (RPHC4: Population Projections, 2020).

The rate of unemployment is among youth and women. The agricultural sector constituting 90 percent employment opportunities in the economy, dominated by small-scale, subsistence, and rain-fed farming (PSTA3). Yet, heading to the country Vision 2050, Rwanda envisions inclusiveness of young generation in agriculture systems and transformation to a productive high-value, market-oriented farming.

Agribusiness in Rwanda has got enormous opportunities. It employs many young people, enables them to develop innovative, attractive and profitable business using modern technology and knowledge in agriculture such as Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) along the whole agri-food value chain. 

In 2016, FAO provided funding and technical support to MINAGRI to strengthen the Rwanda Youth in Agribusiness Forum (RYAF) comprised of young farmers to the age of 34 years.

Meet the agripreneurs

Eric Manirakiza is a young man with already a visible business sense. From his high school days he knew that agribusiness was where money flowed nonstop. “Who doesn't need food?” he asks with a smile.

Eric started farming at a tender age while living with his grandmother in Ruhango district, Southern Province of Rwanda. At 12 years of age, he had started rearing Guinea pigs and chicken. That's when he discovered his passion for livestock and farming in general.

“I was in love with the rabbits, I loved watching their different behaviours; breastfeeding, responding changing environment. It was funny,” he says with an enthusiastic smiling.

However, the love for rabbits alone wouldn’t have motivated him enough to abandon his Information and Technology (IT) degree which could have earned him a solid job in IT to get into farming, it was the immense opportunities the rabbit farming sector presented that made him chose joining agriculture, a less attractive sector for youth.

In September 2016 he opened a rabbit farm “Impano Rabbitry Company”with 401 female and male animals on 100 hectares of land. Rabbit keeping is a less ventured business in Rwanda, with the national population of rabbits currently estimated at 498 401.

Rabbits take an average of six to seven months to mature and at that age, they are able to breed. A female will be able to deliver a litter of babies a month after mating. The young rabbits suckle for one and a half months and are separated from the mothers, which is the moment when they start being ready for sale.

Big dreams

At 26 years old, Eric is already dreaming to establish a slaughter house for rabbits and a rabbit collection centre in Ruhango district.

For this young agri-prenuer nothing goes to waste. He stores rabbit droppings and urine to be used as fertiliser. He hopes to build a fertiliser production plant someday to produce organic fertiliser from his rabbits to be benefited by other farmers in the country.

Technology will be key to Eric’s business. He anticipates to introduce an application that will help him to document all the data on the animals.

“Agri-business will always be profitable because many people are moving to urban areas, we have to improve the way we do agriculture,” he emphasizes.

On Joining RYAF

“I joined RYAF because I was a young agri-prenuer, but most importantly RYAF’s vision appealed to me. The Forum is promising, I believe it will take us to another level in this sector. It will help us to create synergies between agripreneurs and suppliers and other stakeholders. RYAF is the best thing that has ever happened to Youth in Agribusiness,” he said with optimisms.

Eric also believes working as a team will go a long way to facilitate them to market their products domestically and internationally. 

Through his business he hopes to increase his capacity and broaden his vision and play a part in providing solutions to some of the challenges his country and Africa in general are facing.