Cafe Juridique: “Promoting Climate Resilience In Rwanda: Perspectives From Agriculture”

Café Juridique recently hosted an insightful session titled "Promoting Climate Resilience in Rwanda: Perspectives From Agriculture," featuring Belinda Bwiza, CEO of One Acre Fund Rwanda, as the distinguished guest speaker. The session aimed to delve into the nexus between climate change and agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular focus on Rwanda, highlighting the challenges faced by smallholder farmers and exploring strategies to enhance climate resilience.

The session commenced with an explanation of climate change and its profound impact on agriculture, emphasizing the need for resilience-building measures. It was underscored that agriculture, being highly dependent on natural factors, is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, posing significant challenges to food security and economic stability.

Through a series of thought-provoking questions, Ms. Bwiza shed light on various facets of agricultural resilience and the role of One Acre Fund in addressing pertinent issues. Discussions revolved around key areas such as agricultural productivity, women and youth engagement, and the journey to climate resilience.

In addressing the issue of agricultural productivity, Ms. Bwiza elaborated on the challenges facing smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa with a particular focus on Rwandan agricultural sector, including climate change impacts like prolonged draughts, heavy rainfall, lack of investment in improved inputs, mechanization, and technology. Only 40% of farmers in Rwanda utilize fertilizer, while a similar percentage employ improved seeds, highlighting the need for increased adoption of technologies that enhance farm productivity and yields. Furthermore, less than50% of farmers in Rwanda adhere to recommended planting practices such as crop rotation and row-planting, underscoring the importance of promoting good agricultural practices for optimal productivity. Belinda Bwiza, CEO of One Acre Fund, emphasized the critical role of education and training in addressing these challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. She highlighted the need to equip farmers with the necessary knowledge and skills to adopt sustainable practices, thereby enhancing productivity and resilience in the agricultural sector.

Furthermore, Ms. Bwiza highlighted One Acre Fund's interventions aimed at directly impacting smallholder farmers. At One Acre Fund, a significant focus lies on enhancing agricultural productivity through the promotion of improved inputs and best farming practices. This approach involves comprehensive training sessions on effective agricultural techniques, coupled with the removal of barriers hindering the adoption of improved inputs, thereby emphasizing the importance and benefits of modern farming. To facilitate accessibility, farmers are provided with these crucial resources on credit, allowing for gradual payments throughout the season. Ensuring proximity, the improved inputs are strategically located within a 30-minute reach of farmers. This comprehensive strategy has yielded remarkable results, with participating farmers experiencing over a 30% increase in yields, escalating to an impressive 50%boost by the third year—outperforming comparative farmers not enrolled in the program. These initiatives collectively contribute to increased crop yields and household income, fostering the overall prosperity of farming communities.

The discussion also delved into the importance of women and youth engagement in agriculture, acknowledging the unique challenges.  In the program,50 percent of farmers in One Acre Fund are women.  Despite the majority of farmers being women, women yield 20 percent to 30 percent less than men.  Women and Youth encounter multiple challenges such as ,limited access to land and decision-making power, higher rates of illiteracy etc. To attract more women, the program has a field force that is composed of 50 percent of women officers. The idea behind this is that the more women there are in the group, the more women they will attract. Additionally, the field officers are incentivized to attract more women and youth. Ms. Bwiza emphasized the need for targeted interventions to empower women and youth farmers, thereby enhancing household food security and economic stability. Additionally, Ms. Bwiza elaborated on specific climate-resilient farming practices promoted by One Acre Fund to help farmers adapt to changing climate conditions. These practices encompassed soil health management, crop diversification, and the adoption of climate-resilient seeds, aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity.

The session concluded with are flection on the challenges facing smallholder farmers in accessing climate finance, with Ms. Bwiza advocating for more equitable distribution of resources and continued investment in research and development. The importance of partnerships and collaborative efforts in addressing climate injustices and promoting resilience was emphasized.

In summary, the session provided valuable insights into the  interplay between climate change and agriculture, highlighting the critical role of capacity building in terms of training ,raising awareness, financial support, and collaboration(partnerships)in fostering resilience and prosperity within farming communities. The session emphasized on  the need for concerted efforts to address the challenges facing smallholder farmers, thereby ensuring food security, economic stability, and environmental sustainability in the face of a changing climate.