Rwanda Agriculture Sector Outlook Ahead of 2024 AFS Forum
From September 3 – 6, 2024, all eyes will be on Rwanda, where world leaders, private sector players, scientists and researchers, farmers, and civil society will gather to review the progress towards Africa’s food system transformation ahead of critical deadlines, including the African Union’s Malabo Declaration (2025) and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (2030).
Under the theme, Innovate, Accelerate, and Scale: Delivering Food Systems Transformation in a Digital and Climate Era, participants at this year’s forum will be out to evaluate innovative policy mechanisms, financing initiatives, research, and business models in relation to the implementation of cutting-edge technologies and equipment to manage climate impact, the digital and financing gap, and reduce food waste.
Rwanda is a gracious host as it convenes the event every alternate year, a feat that only a government that is fully dedicated to continental food system transformation objectives can achieve.
Indeed, the Rwanda government has prioritized agriculture for investment, making the sector its largest economic driver. It accounts for 31% of its annual GDP and has contributed to a 22% reduction in poverty levels over the last two decades.
Agriculture employs 70% of Rwanda’s population, accounts for 37% of the country’s exports, and raises over $640 million in export revenue from the sale of coffee, tea, pyrethrum, macadamia, flowers, fruits, vegetables, cereals, and grains.
Rwanda prioritizes agriculture by investing in infrastructure, institutions, markets, and innovation, fostering a conducive environment for private sector investment. Opportunities include dairy, poultry, meat processing, horticulture, aquaculture, mechanization, crop sourcing, blockchain, agro-tourism, irrigation equipment manufacturing, and cold chain logistics.
Household Crop production
- Sweet potatoes – 44.6%
- Banana – 40.2%
- Maize – 67.7%
- Cassava – 45.6%
- Sorghum- 20.9%
- Irish potato – 15.5%
- Vegetables – 14.0%
- Yams and taro – 13.2%
- Soybean – 12%
- Groundnut – 6.3%
- Peas -5.8%
- Wheat – 3.6%
- Paddy rice – 3.2%.
Household livestock production
- Cattle – 53.4%
- Goats 37.6%
- Pigs – 33.7% r
- Chicken – 31.3%
- Sheep – 9.9%
- Rabbits – 8.6%
National agricultural strategy
Rwanda is currently developing the national Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA 5), following the success of the PSTA 4, which led to an increase in irrigated land to 71,585 hectares reaching 70% of the 2024 target.
Investment opportunities in agriculture
Many opportunities for investment exist in the country’s agriculture sector, including in dairy, poultry, meat processing, horticulture, aquaculture, mechanization, crop sourcing, blockchain, agro-tourism, irrigation equipment manufacturing, and cold chain logistics.
Rwanda’s performance in achieving the Malabo Declaration targets
In 2014, AU heads of state and government meeting in Equatorial Guinea adopted the Malabo Declaration to provide the direction for Africa’s agricultural transformation for the period 2015-2025.
As of 2024, Rwanda is the leading country in achieving the targets of the Malabo Declaration, with a score of 8.07 out of 10. According to the latest Biennial Review Report (AUDA-NEPAD 2022a), Rwanda was the only country on track to achieve four out of seven Malabo commitments (1, 4, 6, and 7).
