Rwanda: Calls grow for government to do more on food security

Published 2022년 7월 7일

Tridge summary

Rwanda is facing a urgent need to increase food productivity to achieve food security targets, as small farm sizes and lack of results-oriented research are hindrances. The country is experiencing food insecurity due to harsh weather conditions and increased food prices. Despite Covid-19 slightly impacting food security, climate change effects have been more disruptive, with 15% of Rwandans still food insecure. The government aims to eliminate this by 2027 through scaling up irrigation and using quality seeds. The average age of farmers is 55, with a need for more youth to professionalize and boost productivity through innovation. However, limited research is also a issue. The government has allocated Rwf150 billion for direct investments into agriculture in the 2022/23 fiscal year.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

There is a need to urgently devise ways to significantly boost food productivity if the country is to achieve its food security targets, experts and farmers say. They say one of the key bottlenecks facing the sector is lack of results-oriented research and called for increased funding in that area. The issue is even more pressing considering that the average farm size in Rwanda is 0.5 hectare, with stakeholders calling for deliberate efforts to boost productivity on limited farmland. This, they say, will be critical in helping Rwanda achieve its food security targets and fix issues related to pockets of hunger that emerge in different parts of the country from time to time. Alphonsine Nzamwita, a farmer in Gatsibo District, told The New Times that food insecurity is still a challenge, noting that crop productivity has not been as good as expected. "When the last rains came they washed away some of the crops. And it became worse when the dry spell came," she said, adding that his ...

Source: All Africa