Rwanda

Rwanda is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, and its population continues to grow. Farmers are faced with a severe shortage of agricultural land. The vast majority have less than half a hectare to cultivate. The livestock sector is not very productive, which can be explained by traditional practices that are poorly adapted to an increasingly difficult context: climate change, limited access to quality animal health care and livestock feed, lack of water, etc. Not to mention the emergence of new diseases and the low genetic diversity of livestock.

 

How we help

  • To improve animal health care services, we are helping private vets and veterinary technicians to set up in practice, particularly in remote areas.
  • We stimulate pig breeding through artificial insemination. Thanks to an automated delivery service using drones, we make seeds rapidly accessible to farmers living in remote areas.
  • We install micro-farms of black soldier fly larvae to produce animal feed. Rich in protein, the dried larvae are an ideal feed for pigs and poultry. Produced locally, they are also an excellent alternative to imported feed and an example of circular agriculture based on the recycling of organic waste.
  • We are helping to improve the economic and food security of rural households through the development of environmentally-friendly livestock farming.
  • We facilitate access to credit for groups of farmers and livestock keepers so that they can develop their activities.
  • We promote the One Health approach through epidemiological monitoring of zoonoses, the rational use of antibiotics, the management of waste medicines, biosafety and the sustainable management of forest resources.
  • We are helping to improve access to water by installing fountains to meet the health needs of the population and the animals.
  • We help beekeepers’ cooperatives to obtain loans to finance the installation of new hives and the purchase of equipment. We also train them to harvest honey and process beekeeping products (wax, honey, propolis).
  • In coordination with the local authorities, we set up reforestation projects in degraded areas.

Animal health

We help veterinarians and veterinary technicians to set up their practice in rural areas, as close as possible to the farmers.

> Factsheet

Access to credit

We help small farmers to obtain credit so that they can engage in various income-generating activities related to livestock.

> Factsheet

Biogas

We promote the installation of biodigesters at small farmers’ homes to reduce wood consumption.

> Factsheet

Local partners

IMBARAGA: defends the socio-economic interests of farmers in Rwanda. Through awareness-raising and professionalisation, the organisation aims to pass on sufficient knowledge to farmers to enable them to work independently and autonomously.

Association Rwandaise pour la promotion du Développement Intégré (ARDI): with the support of the Province of East Flanders, trains and supervises 6 beekeepers’ cooperatives that produce high-quality honey and process beekeeping by-products (e.g. wax-based cosmetic creams).

Rwanda Council of Veterinary Doctors (RCVD): official body in Rwanda responsible for regulating the veterinary profession and providing reliable, high-quality animal health services.

Contact

Désiré Bimenyimana
Country Program manager
d.bimenyimana@vsf-belgium.org

In the news

Read and view news, photos, videos and publications on what we do in Rwanda.

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