Context

In Rwanda, one fifth of the population is food insecure and every three out of ten young children are affected by stunting or low height-for-age. Largely, these statistics are the unintended effects of the country’s agricultural sector, which despite employing 75% of the population – and 85% of women, constitutes only 24% of Rwanda’s gross domestic product (2021). One of the key obstacles is the scarcity of land – with limited land available, smallholder farmers often find themselves dealing with land fragmentation, where their plots are small (0.4 hectares in average) and scattered. This fragmentation restricts their ability to expand agricultural production by embracing modern farming techniques that require larger, consolidated land areas. The situation is exacerbated for women who often have an unequal access to land as a result of social and gender norms.

Another major hurdle for smallholder farmers is the limited access to finance and affordable credit. Without sufficient capital, farmers struggle to invest in essential agricultural inputs such as high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and machinery. These factors increase the population’s vulnerability to climate shocks and hinder their ability to adapt their agricultural means of production to the changing climatic conditions.
However, research shows that also behavioural norms around nutrition play a critical role in malnutrition, as there is no direct correlation between food security, poverty and levels of stunting in young children. Therefore, beyond food availability and affordability, changing mindsets and behaviours is key to ensure nutrition security.

To improve this dire situation, CARE’s KUNGAHARA project specifically addresses gender, age and other vulnerability barriers that prevent especially women and youth from having a sufficient and adequate diet. Women and youth play a significant role in household and local market food supply through smallholdings and in household food consumption, and they require easily accessible tools and access to local markets, as well as the information and motivation to consume nutritious foods.
On the supply-side, agricultural production needs to progress from being subsistence-based to efficient, nutrition sensitive, environmentally responsible and resilient agricultural value chains.

This project facilitates farmers’ access to tailored financial services, primarily through so-called Village Saving and Loan Associations (VLSA). Completing the support to every level of the food system, KUNGAHARA strengthens meaningful and inclusive integration with the market by establishing sustainable linkages with market actors and enabling a conducive environment, making nutritious food available for consumers, and in turn, generating income for smallholder farmers and reducing poverty. As the underlying causes of nutrition insecurity go beyond food availability and involve a lack of awareness and inadequate diets and practices, KUNGAHARA strengthens informed behaviours and demands around nutritious food consumption, especially for vulnerable populations.

Expected Results

• The capacity of smallholder farmers’ groups to use climate- smart approaches (CSA) is strengthened.
• The access of smallholder farmers’ groups to improved sources of finances services is improved.
• Sustainable linkages with the market for smallholder farmers’ groups are boosted.
• The knowledge of communities and joint decision making in food preparation and nutrition is improved.
• Formal and informal community mechanisms to promote better nutrition practices are strengthened.
• District Plans to Eliminate Malnutrition (DPEMS) are more responsive to community needs.

Main Activities

• Mobilizing and supporting farmers in CARE’s existing network of VSLAs, mainly women and youth to self-select for the establishment of operational farmer groups around the selected value chains and in geographical hubs, which will serve to aggregate their produce, achieve economies of scale, and form linkages with value chain actors.
• Selection, empowerment and capacity-building of 90 farmer promoters to become role models and trainers for the farmers’ groups.
• Establishment of demo-plots.
• Capacity building for targeted farmers’ groups on Climate Smart Agriculture through CARE’s Farmer Field Business Schools (FFBS).
• Facilitating the access of farmers’ groups to existing agricultural and market information programs and services.
• Creating linkages between farmers’ groups and key value chain actors for the enhancement of agri-businesses at the production level.
• Improving access of farmers’ groups to sources of finance.
• Establishment of Agri-Business Clusters.
• Social accountability for market linkages and for the monitoring of nutrition plans at district level via CARE’s Community Score Card methodology.
• Selection, empowerment, and capacity building of 150 nutrition champions.
• Establishing home gardens and rainwater harvesting facilities for vulnerable households.
• Collaboration with Community Health Workers (CHW) on nutrition-related screenings and referrals.
• Conducting awareness raising campaigns on nutrition, addressing social norms change.

Participants

• 31,000 smallholder farmers, of whom at least 60% are women, who are organized in 1,060 farmers’ groups and 212 agri-business clusters, among which farmer promoters and nutrition champions will be selected.
• 60 market actors.
• 825 members of local authorities and nutrition-related stakeholders.