Projects and Flagship Initiatives in Rwanda
The 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy focuses on systems transformation and collaboration to create sustainable and resilient food, land, and water systems, and meet the global Sustainable Development Goals. The Alliance's work in Rwanda includes projects and initiatives from multiple work areas including crop improvement, climate action, agrobiodiversity, digital inclusion, and gender equality.
Bean Improvement for Nutrition and Livelihoods
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Development of Climbing Beans: Climbing beans have significantly improved agriculture in Rwanda by addressing land shortages and increasing productivity. The release of 13 climbing bean varieties has improved yields, nutrition, and incomes. Collaborations with RAB and the Alliance have transformed beans into cash crops, enhancing local consumption and exports.
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Biofortification of Beans: Biofortification addresses micronutrient deficiencies, such as iron deficiency, which affects up to 2 billion people globally. Rwanda introduced biofortified high-iron beans in 2010, improving iron status and reducing anemia. By 2021, 20% of all beans in Rwanda were biofortified, with increased yields and disease resistance.
The impact of improved beans in Rwanda. Credit: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT / Neil Palmer
Climbing beans in Rwanda perform more than three times better than other varieties. Credit: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT / Georgina Smith
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Quick-cooking Beans: Efforts to develop fast-cooking bean varieties aim to promote bean consumption and reduce cooking time, saving energy and fuel. The Alliance and RAB are working to reduce the cooking time of preferred bean types by 30%. This initiative helps provide cost-effective and healthy food while addressing environmental challenges.
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Nutrition-sensitive School Feeding Innovations: The school innovations in Kigali aim to introduce processed, environmentally friendly bean foods to improve child health and academic performance. Despite some schools lacking feeding programs, innovations promote pre-cooked beans to save fuel and provide nutritious meals.
A farmer makes bales of hay from Climate Smart Brachiaria grass to feed cattle during the dry season. Rwamamgana district, Rwanda. Credit: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT / Stephanie Malyon
Climate Change Action in Agriculture
- Climate Services for Agriculture: The Climate Service for Agriculture project, funded by USAID, provided climate information to support Rwandan farmers to adapt to climate change. Disseminating climate services increased crop production and income. The ECREA project continues this work by enhancing agro-advisories and managing climate risk across the bean value chain.
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Promoting Low-carbon Value Chains and Enterprises: The BRAINS project (2024-2028) aims to enhance climate resilience amongst women and young farmers in Sub-saharan Africa. It focuses on climate-smart agriculture, carbon-neutral business development, and partnerships for new bean and fruit varieties and insect-based innovations. The project aims to benefit 1 million people in Rwanda.
Women and Youth Empowerment in Rural Areas
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Women's Empowerment, Agricultural Transition, and Rural Employment: The FATE project, supported by the Swiss Development Corporation, evaluates rural employment and opportunities for women through non-traditional agricultural commodities. It aims to make gender equality part of sustainable food systems transformation.
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Building Savings and Financial Skills: The FATE project improves financial inclusion among casual agricultural workers by creating saving groups with access to bank accounts. Partnering with Umurenge SACCO, the project supports economic empowerment for women and young people. Participants reported satisfaction with the project and shared future business plans during focus group discussions.
Supporting economic empowerment for women and youth in Rwanda through the FATE project. Credit: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT / Neil Palmer
Improved climbing beans in Rwanda has benefited many farming households.
© Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT / Neil Palmer
At the green 40-hectare Karama research station, Rwanda’s national forage genebank, Olive checks a healthy crop of Brachiaria hybrid.
© Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT / Georgina Smith
Rwanda Agriculture Board Karama research station in Bugesera district. RAB is testing 80 germplasm accessions of Brachiaria grass and growing 10 hectares of Brachiaria Mulato II for seed multiplication and hay production.
© Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT / Stephanie Malyon
Sustainable bean business in Rwanda. Credit: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT / Neil Palmer
Improving Bean Productivity and Marketing in Rwanda
The IBPMA project - supported by Global Affairs Canada with support from SDC - focuses on improving bean productivity and trade in Rwanda. It supports developing new bean varieties, linking producers to markets, and promoting digital agriculture. The project also emphasizes women's financial inclusion, gender empowerment, and child nutrition through high-iron beans and school feeding programs. The project develops bean corridors to enhance trade by improving market linkages, increasing market service use, and promoting nutrition. Eleven bean platforms have been established with private-sector collaboration. The project also promotes gender equality in platform leadership and evaluates women's and young people's roles in commercialization.
Supporting the Establishment of the Rwanda Bean Platform
The Rwanda Bean Alliance aims to develop a sustainable bean business by coordinating efforts in the bean value chain. It includes 12 institutions and businesses working on bean value chains in Rwanda. The alliance focuses on creating synergies to sustain seed supplies and production, linking community seed multipliers with producers.
Accelerating Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I)
The purpose of this project is to upscale common bean varieties and complementary technologies through demand-led bean seed systems based on bean grain demands (grain trader-centred) and complementary agricultural innovations to catalyze productivity improvement and associated social benefits of improved food, nutrition, feed, and income security to smallholder farmers in Rwanda. The key principles that will guide the delivery of this work include development impact orientation, and the integration and leveraging of resources through private-public partnerships. This goal will be achieved by implementing a results-focused and integrated set of strategic objectives built on the multi-stakeholder platform.
Soil and Landscape Research
The Alliance's soil research focuses on reversing degradation, sustainable intensification, and climate change adaptation. This includes understanding land degradation processes, developing tools for sustainable land management, and creating effective innovation platforms. The Alliance also monitors soil status for climate change mitigation and sustainable soil management in Eastern Africa.
Sustainable land management in Rwanda. Credit: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT / Neil Palmer
Forages at the green 40-hectare Karama research station, Rwanda’s national forage genebank. Credit: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT / Georgina Smith
Forages Research in Rwanda
The Alliance's forage research develops genotypes with high nutritional value and adaptation to pests, diseases, and climate constraints. The research also addresses livestock nutrition and promotes carbon sequestration through improved pastures. The Alliance is involved in the Maziwa Zaidi partnership to develop the dairy value chain in Tanzania.
Nutrition Work and Interfaces with Gender and Markets
The NMG project addresses malnutrition in Rwanda with support from five UN agencies and the Alliance. It identifies barriers to addressing malnutrition such as low crop production and insufficient income. The project emphasizes multi-sectoral efforts to improve health, sanitation, women's empowerment and financial access to enhance nutrition outcomes.