Sustainable School Feeding Innovations in Kigali (SSFI)

Designed to strengthen Rwanda’s national school feeding program, SSFI responds to pressing challenges in child nutrition, health and education, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas of Kigali. Despite government efforts, many schools still face gaps in access to sustainable supply chains of nutritious and locally available foods. 

SSFI aims to address these gaps by implementing nutrition-sensitive innovations in school feeding programs across 250 schools in Kigali’s three districts: Gasabo, Kicukiro, and Nyarugenge. The project adopts a value-chain-based approach—focusing not only on feeding children but also on building the capacity of local actors to produce, process and supply nutritious foods with a focus on beans: a key staple food rich in nutrients. 

Led by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT through the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), the project works closely with government institutions (MINEDUC, RAB, City of Kigali) and private partners (HOSO, Farm Fresh, and others). This multi-sectoral collaboration ensures that the innovations are locally grounded, sustainable and scalable, aiming to create lasting improvements in school nutrition and community resilience. 

• Value Chain Strengthening: Enhancing the capacity of local actors (farmers, processors, suppliers) to produce, process and deliver nutritious foods—particularly beans—through training, technical support and market linkages
• Implementation of Nutrition-Sensitive Innovations: Introducing improved, locally adapted school feeding models that integrate nutrition education, diversified menus and efficient sourcing systems
• Capacity Building and Training: Providing targeted training for school staff, cooks, local suppliers and farmer cooperatives to ensure high standards in food preparation, hygiene and supply management
• Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships: Collaborating with government bodies, private sector partners and civil society to ensure alignment with national policies and build sustainable delivery systems.