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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Liangzhi You

Liangzhi You is a Senior Research Fellow and theme leader in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit, based in Washington, DC. His research focuses on climate resilience, spatial data and analytics, agroecosystems, and agricultural science policy. Gridded crop production data of the world (SPAM) and the agricultural technology evaluation model (DREAM) are among his research contributions. 

Where we work

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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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Fertile field at sunset in the countryside (Rwanda/ Africa)

country program

Rwanda Strategy Support Program

Fertile field at sunset in the countryside (Rwanda/ Africa)

country programs

Overview

The Rwanda Strategy Support Program (Rwanda SSP) is an initiative aligned with the Government of Rwanda’s vision for accelerating agricultural transformation and rural development throughout the country. The program supports Rwanda’s forward-looking strategy for economic growth and transformation through policy analysis, capacity development, and partnership, with a focus on two main themes:

  • Collaborative policy analysis to prioritize agricultural transformation, increase agricultural productivity, improve nutrition, strengthen food systems and the rural nonfarm economy, and foster broad-based economic growth and development in Rwanda.
  • Capacity development and knowledge sharing to undertake timely and relevant policy analysis, communicate actionable findings to policymakers and their development partners, and build linkages for knowledge sharing across research, government, civil society, and other stakeholder communities.

The Rwanda SSP is supported by the European Union, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), CGIAR and contributors to the CGIAR Fund, as well as other donors and partners, reflecting a shared interest among Rwanda’s development partners in policy analysis and capacity development for informed decision-making. The program, launched in 2019, is a joint initiative between the Rwanda Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) and IFPRI.

To learn more, visit the IFPRI Rwanda website.

Links/Projects

IFPRI Rwanda Website

Africa Regional Website

N/A

Donors

Partners

Duration

2019 – Ongoing

Publications

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Brief

Synopsis: Enhancing rural income diversification in Rwanda: Opportunities and challenges

2024Schmidt, Emily; Mugabo, Serge; Rosenbach, Gracie
Details

Synopsis: Enhancing rural income diversification in Rwanda: Opportunities and challenges

This study describes the employment patterns of rural households in Rwanda and explores their challenges and opportunities for rural income diversification. Detailed analysis using a 2022 rural household smallholder survey on agricultural production and employment in Rwanda, reveals that: • Agricultural wage labor is the dominant source of off-farm income and is the primary means of supplementing rural household income. This is different than other LMICs where households are more likely to develop nonfarm enterprises that bring in extra income and diversify the rural economy towards more value-added output while also increasing demand for rural inputs. • This research suggests that factors like access to education and financial services are key factors to employment decisions and improved rural urban linkages.

Year published

2024

Authors

Schmidt, Emily; Mugabo, Serge; Rosenbach, Gracie

Citation

Schmidt, Emily; Mugabo, Serge; and Rosenbach, Gracie. 2024. Synopsis: Enhancing rural income diversification in Rwanda: Opportunities and challenges. Rwanda Strategy Support Program Policy Note 16. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155441

Country/Region

Rwanda

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Employment; Rural Population; Households; Income; Diversification; Agricultural Production; Access to Finance; Education

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Brief

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Rwandan maize market price dynamics: Structure, trends and policy implications

2024Warner, James; Benimana, Gilberthe Uwera; Mugabo, Serge; Niyonsingiza, Josue; Mukangabo, Emerence; Ingabire, Chantal
Details

Rwandan maize market price dynamics: Structure, trends and policy implications

The importance of maize for Rwanda cannot be overstated. Most smallholder farmers, along the spectrum of both land size and level of commercialization, engage in both production, own consumption, and sale of maize. Unlike most other crops, maize is commonly produced by all levels of commercialized and subsistence smallholder farmers. For example, recent research revealed that even though almost half of all maize produced is sold (44%), only an average of 23 percent is marketed at the household level (Warner et al. 2024). This indicates that while maize is widely sold by most smallholders, it is disproportionally sold by those with relatively larger farms. Therefore, maize is important for both own consumption as well as commercial sales and price movements are critical for understanding potential welfare impacts on both buyers and sellers. Research presented here outlines some important maize price relationships, including multi-year trends, interrelationships between Rwandan markets and seasonality. Overall, we find strong correlation between all markets suggesting a good degree of integration but persistent individual market prices above and below national averages as well as seasonality that generally conforms to maize’s main harvest period (Season A). This policy brief provides an overview of maize prices in Rwanda in order to enhance evidence-based policymaking for targeting recommendations aimed at more integrated and stable maize market prices throughout the country. For example, seasonal price changes suggest an annual average price fluctuation of approximately 30 percent and if targeted policies could reduce this seasonal price variation, smallholder welfare would likely be improved.

Year published

2024

Authors

Warner, James; Benimana, Gilberthe Uwera; Mugabo, Serge; Niyonsingiza, Josue; Mukangabo, Emerence; Ingabire, Chantal

Citation

Warner, James; Benimana, Gilberthe Uwera; Mugabo, Serge; Niyonsingiza, Josue; Mukangabo, Emerence; and Ingabire, Chantal. 2024. Rwandan maize market price dynamics: Structure, trends and policy implications. IFPRI Rwanda SSP Policy Note 15. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152398

Country/Region

Rwanda

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Consumption; Maize; Smallholders; Welfare

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Brief

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Synopsis: Assessing agricultural extension agent digital readiness in Rwanda

2024Davis, Kristin E.; Rosenbach, Gracie; Spielman, David J.; Makhija, Simrin; Mwangi, Lucy
Details

Synopsis: Assessing agricultural extension agent digital readiness in Rwanda

The fourth Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA IV) of the Government of Rwanda emphasizes extension and advisory services (EAS) as a priority area (MINAGRI 2018). In support of PSTA IV, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) began enhancing extension and advisory services by introducing a Customized Agriculture Extension System (CAES) (MINAGRI 2020). The CAES calls for ICT-supported extension services, stating that “ICT can revolutionize agriculture in Rwanda” (MINAGRI 2020: 34). Despite an enabling policy environment and Rwanda’s embracing of the ICT revolution, extension services have not taken advantage of the potential of ICTs (MINAGRI 2020). This paper looks at capacities of agricultural extension staff and the readiness of Rwandan public and private extension staff to use ICTs in their work—to be digitally equipped. A phone survey of 500 agricultural extension agents (EAs) was conducted in February and March 2021 across all districts of Rwanda among EAs in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in Rwanda. We examine their demographics, education, and work backgrounds. To assess the ‘digital readiness’ of EAs, we assess the impacts of various factors on an EA’s digital experience and their attitudes toward digital modernization.

Year published

2024

Authors

Davis, Kristin E.; Rosenbach, Gracie; Spielman, David J.; Makhija, Simrin; Mwangi, Lucy

Citation

Davis, Kristin; Rosenbach, Gracie; Spielman, David J.; Makhija, Simrin; and Mwangi, Lucy. 2024. Synopsis: Assessing agricultural extension agent digital readiness in Rwanda. Rwanda SSP Policy Note 13. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

Country/Region

Rwanda

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Agricultural Extension; Capacity Development; Policy Innovation; Gender

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Brief

Blogs

What can we really learn from sex-disaggregated data?
IFPRI Blog
 | 
January 11, 2022

What can we really learn from sex-disaggregated data?

By Bjorn Van Campenhout, Els Lecoutere, and David Spielman

Parsing sometimes contradictory responses in household surveys.

National policy dialogue: Charting Rwanda's agricultural transformation
IFPRI Blog
 | 
March 12, 2020

National policy dialogue: Charting Rwanda’s agricultural transformation

By Seth Kwizera, Claude Bizimana, and David J. Spielman

Researchers and policy makers must collaborate to implement a national strategic plan.

Program launch: IFPRI, Rwanda government partner on policy analysis, capacity strengthening for rural transformation
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 12, 2019

Program launch: IFPRI, Rwanda government partner on policy analysis, capacity strengthening for rural transformation

By Christopher Rue

A new collaborative program aims at accelerating agricultural development.

View all Blogs

News

March 31, 2021 | In the News

Rwanda banks on tech to get 18% households out of food insecurity (The New Times)

The New Times (Rwanda) published an article stating that experts in the agriculture sector have called for robust efforts to increase production and availability of nutritious food following revelations that over 18 percent of the country’s households face food insecurity. The solutions, experts say, could help to eliminate the stunting rate and achieve zero hunger by 2025 in […]

January 28, 2021 | In the News

European Union gives €1 million to support the Agriculture pillar of the National Economic Recovery Plan for COVID-19 in Rwanda (Rwanda News Agency)

Rwanda News Agency reported that the European Commission has provided EUR 1 million to IFPRI to support the Ministry of Agriculture in Rwanda to enhance skills in the analysis of public investment priorities and policy options for the Covid-19 recovery period. This grant will support the Government of Rwanda to implement the agriculture sector strategy and in particular its contribution to the […]

January 27, 2021 | Press Release

European Union gives €1 million to support the Agriculture pillar of the National Economic Recovery Plan for COVID-19 in Rwanda

The European Commission has provided EUR 1 million to IFPRI to support the Ministry of Agriculture in Rwanda to enhance skills in the analysis of public investment priorities & policy options for the COVID-19 recovery period.

View all News

Events

Rwanda National Policy Dialogue: Building Productive Capacities for Rwanda’s Agricultural Transformation, Rural Development, and Food Security
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

February 26, 2020, 8:30 – 3:30 pm

Rwanda National Policy Dialogue: Building Productive Capacities for Rwanda’s Agricultural Transformation, Rural Development, and Food Security

The Food Security Portal, in partnership with the Economic Policy Research Network Rwanda (EPRN), will hold a one-day national policy dialogue on building Rwanda’s productive capacities. The event will be a follow-on to the 6th EPRN Annual Economic Research Conference and will emphasize engaging up-and-coming members of the policy and research communities, including mid-level policy […]

Rwanda Strategy Support Program: Enhancing Capacity for Evidence-Based Policy to Accelerate Agricultural Transformation and Rural Development
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

December 6, 2019, 2:30 – 5:00 pm

Rwanda Strategy Support Program: Enhancing Capacity for Evidence-Based Policy to Accelerate Agricultural Transformation and Rural Development

The proposed Rwanda Strategy Support Program is an initiative aligned with the Government of Rwanda’s vision for accelerating agricultural transformation and rural development throughout the country. The program will assist the implementation of the 2018–2024 Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation through policy analysis, capacity development, and partnership. Welcome Keynote Address on the Collaborative Agenda Overview […]

Team members

James Warner

James Warner

Research Fellow/Program Leader, Rwanda, Development
Strategies and Governance

David Spielman

David Spielman

Director, Innovation Policy and Scaling (IPS), Innovation
Policy and Scaling

Xinshen Diao

Xinshen Diao

Senior Research Fellow, Foresight and Policy Modeling, Foresight
and Policy Modeling

Olivier Ecker

Olivier Ecker

Senior Research Fellow, Foresight
and Policy Modeling

James Thurlow

James Thurlow

Director, Foresight and Policy Modeling (FPM), Foresight
and Policy Modeling

Serge Mugabo

Serge Mugabo

Senior Research Associate, Development
Strategies and Governance

The Programs

  • Kutubdia Island in the Bay of Bengal

    Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program

    Improving food and nutrition security is of paramount concern to millions in Bangladesh.

  • Wuxi, the fast growing city that was formerly known as White Horse Village.

    China Strategy Support Program

    Supports joint research & capacity strengthening as well as policy dialogues & communication to improve policymaking.

  • Farm land in Giza in Egypt

    Egypt Strategy Support Program

    Egypt SSP's main objective is to raise incomes of the rural poor and to improve food and nutrition security in Egypt.

  • Gayo village, Ethiopia

    Ethiopia Strategy Support Program

    ESSP is a collaborative program undertaken by IFPRI and the Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI)

  • amevi-wisdom-wiul_nyafcy-unsplash

    Ghana Strategy Support Program

    Conduct research & advise on policy to support agricultural growth, rural development & economic transformation.

  • Local vendors selling vegetables at a market in Kenya,Africa

    Kenya Strategy Support Program

    KSSP is a policy research, capacity strengthening and policy communication program with the main objectives to accelerate poverty reduction and to improve food security.

  • Mitundu Market, Lilongwe, Malawi

    Malawi Strategy Support Program

    This project facilitates and promotes evidence-based dialogue and decision-making in support of agricultural development, food security, and economic growth in Malawi.

  • Country program Myanmar

    Myanmar Strategy Support Program

    The project supports agricultural transformation and other development policy goals by enhancing national technical, institutional, and policy analysis capacities.

  • Nigeria Strategy Support Program

    NSSP responds to the research, analysis, and capacity needs of stakeholders in the Nigerian agricultural research and policy community.

  • Papua New Guinea Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition Policy Support Program

    The Papua New Guinea Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition Policy Support Program (PNG-AFNP) is an initiative aligned with the Government of Papua New Guinea’s vision to revitalize and transform its agricultural sector to improve economic opportunities, livelihoods, and food security.

  • Fertile field at sunset in the countryside (Rwanda/ Africa)

    Rwanda Strategy Support Program

    Rwanda SSP is an initiative aligned with the Government of Rwanda’s vision to accelerate agricultural transformation and rural development in Rwanda.

  • A sunset view of river Nile in Khartoum, Sudan

    Sudan Strategy Support Program

    The Sudan Country Strategy Support Program (CSSP), with key team members based in Khartoum, can provide needed analytical support to the Government of Sudan, local and international partners.