Linking social protection and agriculture to end extreme poverty and boost nutrition

Rwanda has an ambitious target of reducing extreme poverty from the current 16.3 percent to at least 9 percent by 2018 according to the country’s fourth Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV4) 2013/2014, and finally to 0 percent in 2020 as envisaged in the Second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II) for 2013-2018. To achieve this target though, the country put in place multifaceted approaches that include the flagship poverty reduction programme Vision 2020 Umurenge Program (VUP) Public Works launched in 2008.

Those that benefit from the programme are Households categorized in lowest socio-economic class. Social protection is a key contributing sector to the rural development area in a country where 72 percent of the population is employed in the agricultural sector, mainly in subsistence farming (EICV4 2013/2014).

Through the newly launched Technical Cooperation Programme project titled “Strengthening the impact of Rwanda's VUP-Public Works and beneficiaries' graduation out of poverty”, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will support rural households to improve their food and nutrition security and reducing rural poverty by combining agriculture and social protection.

The project will promote the coherence between Social Protection and Agriculture to accelerate the graduation from poverty in Rwanda through the government’s new anti-poverty strategy “Minimum Package for graduation”. The Government of Rwanda believes the initiative will give vulnerable people the extra push that is needed to break out of the cycle of poverty in a sustainable way.

While flagging off the project, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Odette Uwamariya said FAO’s support will boost the country’s efforts to achieve sustainable graduation from poverty, and improve nutrition among the citizens.

“FAO’s technical support will help us link between social protection and Agriculture, in this we will be able to solve the issue of nutrition, in western and northern provinces while contributing to the goal of increasing the number of people who sustainably graduate out of poverty. The beneficiaries will be linked to socio-economic opportunities and eventually move out of poverty ” she noted.

FAO Representative to Rwanda, Attaher Maiga explained that during the implementation of the project, the Organization will seek to strengthen and introduce the agricultural aspects in the  intervention in the Minimum Package initiative, and promote nutrition and gender-sensitive social protection.

“Training will be provided for extension workers who will be supporting farmers in social protection and agriculture intervention so they can have effective and customized intervention in their interaction with farmers, which addresses their actual needs. FAO will provide small stock and distribute agriculture inputs to improve productivity”, Maiga added.   

The 14 –month- project will benefit communities in four selected sectors when the Minimum Package is under implementation in the districts of Nyabihu, Gakenke, Rubavu and Rulindo.

Related Links: FAO explaining Coherence between social protection and agriculture to Rwanda’s Parliament

Contact:

Teopista Mutesi, Communications Officer,  [email protected]