FAO in Rwanda

The Food and Agriculture Organization was founded in 1945 with a mandate to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to improve agricultural productivity, and to better improve the condition of rural populations.

Today, FAO is the largest specialized agency in the United Nations system and the lead agency for agriculture, livestock, forestry, fisheries and rural development. An intergovernmental organization, FAO has 187 Member Nations plus a member organization, the European Community.

Our Areas of Interventions:

• Putting information within reach
• Sharing policy expertise
• Providing a meeting place for nations
• Bringing knowledge to the field

In Rwanda, FAO opened its Representation in 1985. It assists the Government in solving problems relative to the agriculture and rural sector. After the period of emergency, FAO in Rwanda has the mandate of supporting the Government in entering the area of development and the following interventions concerning the development of recent or current programmes. It assisted the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MINAGRI) in developing a National Document of a Special Programme of Food Security (SPFS). In the same direction the FAO mission is currently supporting Kigali Municipality in putting in place a three years Project of Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture financed by the Italian Government and Rome Municipality. At the same time, it has introduced a technology of Micro-Gardens in some districts of the City as pilot projects in order to promote Telefood projects in Rwanda.

At the request of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Office prepared in April 2003, a Strategic Plan concerning Interventions in the Agriculture Sector, in order to set up a technical co-ordination of the activities in that sector.

HIV/AIDS is a very serious pandemic, which has serious setbacks on food security. The Office has prepared an Assistance Programme in Nutrition and Feeding of HIV/AIDS infected and affected households in order to supplement the many actions being currently carried out in the country. The Office is searching for funds to finance the above programme.

In the framework of the NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development initiative), the office assisted Rwanda in preparing a National Investment Programme for Medium Term and bankable projects in agriculture. The programme focuses on investment into three mutually reinforcing "pillars" that can make the earliest difference to Rwanda's situation, which are:

• extending the area under sustainable land management and reliable water control systems;
• improving rural infrastructure and trade-related capacities for improved market access ; and
• increasing food supply and reducing hunger.

The Office has just helped Rwanda to be part of support mechanisms to National Forestry Programmes. It is studying a participatory mechanism in the programme of reintegration of demobilised soldiers by organising training to help them to access income-generating activities.

The Office participates in the seasonal crop assessments and in donors meetings in order to co-ordinate assistance in Rwanda. In the framework of UNDAF, It heads the Food Security Task force with the UN System Agencies in Rwanda. The Office implements and assists in the execution of some agricultural projects.

The Office is assisting the Government in putting in place the National Alliance against Hunger, which will be managed through a private association with the same name *Alliance Nationale contre la Faim* in French.

The FAO Representation in Rwanda has a staff membership of 17 people.

The Representation has a Library where information and publications covering the areas of intervention of FAO can be found. Among this information are a set of CD-ROMs distributed to the main local Institutions partners to FAO, including all information related to the activities of the organization. The same set of CD-ROMs is kept at the Library for its users.