FAO.org

11 Jul 2018

Rwanda officially launched its new Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PSTA 4) during the Agriculture Week in Kigali last week. Through research, innovation and skills development, the Government of Rwanda seeks to increase production of high- value exports and strengthen the overall profitability of its farming sector. Over the past year, MAFAP supported Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) on the formulation of the plan, which seeks to boost crop and livestock productivity in the country.

Overall, PSTA 4 comprises four priority areas:  1. Innovation and Extension, 2. Productivity and Resilience, 3. Inclusive Markets and Value Addition, and 4. Enabling Environment and Responsive Institutions. The new framework will become operational in June 2018.

In March 2017, the Strategic Planning and Programs Coordination Unit (SPPC) of MINAGRI requested MAFAP support to ensure the Plan builds on the review of public expenditure trends and other evidence generated by MAFAP. Based on MINAGRI’s request, MAFAP experts analyzed price incentives across six key commodity value chains (beans, coffee, milk, rice, tea, and wheat), carried out an agriculture public expenditure review for the years 2011/12–2015/16, and assessed the impact of crop intensification on food security and nutrition trends in the country. Based on this, improved nutrition has become a clear priority in the PSTA 4 framework following the MAFAP recommendation to promote crop diversification and good nutritional practices for households.  Consistently with the priorities set in the PSTA 4 nutrition related expenses are expected to increase more than twofold in the coming 6 years.

PSTA 4 also benefitted from MAFAP’s proven expertise in measuring level and composition of public expenditures in support of food and agriculture. The MAFAP review provided actionable recommendations including the need to renew public support to agricultural research and innovation. As a result, PSTA 4 foresees a striking increase of financing allocated to agricultural research to boost agricultural productivity and economic growth in the country.