AGRA

Established in 2006, AGRA is an African-led and Africa-based institution that puts smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into farming as a business that thrives. Together with our partners, we are working to sustainably grow Africa’s food systems. In Rwanda, AGRA will focus on supporting SMEs that are small, informal, and underfinanced, with a special focus on youth and women led SMEs during the current strategy period with interventions that cut through four business lines and three cross-cutting areas. AGRA selected four complementary and integrated business lines: the seed systems, sustainable farming, inclusive markets & trade (IMT), and policy & state capability (PSC). Besides the four business lines, AGRA and its partners selected three cross-cutting areas (a) inclusivity (enabling women and youth to contribute to agriculture for their economic empowerment) (b) climate change adaptation (equipping farmers and strengthening food systems to absorb and recover from shocks, and (c) nutrition (improving nutrition outcomes by diversifying crops and ensuring food availability). The primary business line for Rwanda for the 2023-2030 strategy is inclusive markets and trade (IMT) while being complemented by other business lines to support the country in building inclusive and competitive markets through value addition and trade. The Rwanda AGRA Country Strategy 2023-2027 will also focus on creating employment opportunities for youth and women in the agricultural value chain. More youths are entering Rwanda’s labor market to compete for the limited employment opportunities. Today, 60% of the employed youth are in the agricultural sector. By transforming the agricultural sector, and growing private sector companies, more job, work and entrepreneurship opportunities emerge for young people to gain meaningful (self) employment. As such, AGRA Rwanda is seeking to create 132,000 fulfilling and dignifying jobs for youth and women through investment and strengthening of work pathways that benefit them.