Rwanda: campaigners say the country is starving while the government says criticism is unfounded

By RNA Reporter
October 16, 2009

Photo: Cash crops such as coffee are being encouraged, as questions arise whether people have enough to eat before they sell.

Kigali: Advocacy group ActionAid suggests in a new scorecard that Rwanda has the political will to eliminate hunger, but the results of the government's efforts have yet to be seen -- criticism which government says is unfounded, RNA reports.

Looking at legal guarantees to food, sustainable agriculture and social policies, the ActionAid HungerFREE Scorecards released on World Food Day (October 16) ranked Rwanda 17th out of 31 developing countries. Compared to its regional neighbours, Rwanda only fares well against DR Congo and Burundi.

Though the current percentage of the population that is undernourished in Rwanda is unknown, statistics used by ActionAid indicate that some 40 per cent Rwandans were faced with hunger in 2003-2005. The same data is also available from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

However, data from Rwanda Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) indicate that all but one of Rwanda's 30 districts is food secure.

Nyaruguru district, in southern Rwanda, alone is considered food insecure, the government data states, meaning there is not enough food being produced to ensure each person received 2,100 kilocalories (Kcl) each day. A kilocalorie is the scientific name for what is popularly called a calorie.

This is a significant reduction from the 2006 statistics for the same growing season, when 12 districts were considered food insecure.

Government in defense

Mr. Aimable Gatete, a planning officer with the Rwanda Agriculture Development Auhtority, said the country's efforts to increase agriculture are already yielding positive results. And President Paul Kagame also spoke in defense of the country's progress Friday.

The government developed an agriculture intensification program after 2004, when low food production forced the country to import USD $ 46 million worth of food.

This included encouraging farmers to grow energy-rich foods such as wheat and maize, and providing fertilizer and improved seeds to help them along.

Mr. Gatete said beyond reducing food insecurity in many districts, Rwanda is also experiencing growth in production that should soon allow the country's agriculture sector to move away from sustenance farming and towards being a thriving export industry.

At a press conference Friday, President Kagame said that food production has increased for the third year in the row and with it, the demand for Rwandan agriculture exports.

We have seen food supplies improve and we have seen a lot of demand for it, he said, referring specifically to demands coming from outside Rwanda.

However, Mr. Kagame said the system needed to be organized to ensure farmers were receiving fair payment for their produce.

The question has to be asked as to whether or not the people producing food are actually getting good money, he said.

People are just coming and buying food in the villages and everywhere in a disorganized way.

He suggested better storage facilities are needed to ensure farmers can keep their products, instead of being forced to sell it off at a lesser price because the products would otherwise spoil.

According to a MINAGRI crop assessment for the February to May growing season, wheat production has increased by 108 per cent from the same period last year.

And while production of fruits and vegetables decreased slightly, there were increases recorded for production of rice (38 per cent), sorghum (17 per cent) and wheat (14 per cent).

Overall, production increased by 6.5 per cent when compared to the same season last year.

The crop assessment report notes there is now a surplus of 197 metric tonnes between the amount of food produced, and the amount needed to feed the population.

As for Nyaruguru district, Mr. Gatete said, RADA would work to ensure that in future seasons the district can produce enough food to support itself.

In the short term, he said, food from the surplus would be made available.

We are trying to make it so that those people are getting food from their neighbours, so there will be no problems, Gatete said.

Rwanda's ranking

The ActionAid report ranked countries on a scale from A to E, with A being the highest possible score.

But the report explicitly noted that the grades assigned could not take into account effort are underway until the results are seen.

In terms of efforts and policies being devised, this former war-torn country deserves recognition. Rwanda could rise up our ranks next year from its current 17th position once it starts implementing its policies, the report states.

Rwanda scored an average grade of C on sustainable agriculture, for having a medium amount of their budget committed to agriculture.

On the legal framework indicator, Rwanda received a D for not having strong enough safeguards in place, but the report also mentioned that right-to-food legislation was in progress.

The country's lowest score was for social protection, where it received a grade of E.

However, even in this category the report's authors noted improvement is being made: the government is developing a national school feeding program, and its 2008-2012 poverty reduction and development strategy includes improved social protection for the poor.

Land ownership is another area where Action Aid said progress is being made, but more work is needed.

High population density and growth have led to deforestation and soil erosion and further population growth is likely to increase pressure on land, the report notes.

Much needs to be done to encourage the process of land registration to secure land rights for smallholder farmers - with only 1.2 percent of land currently registered.

The report praised the government's movement on the agriculture front, where it has raised spending from 5 to 7 per cent and is providing substantial subsidies for irrigation, fertilizer and seed.

Related Materials:
Mixed messages in hunger report

Global hunger worsening, warns UN

On The Myth of Economic Prosperity in Rwanda

Striving for growth, bypassing the poor?A critical review of Rwanda’s rural sector policies

Rwanda: Economic Growth Sustained Through Free Labor

Rwanda Today: When Foreign Aid Hurts More Than It Helps

Rwandan peasants on the brink of extinction

Rwanda: World Bank (WB) agrees with International Monetary Fund (IFM): Rwanda is off track to attaining most of its millennium development goals (MDG)

Kagame attacks Mo Ibrahim, accuses west of “polluting Africa”

Who's doing well in Africa? Look south