Duration : December 2019 to May 2020
EOA is a three years project financed by SDC and jointly implemented by Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) aimed at contribute to mainstreaming of Ecological Organic Agriculture into national agricultural systems by 2025 in order to improve agricultural productivity, food security, access to markets and sustainable development in Africa. The project is implanted in Rwanda by ROAM, HUGUKA, PRIDE and UTAB. This project under the Pillar 3 (value chain and market development) is aligned with the SDGs, CAADP and PSTA 4, which aims to transform Agriculture activities from being done merely for subsistence to a knowledge-based value creating sector, mainly through private sector participation in organic agriculture. RCID in partnership with ROAM and UTAB has conducted a baseline study to generate data and information on the current issues, practices as well as possible options for integrating EOA in agriculture systems in Rwanda. The baseline was intended to inform the design of training and interventions which will be undertaken to engage Pillars of EOA project partners in the transition to a smallholder farmer agro-ecology growing pineapples and strawberries and to ensure that fostering sustainable development and food security.
The main tasks of RCID were to:
- Assess overall Business Development Services (BDS) supplied along the value chains;
- Identify existing service providers in the target project intervention zones and advise on how the project can leverage opportunities to improve the business performance of farmers and sustained business relations with other chain actors.
- Identify weaknesses, strengths and key constraints in each target value chain considering inputs supply, production, post-harvest management and marketing and recommend concrete actions to enhance business opportunities for smallholder famers/Farmer Groups operating in the prioritized value chains.
