Duration: 2015-2018
RCID contact person: Philippe Rumenera (Email: prumenera@rcidcentre.com)
Sponsor: Kilimo Trust, co-financed by EU
Sponsor’s Contact person, function and email: Frank Eddy Rugamba, Program Manager, Rwanda (e-mail. frugamba@kilimotrust.org)
The East African Common Market Protocol (EACM) presents unique opportunity for delivering food security in the region because increased regional trade that effectively utilizes comparative advantages and economies of scale in the production of food staples would increase availability, in space and time, of nutritious foods at affordable prices for the low-income earners, while increasing profitability and income security for producers. Beans are among the leading contributors to nutrition security in the EAC and are considered a staple by the largest proportion (41%) of the population in the EAC and if taken as a single unit, the EAC.
The UKAid through Food Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) has supported Kilimo Trust a program that support consumer-driven markets and structured regional trade of beans and bean-food-products in the EAC” to enhance the leading role of beans in food and nutrition security, wealth creation, and sustainable agriculture.
In partnership with Kilimo Trust a regional organization working on Agriculture for development in East Africa Community, RCID has worked with 2,000 farmer’s members of the cooperatives engaged in the Bean Enterprises and Structured Trade in EAC (BEST EAC). RCID conducted Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) for 4 bean farmer’s cooperatives on Business Skills and Post-Harvest Handling (PHHS), pest and diseases, Good Agronomic Practices (GAP), demonstration research using the Farmer Field Schools (FFS) approach in Eastern and Northern Province of Rwanda, build capacity of farmers/stakeholders through trainings and demonstrations on various aspects of beans commercialization, disseminate knowledge materials and participate in the monitoring and regular review of the performance of the beans trading consortium/partnership.
