The study employed a mixed-methods approach, integrating both quantitative and qualitative techniques to assess financial service gaps and institutional dynamics. A total of 1,290 cooperative members from 108 cooperatives across key production districts participated in a structured survey, exceeding the targeted sample. This robust dataset offered valuable insights into access to finance, value chain engagement, and service delivery challenges.

To complement these findings, RCID conducted 39 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders from government agencies, financial institutions, NGOs, and the private sector, along with 108 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) involving 971 cooperative members, including women, youth, widows, and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Fieldwork was conducted in close collaboration with CORDAID, NAEB, and local partners. The assessment examined five priority areas: entrepreneurship and cooperative leadership, financial literacy, digital integration, market access, and farming as a business. It also evaluated the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices and analyzed the readiness of financial institutions to support cooperatives.

Special attention was given to inclusion and social equity, ensuring that the perspectives and needs of women, youth, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) were captured and reflected in the proposed recommendations. Based on the findings, RCID developed a tailored capacity-building roadmap aligned with Cordaid's training modules, supported by a business model and financial analysis, providing a foundation for inclusive, market-driven, and climate-resilient cooperative development.

RCID was contracted to develop an Inclusive Agriculture Value Chain Market-Driven Business Model focusing on maize and horticulture value chains in Rwamagana, Gakenke, and Huye Districts. RCID conducted a rapid assessment of existing value chain structures and identified service providers across the pilot areas, mapping key actors, their roles, relationships, and gaps in support services along the supply chains.

The model developed by RCID emphasized strengthening business relationships between farmer groups and other value chain stakeholders through the establishment and enhancement of Agribusiness Forums. RCID also delivered Business Development Services (BDS) and coaching to improve technical, managerial, and negotiation skills of smallholder farmers, boosting productivity, formal financial inclusion, and market access by enhancing trust and coordination between farmers and off-takers.

RCID supports BRD and its partners through feasibility assessments, project appraisals, and market studies that evaluate and inform investment opportunities across agricultural value chains, guiding the design of tailored financing instruments and helping SMEs build sound business plans and data-driven investment cases that attract funding.

Capacity building is a key pillar of this assistance: RCID facilitates training and mentorship for both BRD staff and agri-entrepreneurs covering business planning, financial literacy, and investment readiness, ultimately improving the bankability of agricultural enterprises and resilience in the agri-business sector.

From 2024 to 2027, RCID is deepening its impact through one-on-one mentorship, strengthened linkages with financial institutions and markets, and a Training of Trainers (ToT) model that equips young graduates to serve as local business development service providers. In parallel, RCID delivers tailored diagnostic, governance, and business support to cooperatives such as Icyerekezo Misizi in Gisagara District and KOTEMUIGA in the Irish potato value chain, and provides ongoing technical assistance (from August 2025 to date) to 15 SMEs in the rabbit and poultry value chains.

Key interventions focus on strengthening governance, financial management, regulatory compliance, technology adoption, and market linkages — transforming cooperatives from subsistence activities into sustainable and profitable agribusinesses.

From 2016 to 2018, RCID Ltd was contracted by One Acre Fund to produce and distribute agricultural training materials and inputs to frontline extension agents across Rwanda, including district and sector agronomists, cell social economic development officers, farmer promoters, and Farmer Field School facilitators.

RCID's role ensured extension agents were well-equipped with up-to-date, context-relevant resources, contributing significantly to increasing agricultural productivity and strengthening the link between research, extension services, and farming communities.

RCID Ltd was contracted by Kilimo Trust to implement key components of the program in Rwanda, targeting 2,000 smallholder farmers organized under cooperative trading consortia in the Eastern and Northern provinces, improving production capacities, household incomes, food security, and livelihoods.

RCID's core responsibilities included Training of Trainers (ToT) programs for four farmer cooperatives covering business development, entrepreneurship, market access, cooperative governance, financial literacy, gender equality, post-harvest handling and storage, pest and disease control, and Good Agronomic Practices, alongside demonstration research using the Farmer Field School model and regular performance reviews.

Under subcontract with NIRAS–LTS International, RCID provided performance evaluations across IMSAR's four core portfolios: inputs, finance, aggregation, and export markets, assessing outcomes of technical assistance and grant-based interventions targeting farmers, MSMEs, cooperatives, and public sector stakeholders, with attention to nutrition, gender equity, and climate resilience.

Through this assignment, RCID played a key role in shaping evidence-based strategies to enhance agricultural competitiveness, drive inclusive rural development, and create sustainable economic opportunities within Rwanda's evolving agri-market landscape.

The evaluation examined how the program strengthened citizen engagement and advocacy around land tenure, social protection, and agricultural policy reforms, analyzing the extent to which smallholder farmers were able to participate meaningfully in shaping policy processes affecting their livelihoods, and highlighted key achievements, innovative approaches, and gaps in program delivery.

The assessment provided actionable recommendations for ACORD Rwanda and its partners to enhance long-term support for smallholder farmers amid land degradation, climate change, and food system vulnerabilities, reinforcing the importance of inclusive, farmer-centered policy engagement.

Uzima Chicken Ltd is an East African poultry company specializing in the SASSO breed, a dual-purpose chicken suited to smallholder, backyard environments, distributed through an extensive network of sales agents reaching smallholder farmers across the region.

RCID's role focused on assessing the social and economic impacts of Uzima's business model on rural households, establishing a poverty baseline using CPDA metrics, tracking asset values, and measuring income changes among smallholder farmers and sales agents over time, with findings that supported learning and evidence-based decision-making for both Uzima Chicken Ltd and AgDevCo.

The project aimed to identify viable technologies and market opportunities for transforming raw produce into higher-value products, supporting income generation and competitiveness among smallholder farmers and agri-entrepreneurs. RCID's multidisciplinary team engaged local producers, cooperatives, traders, and buyers to gather insights on production trends, post-harvest losses, and demand for processed products such as dried chili, chili paste, and pineapple juice.

Recommendations were made for context-appropriate processing equipment, enterprise development strategies, and aggregation models, with special attention to gender inclusion and youth engagement — reinforcing RCID's commitment to market-led, inclusive, and climate-smart agribusiness transformation.

In partnership with World Vision Rwanda and FVA under the Creating Off-farm Rwandan Enterprises (CORE) project, RCID supported farmers' cooperatives in Nyamasheke and Rusizi districts by building capacity in VSLAs, financial management, leadership, and entrepreneurship — enhancing women and youth engagement in tailoring and honey value chains. Under ActionAid Rwanda's SPEAK OUT and POWER projects, RCID raised awareness on gender inequalities, education rights, and gender-based violence in Gisagara, Nyanza, Nyaruguru, and Karongi districts.

Under the Livelihood Restoration Plan linked to the Rwanda–Burundi 220 kV Interconnection Project, funded by the Energy Development Corporation Limited, RCID supported communities affected by infrastructure expansion with modules on improved cooking stoves, climate-resilient agriculture, small livestock and fish farming, post-harvest handling, and sustainable kitchen gardening — reinforcing FVA's mission of inclusive economic development and climate-smart rural livelihoods.