Rwanda’s agricultural performance in the past was characterized by rudimentary methods and very low yields. Food and nutritional insecurity were a common phenomenon. For instance, in 1990 the global hunger Index for Rwanda was 30.5%, a situation that was considered extremely alarming with regards to food access for the population.

Needless to say, this further escalated to 37.5% during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. At this score, the population was not only hungry; it was starving as agriculture came to a standstill during the genocide. The livestock sector performance was also negatively impacted; as lots of animals were killed or abandoned.