With the first agricultural season of 2026 drawing to a close, farmers from across the Northern Province gathered in Rulindo district this week to receive their Season B seed allocations, as the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources coordinated input distribution ahead of the March planting window. The distribution, held at a demonstration field where cooperative members could observe trial plots before taking their allocations home, featured certified hybrid maize varieties including WH-605, WH-403, WH-508, WH-507, and WH-301. The varieties are among 81 maize cultivars currently approved for commercial production and sale under Rwanda's National Plant Variety List. ALSO READ: Hybrid maize production expected to increase 20% by 2030 For many farmers, the event confirmed a change that began only recently. Philomene Mukandayisaba of Muhondo sector in Gakenke District said access had long been the biggest obstacle. “We did not have these seeds before, and those that were available were too expensive for the average household,” she said. “In seasons with low yields, our children risked malnutrition. These selected seeds hold up better in poor conditions than ordinary seed.” ALSO READ: Fake seeds dealers could face jail term under new bill The figures behind her account are significant. Rwanda's Ministry of Agriculture annual report for fiscal year 2024-2025 recorded total improved maize seed distribution of 5,653.1 metric tonnes — the largest component of a broader 6,068.1 MT improved seed distribution that also covered wheat and soybean. More than 2.1 million farmers benefited from government-subsidized agricultural inputs in Season A 2025, and 1.4 million in Season B, with allocations processed through the Smart Nkunganire System (SNS), a digital platform that allows farmers to register their land area and input requirements ahead of each season. The yield gap between traditional and hybrid varieties, and the government's ambition to close it, sits at the centre of the distribution effort. Raphael Murasandonyi, agronomist for Rulindo district, said the contrast is no longer abstract for farmers who have planted through a full cycle. Traditional seeds meant 1 tonne on a hectare, he said. Now these produce 4.5 to 8 tonnes. The Season B 2026 distribution builds on a subsidy framework the government has sustained across consecutive seasons: in 2025, Rwanda invested Rwf75 billion in agricultural input subsidies, of which Rwf61 billion covered mineral fertilizers and Rwf14 billion was directed toward quality seeds, according to Egide Gatari, Agricultural Input Subsidies Program Manager at the Rwanda Agriculture Board. The international research context gives that ambition a scientific grounding. A 2024 study published in Nature Communications, drawing on data from 14,773 smallholder fields across Sub-Saharan Africa collected by One Acre Fund, found that switching to improved hybrid cultivars combined with better nutrient and crop management could double on-farm yields and generate an additional 82 million tons of maize region-wide without expanding the cultivated area. The study's core finding, that the yield gap is a function of inputs and management, not land, maps directly onto the conditions Rulindo's agronomists describe. At the individual farm level, the shift from seed recycling to certified hybrid varieties changes not just output volumes but the entire approach to land use. Anathalie Mukakamonyo, a farmer who cultivates land in a swamp in Rusiga sector of Rulindo District, said moving away from recycling seeds transformed her farming operation. She said repeated seed reuse often led to inconsistent harvests. “We were recycling seeds every season, and it became unpredictable,” Mukakamonyo said. “At one point, getting 50 or 100 kilograms felt like success. Now I harvest between 400 and 500 kilograms each season, which helps strengthen food security.” Mukakamonyo now leads a section of her cooperative that responds to questions from farmers still using traditional practices. Agronomists say her experience highlights a broader challenge across the country, noting that access to improved seed must be paired with practical training, not infrastructure alone. Murasandonyi acknowledged that the demonstration format of the distribution event was designed precisely to address that gap. Standing in the district trial field, with cooperative members ranging from smallholders to groups farming over 240 hectares, he described the gathering as a deliberate learning environment. I'm happy to see farmers gather here to watch how their seed will look and go back with plans to plant it themselves, he said. Modern agriculture requires going by the book — how to prepare land, fight pests, plant, and more. He added that the district has also used the trial field to expand the range of viable crop types, including what he described as successful trials of low-level ground crops, challenging assumptions about what Rulindo's hilly terrain can support. Only certified seed companies operating under Rwanda Agriculture Board authorization are permitted to supply seed within the government subsidy framework — a requirement introduced to curtail counterfeit products that have historically undermined farmer confidence in the commercial seed market and, in some cases, produced failed harvests that pushed growers back toward saved seed. Claver Niyigena, a representative of Western Seed Company, said the field day was designed to help farmers understand the varieties available and how to cultivate them properly. “By showing the crops in real conditions, farmers gain confidence in the varieties and share that knowledge within their communities,” he said. “Hybrid seed, when used correctly, can greatly improve both yield and quality.”
