Consolette Ahwishyize, a 45-year-old mother of 5, in Gitwe village in Manihira sector, Rutsiro district had abandoned her farmland because it was on an extremely steep slope that was susceptible to landslides during the rainy season. She was in distress due to the fact that rain would wash away the topsoil of her field, away crops and fertilizer. However, Ahwishyize’s experience is not unique to her. According to the National Risk Atlas, districts located in the north and western provinces are prone to regular weather-related disasters such as excessive rain leading to landslides, and floods, and causing physical, social, and economic damage and food losses. The World Food Programme in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) implemented the United Nations Joint Programme on Social Protection, empowering smallholder farmers in the districts of Rutsiro, Karongi, Burera, Nyamagabe and Kirehe to respond to climate-related shocks and achieve sustainable household food security. In the joint programme, as part of their holistic package of support, WFP constructed and rehabilitated terraces on 25 hectares of land in Nyamagabe and Rutsiro districts. The two districts were flagged as being prone to regular landslides and soil erosion which had discouraged smallholder farmers from cultivating the land. This, in turn, had contributed to the worsening household poverty and food insecurity outcomes. “Now I’m very happy that after the terraces were constructed on my land, my potato harvest has tripled,” said Ahwishyize. As a result of land terraces constructed, smallholder farmers can now plant crops in all seasons, with the hope of harvesting enough food for their families and selling the surplus to the markets. In addition, the programme also provided agriculture inputs to farmers, including pesticides, lime to improve soil fertility, and hybrid potato seeds worth nearly 68 million Rwanda francs to increase food production. To tackle poverty from a multidimensional perspective, WFP also empowered rural communities in Rugabano IDP Model Village, Karongi district by introducing small-scale income-generating activities based on needs that were jointly identified with the community members, local leaders, and programme beneficiaries. Before that, most of the inhabitants of the model village had limited incomes and livelihoods. Based on the community consultations, WFP constructed a poultry house in the model village and provided 1,000 chicken-laying hens to a farmer cooperative comprising community members at a value of 43 million Rwanda francs. “I’m happy, I have enough eggs for sale and my children eat eggs. I earn over 30,000 Rwanda francs per month, and I plan to improve on my poultry farming skills until I become a professional poultry farmer in Karongi”, Gaspard Kanyarukiga is the president of Ubumwe poultry farmers cooperative in the Rugabano model village. He affirms that his life changed, especially since he is now able to cover his family’s needs including health insurance. Kanyarukiga’s cooperative plans to increase the number of poultry and teach other members of the community about poultry farming. Community members of each district where the Joint Programme was implemented identified specific challenges which needed diverse solutions adapted to the context. Under the same Joint Programme for Social Protection, WFP was able to construct solar powered boreholes in Nyamugali sector, Kirehe district serving over 6,000 people with clean and safe water for improved health and sanitation, and agricultural outcomes. Using water from the solar-powered boreholes, community members are able to access clean water within shorter distances, saving time for other on-farm and household activities. The boreholes have encouraged farmers to water kitchen gardens at home, thus increasing the production and consumption of green leafy vegetables and contributing household food and nutrition security, in addition to allowing farmers to access water for their livestock. The UN Joint Programme on Social Protection aimed to support and accelerate the Government of Rwanda’s efforts for integrated social protection to end poverty in all its forms while ensuring no one is left behind. WFP interventions, in collaboration with the Government, UNICEF and FAO, contributed to bridging the humanitarian development nexus, empowering food-insecure rural communities through livelihood supported activities including asset-creation for sustainable food production, and participatory and inclusive community-led income-generating activities to achieve zero hunger and reduce poverty.
