Policy and Institutional Landscape of EcologicalOrganic Agriculture in Rwanda
African Technology Policy Studies Network(ATPS) Technopolicy Brief No. 55
Dr. Nicholas Ozor
Mr. Alfred Nyambane

Policy and Institutional Landscape of EcologicalOrganic Agriculture in Rwanda

Dr. Nicholas Ozor
Mr. Alfred Nyambane
African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is atransdisciplinary network of researchers, policymakers, private
sector actors and the civil society promoting the generation,dissemination, use and mastery of Science, Technology andInnovations (STI) for African development, environmental
sustainability and global inclusion. In collaboration with like-minded
institutions, ATPS provides platforms for regional and international
research and knowledge sharing in order to build Africa’s capabilities
in STI policy research, policymaking and implementation forsustainable development.
Published by the African Technology Policy Studies
Network (ATPS)
P. O. Box 10081, 00100- GPO, Nairobi, Kenya
 2021
ISBN: 978-9966-124-85-2

Table of Contents
About the Mainstreaming Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative................ ii
About the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) ....................... iii
Acknowledgement ........................................................................................ iv
Key Messages ................................................................................................ v
1. Introduction ............................................................................................. 1
2. Rationale for Ecological Organic Agriculture ............................................ 2
3. Methodology ........................................................................................... 3
4. Major Findings ......................................................................................... 3
4.1 National Policies, Strategies and Plans that support EOA implementation 3
4.2 Institutional Framework and Standardization for EOA in Rwanda............. 6
4.3 Sustainable implementation of EOA in Rwanda through collaborations ... 8
5. Conclusion ............................................................................................... 9
6. Policy Recommendations ....................................................................... 10
References ................................................................................................... 13

i |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

About the Mainstreaming Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative
The Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative (EOA-I) 1 is a continental initiativethat holds promise for increasing the productivity of Africa’s smallholder farms,
with consequent positive impacts on food security. Garnering support andlegitimacy for programs and initiatives run in Africa from continental bodies suchas the African Union Commission (AUC), the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa(UNECA), the Regional Economic Commissions (RECs) as well as the relevant
National governments could undoubtedly lead to ownership, high visibility,
success, and sustainability of such programs and initiative. However, the processof engaging with these high-level bodies and governments is notstraightforward. It requires strong champions who have establishedlongstanding relationships both formal and informal with these bodies andgovernments to achieve the desired objectives. The African Technology Policy
Studies Network (ATPS) 2 is one rare organization in Africa that has establishedworking relationships and goodwill with these aforementioned bodies andgovernments for over 30 years. In most cases, ATPS provides human resource
supports to these bodies in a win-win situation that has led to the developmentof trust and high integrity between ATPS and the continental bodies andgovernments. The EOA-I aims to transform and create sustainable food systems
through promoting ecologically sound strategies and practices among diverse
stakeholders in production, processing, marketing and policymaking, tosafeguard the environment, improve livelihoods, alleviate poverty andguarantee food security. The overall goal of the initiative is to mainstream EOA
into national agricultural production systems by 2025 in order to improve
agricultural productivity, food security, access to markets and sustainable
development in Africa.

12

https://biovisionafricatrust.org/eoa-initiative/
https://atpsnet.org/about-atps/

ii |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

About the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)
The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is a trans-disciplinary
network of researchers, policymakers, private sector actors and the civil society
actors that promote the generation, dissemination, use and mastery of Science,
Technology and Innovations (STI) for African development, environmental
sustainability and global inclusion. ATPS has over 5000 network members and
3,000 stakeholders in over 51 countries in 5 continents with institutional
partnerships worldwide. We implement our programs through members innational chapters established in 30 countries (27 in Africa and 3 Diaspora
chapters in Australia, United States of America and the United Kingdom). In
collaboration with like-minded institutions, ATPS provides platforms for regional
and international research and knowledge sharing in order to build Africa’s
capabilities in STI policy research, policymaking and implementation forsustainable development.

iii |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

Acknowledgement
This policy brief was produced by the African Technology Policy Studies Network(ATPS). The ATPS takes this opportunity to thank all the ATPS National Chapter
Coordinators in the study countries, the lead researchers and facilitators who
sacrificed amid the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that this study was
successfully conducted. We also thank the respondents from the study countries
for their inputs. Special thanks go to the Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) team fortheir support and cooperation throughout this first phase of our project
implementation under the EOA-I. We also thank the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC) for providing the funds used for thisresearch.

iv |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

Key Messages

 Rwanda currently has some Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) related
policies in place however, they are not strong enough to promote andsupport EOA sustainability and the required transformative change in the
sub-sector. A stand-alone EOA policy is preferred.
 There is strong goodwill from key stakeholders in Rwanda including thegovernment, private sector, and Non-Governmental Organizations(NGOs) to support the EOA-I. This is evident through the establishednational body devoted to the promotion of EOA - the Rwanda Organic
Agriculture Movement (ROAM).
 The awareness of EOA is still low in the country and concerted effort isrequired to sensitize and educate the relevant stakeholders on thebenefits of the practice through sustained campaigns, capacity building,advocacies and mainstreaming of EOA into curricula, programmes,
development plans and strategies of governments and otherpractitioners.
 As a signatory to the East African Organic Products Standard (EAOPS),
adopted in 2007 by the East African Community (EAC) as the single, official
standard for organic agriculture production in the region, Rwanda is
encouraged to continue to comply with the principles and practices in thisStandard. Establishing a stand-alone policy and agency will facilitate theimplementation of this Standard.

v |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

1. Introduction
There has been an unprecedented increase in the use of chemical agricultural
inputs compelled by the increasing human population and food insecurity
issues. This has aggravated adverse impacts on the ecosystem biodiversity andoverall human welfare. Africa has been focussing on improving agriculture andfood production systems to make them more resilient and sustainable while
increasing productivity. This has necessitated a shift from conventional
agricultural production systems to ecological organic agriculture, as a better
option. The Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative (EOA-I) was born to support
organic agriculture and is being implemented in several countries in Africa. Thisinitiative aligns with various strategic documents that focus on increasing
agricultural production and ensuring sustainable environmental resource
management such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), theComprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), theInternational Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for
Development (IAASTD), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) among manyothers. The overall goal of the Initiative is to mainstream EOA into national
agricultural production systems by 2025 in order to improve agricultural
productivity, food security, access to markets and sustainable development in
Africa.
The Rwandan agricultural sector has been operating in the context of rapidchanges and evolving dynamics in policy and institutional environments atnational, regional, continental and international levels. This has impacted thesector’s sustainable performance and development. Rwanda is working with
regional bodies such as the East African Community (EAC) and Common Market
for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to expand the opportunities createdby agricultural growth and integrated regional trade. It is also gaining
recognition as a leader in its response to global goals and challenges, such as theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate change respectively(International Trade Centre [ITC], 2008). The Government of Rwanda (GoR),
through the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI), is responsible for guiding ruraldevelopment and promoting agricultural transformation that increases
agricultural production and improves the lives of the rural poor. MINAGRI has
1 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

also been tasked with facilitating the consolidation of agricultural land use toimprove land management and productivity. Organic farming in Rwanda has
been developing under support from the Government of Rwanda (GoR), NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs) and the private sector among others.

2. Rationale for Ecological Organic Agriculture
According to a study by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)- United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (2008), organic
agriculture is a good option for food security equal or better than mostconventional systems and more likely to be sustainable in the longer term.
Moreover, a shift towards organic production systems has an enduring impact,
as it builds up to levels of natural, human, social, financial and physical capital in
farming communities. However, organic production systems among other formsof sustainable agriculture receive little support from the governments. Somepolicies, such as agrochemical subsidies, tilt the playing field away from organic
producers. Moreover, organic agriculture is virtually absent in agricultural
education, extension services, and research and development activities.
Misinformation and lack of awareness are also among the big challenges
confronting the practice since people believe organic yields are lower thanconventional yields.
Noteworthy, the agricultural systems in Rwanda are buffeted by sudden andacute shocks caused by natural and man-made hazards, such as drought,
flooding, erosion and conflicts. In the long term, factors such as poor
governance, lack of political will, national policy decisions and institutionalframeworks are often great impediments. Since the majority of the small-scale
farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture, environmental degradation anddiminishing natural resource base pose a great challenge to them. Realizing this,various agriculture stakeholders such as NGOs, community-based organizations,research institutions and governments have been testing alternative agricultural
technologies and approaches in search of a lasting solution. Such approaches as"conservation farming", smart agriculture, and organic agriculture are becoming
part of the technical packages of both international and national research and2 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

development institutions. This policy brief highlights the extent to which
Rwanda has embraced EOA through policies and how the related policies andinstitutional structures support this Initiative in principles and practice. Key
recommendations were proffered for sustaining EOA in Rwanda.

3. Methodology
This study was conducted using mixed approaches. First, a comprehensive desk
study was done where existing literature on all policies, strategies andinstitutional frameworks relevant to ecological organic agriculture in Rwanda
were reviewed. Secondly, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were conducted with
the identified EOA stakeholders at the national level targeting policymakers,
researchers, non-governmental bodies, private sector, traders and individual
parties among others. Finally, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conductedwith selected stakeholders on ecological organic agriculture issues including
policies, strategies and institutional frameworks related to EOA.
4. Major Findings
4.1 National Policies, Strategies and Plans that support EOA implementation
Rwanda has experienced a tremendous change in policies and institutionalframeworks that govern different sectors of the economy, intending to achievesustainable development and improved livelihoods for its citizens. This study
found out that EOA development is still at its infancy stage in Rwanda, with no
explicit policy that supports it. However, some relevant policies have been
identified that support aspects of EOA development in the country such as thosepromoting ecological and biodiversity protection which is relevant tosustainable agriculture. The country has rich traditional farming knowledge andit is mainly applied by the resource-poor whose financial ability limit their accessto modern conventional inputs. This is why many farmers are regarded as“organic by default”. However, the majority of the farmers use both organic andinorganic farm inputs which disqualifies them as pure organic farmers.

3 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

Some key policies and strategies that have provisions for supporting aspects ofecological organic agriculture growth and development in Rwanda. These
include:a) National Agriculture Policy (NAP), 2018: NAP supports organic agriculture
through its advocate for the use of livestock manure to improve soil
fertility as a way of promoting agricultural productivity in Rwanda. It
recognizes the importance of soil quality and supports the increased
training in organic fertilizer production and utilization as part ofIntegrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) practices in conjunction withthe gradual liberalization of fertilizer supply.
b) The Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA) IV (2018- 2024):
The Plan builds on the achievements of the PSTA III that ran from 2013 to2018 intending to transform the Rwanda Agriculture from subsistence toa market-oriented value-creating sector, that contributes to the national
economy and ensures food and nutrition security. In this strategic plan,
the Rwandese government has no explicit concern on promoting
ecological organic agriculture but rather, it has made concerted efforts toincrease environmental and ecologically friendly farming practices thus
indirectly supporting ecological organic agriculture.
c) National Environment and Climate Change Policy, 2018: The goal of thispolicy is to have a clean and healthy environment resilient to climate
variability and change that supports a high quality of life for its society.
This is achieved through greening economic transformation, enhancing
functional natural ecosystems and managing biosafety, strengthening
meteorological and early warning services, promoting climate change
adaptation, mitigation and response, improving environmental well-being
for Rwandans, strengthening environment and climate change
governance and promoting green foreign and domestic direct investment
and other capital inflows. Although this policy does not explicitly
pronounce organic agriculture development, it identifies inadequate soil
conservation practices, the use of chemical fertilisers and over-cultivationof land resource as big contributors to soil degradation and pollution,
which impacts negatively to the environment. Invariably, the policy
advocates for environmentally friendly farming practices which are intandem with ecological organic agriculture.
4 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

d) The National Fertilizer Policy, 2014: The Policy envisions a competitive andprofitable fertilizer sector that ensures fertilizer access and affordability
at farm gate promptly creating acceptable fertilizer use by farmers forincreased and sustainable agricultural productivity and farm incomes. The
policy aims to promote diverse fertilizer products and technologies suchas improved seeds, irrigation, soil conservation and lime that enhance
efficient utilization of fertilizers. This policy encourages local production
and use of fertilizer made from locally available natural resources as a wayof minimizing the production costs. It directs that the Rwanda Agriculture
Board shall provide technical guidance in developing and implementing
extension programs aimed at promoting fertilizer use in collaboration
with the local government through farmers’ field days anddemonstrations. In its support for ecological organic agriculture, thepolicy encourages the use of lime, organic and bio-fertilizers tocompliment inorganic fertilizer use as an integrated approach to soil
fertility management. In addition, it encourages appropriate use offertilizers to minimize the emission of greenhouse gases thus protecting
the environment.
e) Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy, 2011: This strategy
recognises the fact that the future socio-economic development of
Rwanda could be uncertain due to rapid population growth and climatechange, which exerts pressure on land, water, food and energy resourcesamong other natural resources. Coupled with a high rate of urbanization,
the country faces a potential threat to its food production given that it
relies on rain-fed agriculture both for rural livelihoods as well as in theirtea and coffee exports. This strategy aims to guide national policy andplanning in an integrated way, mainstream climate change into all sectorsof the economy and also place Rwanda in a better position to accessinternational funding to combat climate change. Although this strategy
does not explicitly recognize organic agriculture, it supports eco-friendly
agriculture since it aims to achieve sustainable land use and water
resource management that result in food security, appropriate urban
development and preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
f) The Crop Intensification Program (CIP), 2007: CIP was a pilot program toincrease agricultural productivity in high-potential food crops and5 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

ensuring food security and self-sufficiency. CIP proposes quality checks fororganic fertilizers.
g) Horticulture Strategy for Rwanda, 2006: This strategy firmly delineates
the production and export of fresh and dried organic fruits and chillies tothe European markets as well as the United States and the regional
markets. The strategy also asserts that the development of organic
horticulture segment in Rwanda requires mapping of certain areas asstrictly organic production zones taking precaution to avoid chemicals
from other areas affecting them, thus supporting ecological organic
agriculture.
h) The Girinka Program, 2006: The Program aims to enable every poorfamily to access a dairy cow for income, nutrition and manure as organic
fertilizer, thus promoting organic agriculture in the country.
i) The Master Plan for Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Rwanda
2011-2020: The Master Plan aims to provide Rwanda consumers withdomestically produced, high quality, safe, competitively priced, andnutritious aquaculture products, produced in an eco-friendly manner thus
revealing its indirect support for ecological organic farming in theaquaculture industry.
The GoR has developed a Comprehensive Strategic Plan for Agricultural
Transformation in the country that emphasises intensification,
professionalization, regionalisation and commercialisation of agriculture.
Rwandan policies are not pro-organic per se, but they acknowledge that organic
agriculture can play an important role, side-by-side with conventional
agriculture. In all the above policies and strategy documents, there are no
explicit provisions for EOA but have rather, made concerted efforts to increase
environmental and ecologically friendly farming practices.
4.2 Institutional Framework and Standardization for EOA in Rwanda
Organic agriculture in Rwanda has been developed and promoted in two parallel
tracks, an NGO track and a commercial track, driven by companies. Quite
uniquely for Rwanda, the government was long already involved in the earlystages as was reported by Källander and Rundgren, (2007). On the NGO side, theorganic farming idea was introduced in 1999 while on the commercial side, the
6 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

first organic production was developed in the late nineties with the productionof organic fruits by Emballage Rwanda/Rwanda Volcano Export Produce. In
2001, a USAID funded project ADAR introduced support to emerging organic
exports from Rwanda (ITC, 2008). Until 2007 there was no Rwandan standard
for organic production. With the adoption of the East African Organic ProductsStandard (EAOPS), Rwanda now has a public standard.
The GoR is fairly positive in the institutionalization of organic production, with
the MINAGRI being involved in creating awareness, capacity building among
farmers, supporting the certification process, distribution of seeds/seedlings,
training local certifiers in an attempt to reduce the cost of certification,
aggressive afforestation, agroforestry and reforestation programmes toincrease biomass for organic production, radical and progressive terracing, andgeneral restocking of livestock. It also supports organic certification throughfurther programmes and measures including training of farmers on the EAOPS
and how to implement it, as well as of NGOs and farmers’ unions to build-up a
network of extension support services for farmers wishing to convert to organic
farming.
This study also found out that there are some established markets for ecologicalorganic products especially for the international markets with only a few
products found in the local supermarkets. This implies that producers rely on
foreign markets for their products, which are not accessible by many local
consumers. This is because of the stringent standardization of products
targeting foreign markets. Even though the region has the EAOPS, it is notaffordable for many Rwandan producers to meet its requirements. Additionally,
it does not meet the specific needs of the producers at the country level, hence
limiting local market access.
The Rwanda Organic Agriculture Movement (ROAM) is the National Umbrella
Organization which unites producers, farmers’ organizations, processors,
exporters, importers, institutions and organizations who are greatly involved inor support organic production, processing, marketing and export in the organic
sector in Rwanda. ROAM was established in 2007 to realize the vision ofincreased incomes and improved livelihoods in Rwanda through the adoption of
7 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

organic agriculture. To achieve this, it has invested in education, training,extension and research in organic agriculture, promoting local and export
marketing of organic products, advocating for organic agriculture, as well as
attracting support for organic agriculture in Rwanda. Its main activities are to
represent and promote the organic sector in Rwanda, to facilitate theestablishment of laws and regulations as well as technical advice in the field of
production, training, certification and marketing of organic products.
Additionally, it coordinates all activities related to certification services andorganic inspection acceptable at the national, regional and international levels.
It also aims at attracting donors and investors in the field of organic agriculture,lobbying and advocacy for organic farming and to participate in the formulationand the implementation of organic agriculture policies in Rwanda.
4.3 Sustainable implementation of EOA in Rwanda through collaborations
For organic agriculture to grow in Rwanda, there is need for increased synergies
between the existing agricultural policies and the institutions as well as bygovernment investing more resources in developing specific policies andinstitutional frameworks to guide and support EOA development. There is aremarkable achievement in the adoption of eco-friendly agricultural practices
which are gaining grounds and popularity in Rwanda. This can be attributed tothe increasing demand for organically produced agricultural products and thedevelopment of markets for the products especially foreign markets. This
success can also be attributed to the push for environmental protection andconservation which is an issue of great concern in the country given theprevailing environmental challenges that cause food and water insecurity
among others. The existence of the EAOPS is an advantage that should be built
upon.
Integrating EOA into overall agricultural policies and poverty reduction
strategies, and building organic agriculture supply capacities through education,
research, extension services, local and regional market development and export
facilitation, are key to realizing the benefits that EOA offers in Rwanda. For
sustainability, the government should focus on playing a facilitative rather thana controlling role, since organic agriculture acknowledges the experiences of the
farming communities and can build on and integrate indigenous or traditional
8 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

knowledge, thereby recognizing the farmers as shapers of their future, rather
than implementers of an agriculture production system imposed on them fromabove or from outside the system. Due recognition should also be given to otherstakeholders especially the private sector actors, farmer associations,agripreneurs, researchers, the civil society actors, and the media who play greatroles in promoting the growth and development of EOA in Rwanda. There isneed for all stakeholders to join hands together in promoting this initiative toensure that the gains therefrom are fully harnessed for a transformative change
in the subsector in the country.
The country is also at the forefront in implementing various regional andcontinental policies as well as various international conventions that support
EOA. The continental policies that Rwanda is implementing include the Malabo
Declaration, Strategy for Agricultural Transformation in Africa (2016-2025)
among others, while the regional policies include the EAC Vision 2050, EAC Foodand Nutrition Security Action Plan (FNSAP) 2018-2022 among others. For
Rwanda to develop and support sustainable EOA, the national agriculture policy
needs to be reassessed to ascertain to what extent they are encouraging, areneutral or are biased against EOA. It should also consider encouraging organic
agriculture development using policy instruments such as subsidizing organic
inputs distribution systems, granting tax exemptions for organic farmers, andgiving special agricultural loans to organic farmers in the country.

5. Conclusion
This policy brief focused on the policy and institutional landscape that can
support the successful implementation of the EOA Initiative in Rwanda. It
provides insights into the policy and institutional structures that support EOA in
Rwanda. In line with the ongoing environmental and health-related concerns,
EOA can be the solution to the incumbent national and regional development
needs. The study findings revealed that Rwanda does not have explicit policies
that support EOA but has sectoral policies that support aspects of EOA in
principle and practice. Although these policies and strategies are not meant
purposely for EOA, a remarkable achievement is noticeable in the adoption of
eco-friendly agriculture which is gaining popularity in the country. This can be
9 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

noted from the increasing demand for organically produced agricultural
products and the development of markets at the local and international levels.
Notwithstanding, the implementation pace of these ecological organic aspectsof the policies and strategies is still wanting due to poor institutionalization andlow awareness levels on the benefits of EOA. Some institutional structures have
however provided a basis for the implementation of the policies to which the
EOA principles can be anchored and escalated. The country is also at theforefront in implementing various regional and continental policies as well as
various international conventions that support EOA. However, there is need toinitiate conversations that will lead to amendments of existing policies to fully
embrace EOA. Institutional structures should be explicitly supported in policies
and laws with clearly stated roles and responsibilities in the implementation of
EOA. A renewed focus on enhancing the indigenous technologies and inventing
new ones is also required in order to increase its productivity and match or evenoutdo its conventional counterpart. Overall, there is need for the collaborationof all actors including government, researchers, private sector entities, the civilsociety actors and the media in promoting EOA through supports for new
policies and institutional reforms to ensure its sustainability in Rwanda.

6. Policy Recommendations
From the study, the following policy recommendations are proffered in order toensure the growth and development of EOA in Rwanda.
Recommendation 1: Review the existing agriculture policy or enact astandalone National EOA policy
Since there is no specific policy for EOA development in Rwanda, it is proposedthat a stand-alone Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Policy be developed andenacted. This will give a clear guideline and full support to the development of
the subsector in Rwanda. For this to be successful, proper institutionalization,
inclusivity of all stakeholders and public-private partnerships are also key.
Moreover, a bottom-up approach in the policy formulation offers the farmers agood opportunity to contribute to the process and ensure its success in
implementation. The policy should be able to encourage mainstreaming of EOA
initiatives into programmes of governments and the private sector and their
10 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

collaborations. Moreover, the EOA technologies and practices should be youth
friendly since this is an opportunity for youth employment.
A cross-sectoral coordination and support mechanism is very critical in bringing
together key actors. This is necessary as it will form a strong basis forsustainability. To ensure success and sustainability of EOA in Rwanda, proper
systems and institutions should be put in place to ensure adequate and effective
local certification of EOA products that conforms with the common international
standards thus widening the market. These should be captured in the standalone policy for EOA or integrated into the revised policy.
Recommendation 2: Awareness creation and advocacy in support of EOA policy
and programs:
There is need to mount a concerted effort to increase general awareness about
EOA, its benefits in terms of health outcomes and income generation as well as
in the sustainability of the environment in general. Similarly, an advocacy
campaign that will build on the findings of this research study by the ATPS should
be mounted across the EOA value chain to ensure the development of astandalone EOA policy and its mainstreaming into Rwanda government
programmes. All efforts should be inclusive and people-centered with the aimof increasing productivity and resilience of agricultural systems in the country.
Recommendation 3: Capacity building across all levels of EOA value chain:
There is need to build the capacity of all actors along the EOA value chain toensure effective and efficient delivery of goods and services in the subsector.
Considering that the subsector is still in its infancy in the country, all actors
including producers, processors, middlemen, marketers, product certifiers,
policymakers, researchers, the civil society and the media need to understandwhat their roles are and how to play these roles in order to achieve the target
objective of a sustainable EOA in Rwanda. Most importantly, regular training
should be designed for organic agriculture producers to ensure that they adopt
the good practices that will attract more money for their products. The
agricultural extension system should integrate regular visits to train the organic
agriculture producers and processors to ensure that standards are regularly
maintained.
11 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

Recommendation 4: Establish effective markets for EOA products as well asorganic standards:
Proper supply and value chains should be established for effective marketing of
the organic products both locally and internationally. This requires theinvolvement of all stakeholders in Rwanda to design the value chain that will beeffective. It will also require the development of organic standards that areeasily implementable in the country mirroring the regional and international
standards. These would offer producers an opportunity to apply them in their
specific contexts, climatic and agro-ecological conditions, conform withstandards and earn more income from the business. The domestic market fororganic products is not well developed, and the majority of certified organic
products is exported. Organic certification in the domestic market offers quality
assurance to consumers by knowing that the products have been produced inadherence to strict production standards.
Recommendation 5: Increase avenues for research and EOA sensitization andinformation sharing:
There is need to increase support for research on EOA. This can be throughincreased funding by government and/or development partners. The researchfindings should continuously be shared through conferences and workshops toincrease the awareness, knowledge exchange and learning on EOA thereby
boosting its adoption. It is also important to create functional and reliablenational and regional networks for better interaction and networking among
stakeholders in EOA. The 10% public expenditure allocation to agriculture as
proposed in the Malabo Declaration 2014 by the African Heads of States should
provide a special allocation for organic agriculture development. This will boost
further research, capacity building, market access and overall development
along the EOA value chain and hence realize a transformative change in thesubsector.

12 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

References
Carey, C. and Guttenstein, E. (2008). Governmental Use of Voluntary Standards
Case Study 7: Rwanda and the East Africa Organic Products standard,
ISEAL Alliance, Rwanda.
International Trade Centre [ITC], (2008). Overview of Organic Agriculture in
Rwanda and Options for Policy and Trade development, ITC, Geneva.
Källander, I. and Rundgren, G., (2007). Building Sustainable Organic Sectors,
IFOAM, Bonn
Rundgren, G., (2007). Building Trust in Organic, A guide to set up organic
certification bodies, IFOAM, Bonn, Germany.
UNEP-UNCTAD (2008). Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa. UNEPUNCTAD Capacity Building Task Force on Trade, Environment andDevelopment (CBTF), United Nations, New York and Geneva.

13 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

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in Tanzania (ATPS TechnoPolicy Brief No. 41)
14 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda• Assessment of Possible Intellectual Property Protection Optionsof Traditional Knowledge System in Ethiopia (ATPS TechnoPolicy Brief
No. 40)• Towards influencing National Legislation, Policies, Strategies andProgrammes for appropriate Protection and Benefit-Sharing of Traditional
Knowledge (TK) with and by Traditional Herbalists in Uganda. (ATPSTechnoPolicy Brief No 39)• 38 Traditional Healers and their provision of Mental Health Services in
Cosmopolitan Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. (ATPS TechnoPolicy
Brief No. 38)• Policy Implications for Intellectual Property Systems for Traditional
Healers in Lesotho. (ATPS TechnoPolicy Brief No. 37)• Incidence of Indigenous and Innovative Climate Change Adaptation
Practices for Smallholder Framers’ Livelihood Security in Chikhwawa
District, Southern Malawi. (ATPS TechnoPolicy Brief No.36)• Machobane Farming System and its Relevance to Climate Change Policyin Lesotho. (ATPS TechnoPolicy Brief No. 35)

15 |Policy and Institutional Landscape of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Rwanda

The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)
is a transdisciplinary network of researchers,
policymakers, private sector actors and the civil society
promoting the generation, dissemination, use andmastery of Science, Technology and Innovations (STI)
for African development, environmental sustainability
and global inclusion. In collaboration with like-minded
institutions, ATPS provides platforms for regional andinternational research and knowledge sharing in orderto build Africa’s capabilities in STI policy research,
policymaking and implementation for sustainable
development.

African Technology Policy
Studies Network (ATPS)
Contact Executive Director:
executivedirector@atpsnet.org
8th Floor Chancery Building,Valley Road
P. O. Box 10081-00100, Nairobi
Tel: +254 (020) 2714092
www.atpsnet.org

Science Technology and Innovation
for African Development
ISBN: 978-9966-124-85-2