The Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Ildephonse Musafiri, and the Minister of Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture, and Viticulture of the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate, Daniela Schmitt, on Thursday, September 21, signed a joint letter of intent extending cooperation in sustainable agriculture development in Rwanda.

"The cooperation will focus on the development and introduction of a digital information system for sustainable modernized agriculture in Rwanda, supporting the introduction of new sustainable agricultural management methods and supporting sustainable table grape production in Rwanda,” the Ministry posted on X.

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In August 2019, Rwanda and Rhineland-Palatinate agreed to promote cooperation in the fields of agriculture mainly in smart farming in the age of digitalization, sustainable winegrowing, and enhancing cooperative management by introducing new management techniques and tools, and exchange visits between cooperatives in Rwanda and Rhineland-Palatinate.

At the time, both sides agreed to strive to work together more closely in the development of suitable technologies and know-how transfer.

Regarding smart agriculture, Rhineland-Palatinate was to support capacity building in data management for precision agriculture in Rwanda.

Smart farming is in line with the priorities of the strategic plan for the transformation of agriculture which prioritizes the use of ICT solutions as well as digitizing the agriculture sector to improve agriculture productivity and competitiveness, and decision-making for policymakers, farmers, and the private sector, to attain sustainable agriculture production, make sound investments in agriculture and use resources efficiently.