Government should revist its approach to partnerships in the agriculture sector by including local farmers, Kanayo Nwanze, the visiting International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad) president has said.

Nwanze was speaking yesterday during a courtesy call on the Minister for Agriculture, Geraldine Mukeshimana, at the ministry’s headquarters in Kacyiru, Kigali.

He said this would help transform the sector from subsistence to modern agriculture.

Nwanze is in the country on a four-day official visit and is set to meet top government officials, including President Paul Kagame, Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi. 

Nwanze said by involving farmers in agriculture partnerships, the sector will be transformed for the better.

"The partnership entails having policies that encourage the private sector to partner not only with the public sector, but also with the producers who are the local farmers,” he said.

It is the reason why Ifad is introducing a new strategy; 4Ps (Private, Public, Producer Partnerships) that includes farmers into the equation, he added.

 "Having this holistic approach to agriculture productivity and income generation will help the country transform its agricultural sector,” the Ifad president added. 

Nwanze noted that it is also important to give attention to women in rural areas since they are the major providers of labour, constituting about 90 per cent of agricultural labour.

The Ifad chief said Rwanda should further consider improved inputs, fertilisers, better irrigation practices as well as high quality inputs for livestock rearing.

"I define subsistence farming as agricultural systems and practices that do not achieve their full potential. If you want to increase potential and productivity, you should embrace technologies that enable you to do so,” Nwanze said.

He cited the need to establish an enabling quality environment complete with infrastructure that will enable value addition and access to markets for farmers as well as energy provision and social services in the rural areas so that the youth can have interest in agriculture.

He commended the country for offering an example of how targeted investment in agriculture has led to economic success, thus a model for other African countries to follow.

Minister Mukeshimana appreciated Ifad’s continued assistance to the country’s agriculture sector.

She said government was keen to embrace new practices and approaches to diversify from traditional exports and add value to farmers’ outputs.

Assistance from Ifad would go a long way in helping  implement the government’s Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture, she said.

While in Rwanda, the Ifad chief will also visit Community-based Watershed Management Projects supported by his organisation for first-hand evaluation on how project participants have improved their lives and discuss challenges they continue to face.

Over the years, the Rome based specialised United Nations agency has played a prominent role in financing and supporting agriculture projects since 1981.

So far, the UN international financial institution has financed 15 programmes and projects in Rwanda, contributing $239.4 million (about Rwf 165 billion) directly benefiting an estimated 534,300 rural households, according to figures from the organisation.