The livelihoods of about 49,000 families in Kirehe district in Eastern Province are about to be changed for the better through a grant of USD 49.3m (Rwf 27bn) from international aid organisations.

Kirehe Community Watershed Management Project (KWAMP) will focus on development of sustainable and profitable small-scale commercial agriculture.

During the official signing ceremony of the grant, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning James Musoni who signed on behalf of the Rwanda government, said that the project is timely because it will supplement on the current food shortage.

"This is the first ever big project in farming and related economic activities which will improve lives of the poor,” Musoni said.

The project is funded by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Germany Development Service (DED).

According to a statement, the project will irrigate 2,000 hectares, protect and intensify about 20,000h of cultivated catchment area and provide cattle and goats for animal solidarity chains.

Claus Reiner who represented IFAD said that KWAMP combines pro-poor economic growth with soil and water conservation for environmental sustainability.

"KWAMP is the first project under the 2007 joint IFAD-Government strategy building on the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS), and it’s also the first largest grant funded by IFAD in Rwanda,” the statement also reads in part. 

It adds that the components of KWAMP include,local institutional development to improve the capacity of government and community institutions, agriculture intensification by providing market-led investments in value chain development and feeder roads to provide a fully functional road network. 

The seven year project will commence next year. After its implementation, it’s expected to have increased the level of marketed production of crops and livestock products leading to increase in incomes.

The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture with help from IFAD, WFP and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Currently IFAD supports several projects with a total funding of USD 88 million.

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