The Ministry of Environment has launched a $18 million (approximately Rwf23 billion) project to restore degraded land and forests in Southern and Northern provinces from 2024 to 2028.
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Minister of Environment, Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya, said the project will be implemented in all Southern Province districts and Gakenke District in Northern Province.
"The Southern Province is one of the major vulnerable landscapes, with much degraded forest landscapes, susceptible to climate change impact shocks, after the Eastern province. The project builds on synergetic interventions and investments in Eastern province and Amayaga landscapes,” she said.
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She said the project will focus on landscape restoration activities such as soil erosion control, agroforestry, and community adaptive skills for agro-forestry development.
Soil erosion control will be carried out on 1,000 hectares with terraces while agro-forestry trees including fruit trees will be planted on 80,000 hectares.
Nearly 10,000 improved cook stoves will be disseminated to farmers’ households to decrease pressure on trees.
According to the ministry of environment, the project will establish incentive mechanisms for adoption of agro-forestry practices by farmers.
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"The success of the project will depend on the strong collaboration and partnership between the ministry of environment, Rwanda Forestry Authority, the ministry of agriculture and animal resources and districts where the project will intervene,” Mujawamariya said.
The initiative to foster sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation in Rwanda was financed by African Development Bank (AFDB).
The government has also embarked on another new initiative aimed at combating deforestation and erosion while enhancing climate resilience in the Western, Northern and Southern provinces.
It will cover 250,000 hectares with forest restoration, and expand agroforestry over 2,000 hectares.
Scheduled to run from 2024 to 2028, the project targets 10 districts, including Karongi, Ngororero, Nyabihu, Nyamasheke, Rubavu, Rusizi, and Rutsiro in Western Province; Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru in Southern Province; and Musanze in Northern Province.
In Eastern Province, a $33.8 million project to be implemented from 2021 to 2027, is also expected to restore 60,000 hectares of drought degraded landscapes into climate resilient ecosystems through reforestation, agroforestry, restoration of pasturelands and soil erosion control measures in seven districts namely Gatsibo, Nyagatare, Bugesera, Ngoma, Kirehe, Kayonza, and Rwamagana districts.
In 2011, Rwanda joined the Bonn Challenge, a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land into restoration.
Rwanda committed to restoring two million hectares of land by 2030 through the Bonn Challenge.