The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) joins the government, partners and the United Nations family in Rwanda in calling for global action to improve the systems that produce and distribute the food we eat, so that people can better withstand shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic and avoid alarming surges in the level of hunger around the globe.

The need for concerted action to improve agricultural production while enhancing global supply chains and ending food waste is captured in this year’s World Food Day theme: "Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together”. The three Rome-based UN agencies - WFP, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) – are calling for sustainable investment in food systems to achieve healthy diets for all. Without massive improvements in the food supply chain, many fragile nations are set to become increasingly vulnerable to financial volatility and climate shocks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the critical importance of global solidarity in helping all populations, especially the most vulnerable, in recovering from the crisis and building back more sustainable. There are 690 million acutely hungry people in the world and according to WFP estimates, this figure could increase by more than 100 million in 2020. For particularly fragile countries, a slide towards famine is a real risk.

The impacts of COVID-19 risk exacerbating Rwanda’s challenges in achieving food security for its growing population. The country faces increasingly destructive rainfalls brought about by climate change. Further, malnutrition is a serious concern with the prevalence of stunting classified as high at 38 percent, according to the 2019 Global Nutrition Report.

"Here in Rwanda, WFP works together with the Government, One UN partners, NGOs and other stakeholders at all levels to strengthen food systems against increasing volatility and climate shocks to be able to deliver affordable and sustainable healthy diets for all, and improve farmers’ livelihoods throughout the entire food value chain,” said Edith Heines, WFP representative and Country Director.

This is embodied by the new "Sustainable Market Alliance and Assets creation for Resilient Communities and Gender Transformation” (SMART) Project which is being launched by WFP this October 2020. The three-and-a-half-year initiative will focus on developing climate-resilient community assets such as land terraces, rehabilitated marshland, and improved small-scale irrigation systems to build community resilience to natural shocks such as drought, flooding, and landslides. This will be combined with the provision of agricultural inputs, training for farmers, and support to better access markets in order to generate lasting improvements in livelihoods and food security. Over 180,000 people will benefit from the project in five districts.

Farmers participating in the SMART Project will receive support through the WFP-implemented Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA), which aims to make agricultural markets work better for smallholder farmers across the country, making Rwanda’s food systems more resilient and sustainable in the process. Cooperatives receive training on improving the quality and quantity of their crops and are linked to private companies to sell their quality harvests at premium prices.

Since the Korubeho Cyeza cooperative in Muhanga District began receiving support from FtMA in 2018, farmers have seen their yields increase from 3 to 4.5 metric tons per hectare. Cooperative member, Ms. Lestude Nyirashyirambere noted, "my household income has noticeably improved allowing me to support my son through university. Now he has a job with the government which makes me quite proud.”

Throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, the Rwandan Government enabled WFP’s continued support through FtMA to cooperatives by putting in place measures to maintain movement of food supplies. The SMART Project and FtMA help meet the challenge of nourishing a growing population while bringing about real change in farmers’ lives in Rwanda.

The United Nations World Food Programme is saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.

WFP empowers smallholder farmers on good agriculture practices and support them throughout the entire food value chain. Photo: WFP/JohnPaul Sesonga

WFP Programme Associate, Pascal Habumugisha, shows participants how to use their farm implements to achieve optimal spacing between maize seeds. Photo: WFP/Daniel Kibsgaard

WFP creates assets such as land terraces and rehabilitated marshlands to increase food production. Photo: WFP/JohnPaul Sesonga