Kigali, Rwanda — One Acre Fund, an international social enterprise, is improving the lives of Rwandan farmers through innovative initiatives, helping accelerate agricultural transformation for the benefit of smallholder farmers in Rwanda.
Empowering farmers through Tubura
Tubura supports over 850,000 households across all rural districts in Rwanda, providing high-quality seeds, fertilisers, other quality-of-life products, and access to inputs financing. Alongside transformative training programmes, Tubura works through field officers, district shops, and micro-entrepreneurs to enhance crop yields and uplift communities. In 2023, Tubura generated 99.5 million USD in impact, as additional revenues for 763,316 farmers the programme served.
Partnerships
One Acre Fund collaborates closely with the Rwandan government and key stakeholders to enhance extension services, ensuring that agricultural innovations benefit farmers nationwide. This commitment to improving food systems extends beyond individual efforts.
Through partnerships with the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) and Twigire Muhinzi, the public extension system, One Acre Fund amplifies extension services, providing farmers with essential agronomy support and ensuring that innovation and support are accessible in every corner of the country.
Strategic investments and partnerships
SRV, the investment arm of One Acre Fund, backs agricultural companies and offers tailored credit solutions for sustainable growth. Despite Rwanda’s annual avocado production exceeding 160 metric tonnes, about 30% goes unsold due to export rejections and surplus local output.
To address this, One Acre Fund and Impact for Africa (IFA) established Avocado Oil Industries Ltd (AOI) to produce premium avocado oil. AOI aims to provide smallholder farmers with a reliable market and generate attractive returns for investors.
Advancing the seed sector
In partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), One Acre Fund is helping revolutionise the seed sector. The RICA Seed Center offers seed companies access to parent seed and variety selection, professional training, infrastructure, and seed quality testing services, all to provide farmers with access to affordable, improved seeds. Last year, our potato seed venture produced 142 metric tonnes of disease-free seed, and our Professional Seed Certificate Program trained 16 participants.
Our partnership with Agro-Processing Industries and Western Seed Company supports Rwanda’s goal of maize seed self-sufficiency. In 2023, they produced 2,285 metric tonnes of hybrid maize seed under this partnership.
Leadership transitions
Belinda Bwiza, formerly the Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tubura, became the new CEO of One Acre Fund on December 1, 2023. Her predecessor, Eric Pohlman, is now the global CEO, supporting One Acre Fund’s mission across our 10 countries of operation to make farmers more prosperous.
One Acre Fund’s narrative embodies hope, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to contributing to the transformation of Rwanda’s agricultural sector. Through strategic investments, innovative approaches, and robust partnerships, the organisation aims to empower farmers and help them prosper. Aligned with Vision 2050, which envisages an advanced food industry, One Acre Fund strives to facilitate wealth creation through agriculture, thus nurturing a more prosperous future for Rwanda.