Reliance on rain-fed agriculture remains a significant concern as it is highly vulnerable to climate variability, according to Telesphore Ndabamenye, the Director General of Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).

Ndabamenye told The New Times that reliance on rain-fed agriculture can significantly impact food production, threaten food security and export revenues.

He said: "The country is reducing its dependence on rain-fed agriculture through several initiatives, including the Commercialization and De-Risking for Agricultural Transformation (CDAT) Project, which targets 17,673 hectares; the Export Targeted Modern Agriculture (ETI) Project covering 7,000 hectares; the Gabiro Agri-Business Hub, which will expand from 5,400 hectares to 10,000 hectares; and the Gako Irrigation Project, spanning 2,377 hectares, along with numerous other ongoing agricultural projects.”

Rwanda set a target to increase irrigated land from 48,508 hectares in 2017 to 102,284 hectares by 2024.

Currently, the country has reached 71,585 hectares, which is approximately 70% of the target. This shows significant progress; though further efforts are needed to meet the 2024 goal.

One of the challenges the country faces in expanding irrigation is hillside irrigation, which requires substantial infrastructure investment. Jerome Hitayezu, an irrigation engineer at RAB, noted that the government has initiated small-scale irrigation projects. These projects enable farmers to use minor pumps to draw water from streams, rivers, or lakes, to irrigate their smaller plots of land.

"Irrigation plays a key role in enhancing farming productivity, leading to higher crop yields and improved farm returns. This, in turn, boosts household income and contributes to the overall economic welfare of farming communities.”

Regarding water demands, which are crucial for water balance calculations and determining the availability of water for irrigation, Hitayezu emphasized the importance of improving water efficiency. The adoption of innovative technologies has proven to be more effective than traditional methods, enhancing water usage for irrigation purposes, he said.

In Rwanda, there is strong advocacy for irrigation systems such as sprinklers, center pivots, or drip irrigation, that offer field water application efficiency of over 75%, whenever design parameters permit.

As noted, the key challenge lies in the lack of adequate infrastructure to effectively harness and utilize available water resources for irrigation.

"The construction of water reservoirs and dams, coupled with improved irrigation methods, would help address the challenges posed by climate change and other water-related issues, especially in agriculture. To further support these efforts, the management of irrigation infrastructure is being strengthened through the formation of farmer water user associations and cooperatives within various irrigation projects, ensuring more sustainable and efficient water use.”

The country has 1.4 million hectares of agricultural land, of which 43% (0.6 million ha) is land that can be irrigated.

The consumptive water use for irrigation in Rwanda is over 363 million cubic meters per year, accounting for 59.75% of total water usage. Consumptive water use is water removed from available supplies without return to a water resource system such as water used in manufacturing, agriculture, and food preparation that is not returned to a stream, river, or water treatment plant.

Domestic water use comes second at 38.61%, while other sectors contribute smaller shares: mining (0.79%), industries (0.53%), fish ponds (0.17%), and coffee washing stations (0.4%).