The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) has signed two grants to support food production activities in Rwanda.

The grant will benefit cooperatives involved in mushroom and cassava processing.

Two cooperatives from the districts of Gasabo and Kamonyi will receive Rwf48,268m and Rwf92,919m respectively to set up a water system and finance the cooperatives’ working capital, staff training and acquisition of equipment in the next five years. 

The USADF said in a press statement that the project will benefit some 200 small-scale farmers and 800 unskilled workers who provide casual labour to Ituze cooperative in Kamonyi district. 

It will also focus on helping the cooperative to establish and maintain a crop purchase fund in order to fully utilise the milling equipment in place, the foundation said.

"These grants will be invested in food production in Rwanda while targeting those at the bottom by creating jobs and raising people’s incomes,” Chairman Jack Leslie stated in a press note.

Ituze cooperative grows and processes cassava both for home consumption and as an income generating activity.  It also supports 31 child-headed households in their community. 

The fund will also benefit Coopérative de Développement et du Bien-être Famililiale (CDEF), which processes mushrooms  through equipment acquisition, marketing, staff training and business plan development.

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