Revolutionizing Agriculture: TREPA, COMBIO, DeSIRA  and AREECA showcased at the 17th Rwanda National Agriculture Show 2024

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and other partners have showcased best practices from various initiatives at the 17th Rwanda National Agriculture Show 2024, including Transforming Eastern Province through Adaptation ( TREPA project ), reducing vulnerability to climate change through enhanced community-based biodiversity conservation (COMBIO project), and Large-scale Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) in Africa (AREECA project), and improving the resilience of farmers’ livelihoods to climate change through innovative, research-proven climate-smart agroforestry and efficient use of tree resources in the Eastern Province and peri-urban areas of Kigali city (DeSIRA project).

The 17th Rwanda Agriculture Show, which was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) under the theme of ‘Building Resilient and Sustainable Food Systems’, has attracted more than 470 exhibitors, and is taking place from July 31st to August 9th, 2024, but officially opened on Thursday, August 1st by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Resources, Eric RWIGAMBA, at Mulindi showground in Gasabo District of the City of Kigali.

The weeklong exhibition has attracted various stakeholders in the agriculture sector, ranging from individual farmers, farmer organizations, international organizations that support farmers, financial service providers, insurance companies, agricultural products and equipment companies, international exhibitors, and different local agencies involved in farming activities.

The event also brought together exhibitors of Agroforestry and Wood Value Chain Products in the Eastern Province of Rwanda.

One of them is Ester IKUZE, a consultant for the COMBIO project, who attended the exhibition to showcase traditional tree seedlings.

The COMBIO project, funded by the Swedish Government and supported by Rwanda’s Ministry of Environment, with implementation support from the Rwanda Forestry Authority, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Belgian Development Agency, Enabel, aims to restore and sustain biodiversity in protected forests, establish new sanctuaries, and integrate diverse native species into productive croplands and forests.

Among the tree seedlings, are Rwandan coffee called Coffee eogenioides, which has less caffeine; Diospyros abyssinica (INKUNGU), which contains medicine to treat malaria; Garcinia buchananii (AMASARASI), a tree that produces edible fruits; and a total of 50 traditional tree species.

“What we are doing is bringing back the old traditional trees that were no longer available, and we are doing it in the COMBIO project,” IKUZE said.

She mentioned a project aimed at enhancing the quality of life of residents in seven eastern province districts by improving the land for tree production, that the initiative promotes biodiversity by integrating native species into croplands and forests, supporting farmers in creating value chains, and establishing community-based payments for ecosystem services.

Josephine BAGIRANEZA, an exhibitor from Akagera Beekeepers Cooperative, a TREPA project partner, showcased the original Kinyarwanda honey, processed in the Kayonza district.

She said, “We take honey wax and use it to make soaps, and we use that honey to make cosmetics, but we mix it with other different traditional medicines, and it is sourced from Kayonza_Rwinkwavu_Akagera, where bees are raised.”

The TREPA project, a consortium of IUCN, Enabel, RFA, CIFOR-ICRAF, Cordaid, and World Vision, aims to transform 60,000 hectares of degraded landscapes into resilient ecosystems, boosting food security and financial inclusion.

Jimmy KWIZERA, an exhibitor from Enterprise Multiservices Ltd, a DeSIRA project partner, showcased wood-burning stoves that reduce smoke by 80% and coal usage by three times compared to normal stoves.

He said, “The stoves, which use six times less wood than traditional ones, can last over five months and can also be used for dry items like cornflakes and husks.”

He highlighted the use of unique charcoal stoves that significantly reduce the amount of charcoal used, that they reduce three times compared to the usual ones, contributing to environmental protection.

He emphasized that these stoves are environmentally friendly due to their reduced use of wood, coal, and smoke emissions.

The DeSIRA project, funded by the European Union, aims to improve farmers’ livelihoods by generating knowledge for agroforestry in Rwanda. The five-year project is being implemented by IUCN and Enabel, in collaboration with international research institutions, including the International Centre for Research and Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the University of Leuven, the University of Ghent, and the University of Rwanda, reduces forest resource pressure and aids Rwanda’s commitment to restoring 2 million hectares by 2030.