Uganda Updates
A review of policy for agriculture and horticulture in Rwanda has found that the fast-growing East African nation needs to adopt “horticulture” if it’s agriculture sector is to flourish like other “areas” of the of her economy.
The 26-page report, seen by www.muwado.com, study report was written by David Booth and Uganda’s Frederick Golooba Mutebi during the country’s development policy review in 2014.
The mission undertakers met and interviewed several government officials including the minister, permanent secretary, and high-ranking security official.
Findings
Despite making remarkable strides in the sector to the extent that it drastically drove down the poverty levels and income inequality among the populace, the study established that Rwanda couldn’t entirely boast as some work needed to be done by the government.
“Agriculture is not yet a policy success story in Rwanda,” the report said, “the government cannot be said to have settled upon an appropriate set of policies and delivery mechanisms for agriculture quickly and unprompted.”
The report added; “In fact, it seems not only feasible but desirable that Rwanda adopts in horticulture more of the active public-private-partnership and ‘early stage venture capitalism’ approach with which it has achieved success in other areas of the economy.”
Applauded
However, the study, applauded the Paul Kagame-led government for establishing some policies in Agriculture which have not only brought “hunger under control,” but also “poverty rates is falling, and so is inequality amongst the people.
“This is in contrast with trends in the first half of the 2000s, when poverty rates remained stubbornly high despite healthy GDP growth and inequality increased.”
Among others, the report indicates that Rwanda focused on “general distribution of improved seeds and fertilizers at subsidized prices” through local governments.
Other key factors of the policy included ; land consolidation where government promoted planting and harvesting by small holders in service co-operatives, medium-scale irrigation of under-utilized land especially for rice, and national promotion of ‘one cow per family’, a policy that saw government distributing free animals to the farmers on understanding that their first-born calves are returned to the scheme.
