In recent years, much has been accomplished to develop the small livestock subsector in Rwanda. The Livestock Master Plan (LMP) 2017–2022 and the Fourth Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation (PSTA 4) 2018–2024 have proposed and attracted investments that have improved productivity of small livestock value chains including better piggery and poultry genetics, feeds and health services. However, this subsector still faces many problems related to policy and the enabling environment.

An assessment of the Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) of Rwanda’s small livestock sub-sector was conducted in 2021. This report describes the AIS of the small livestock sub-sector in terms of key functions, the underlying causes of their performance, and opportunities for improvement. It presents priorities and entry points for strengthening the AIS of the small livestock sub-sector in Rwanda, with focus on key organisations and the policy level.

The United Nations predicts that we need to increase food production globally by 70 percent to feed 9.6 billion people by 2050. But at the same time, given the climate crisis, we need to significantly reduce the use of energy, water, and land needed to produce food and lower its carbon footprint. In other words, we must figure out how to produce and distribute more food using fewer resources and emissions. We must learn to do farming better with less.

Existing scaling support methodologies often fail to consider the socially differentiated impacts, including gender effects, of innovation uptake. To address this gap, GenderUp was developed as a conversational tool to enhance the inclusivity, reflexivity, and responsiveness of scaling initiatives. GenderUp employs a five-stage process facilitated by trained facilitators, guiding teams through discussions, learning activities, and practical integration to create socially responsible scaling strategies.

Agricultural performance in Africa is hindered by factors like inaccessible inputs, limited credit, unfavorable weather, pests, diseases, and poor management. The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) implemented a project funded by CGIAR to develop digital advisories for Rwanda and Ghana. They created models to forecast fall armyworm invasions and Striga weed risk, which cause significant crop losses. These models, integrated with climate forecasts, run on a Python back-end and are accessible online.