The National Reference Group (NRG) recommends that Agriculture policymakers should make sure that the growing seeds industry is inclusive of representatives of smallholder farmers and their associations in order to design a sustainable seed system managed by farmers whereby they will not have to buy seeds from agro-dealers every planting season. To this endeavor, our endogenous seeds must be protected and promoted as a national heritage within the seed industry in Rwanda. The NRG is a think-tank made of different stakeholders in agriculture value chain including farmers, agribusiness companies, researchers, members of parliament, media, civil society organizations among others. Samples of endogenous seeds at the national dialogueAccording to Francois Munyentwari, Country Director of the Association for Cooperation and Research in Development (ACORD) that organizes NRG dialogues, “Our traditional seeds are a national common heritage and must not disappear. For food security, our wish is that research be carried out on these seeds to keep what they have positive to enrich by an external contribution. These traditional seeds are exchangeable, sustainable, qualitative, nutritious and tasty. They have medicinal and cultural values, they are resilient to climate change and fitting in the local agroecological environment. Furthermore their productivity can be improved to…

NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON AFRICAN FOOD POLICY LEMIGO HOTEL, 16TH APRIL 2021 1.INTRODUCTION In partnership AFSA (Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa), ACORD Rwanda organized a consultative meeting with members of the National Reference Group (NRG) on the issue of food policy in Rwanda and in Africa. The National Reference Group is a think tankwhose members are from different backgrounds:Government (policy makers), development partners, NGOs and CSO; Farmers organizations, Consumers organizations;associations, businesses, media, academia, farming communitiesand women groups. The meeting, prepared by a steering committee, was meant to pave the way for a further consultation of high level actors involved in the implementation of national policies related to the food system in Rwanda. The outcome of the consultations at national level will be validated in a document which will be channeled to AFSA who is coordinating with others countries and the AU commission, for sharing and consolidation in view of elaborating a sustainable food policy for the continent. 2.BACKGROUND In Rwanda like elsewhere in Africa, corporates and private companies in search of more income and profits are hijacking food systems. For those private actors, food is just a marketable commodity than an inclusive right. They care less on the impacts of…

he National Reference Group (GNR) wants sufficient and quality food for Rwanda and Africa, according to the Director of ACORD / Rwanda (Association for Cooperation, Research and Development), François Munyentwari. “The objective of our workshop is to give ideas to the African Union and the African Council of Ministers so that the continent can have sufficient and quality food. This objective is shared by the continent and the various partners. We want the African Council of Ministers to put in place this harmonized policy so that Africa stops remaining the market for what is manufactured elsewhere. Our continent has its agriculture, its own natural resources. It is endowed with a working population which has its own culture of preserving products and their processing. Only, the gap is in our policies governing agriculture, trade and nutrition”, said François Munyentwari.   François Munyentwari, Director of ACORD. He continued:”People are penetrating into Africa to sell food and make a profit, to our detriment. The other serious shortcoming is in the seeds. We want to use our own seeds and inputs to be strengthened to be more productive and of quality. We want to equip ourselves with our own valued hybrids and not hybrids…

The observation that emerges in order to achieve sufficient and quality food for Rwanda is that there is an urgent need to harmonize the agricultural policies in place in the country, according to Ms. Agnès Mukayiranga, specialist in the coordination of crop innovation and technology transfer within the Rwanda AgricultureBoard (RAB). “There is a need to harmonize the agricultural policies in place that govern the harvesting and storage of crops, their marketing, and the use of soil, seeds and inputs. All these policies are in place and play a role in making agriculture that supports the population more productive. Our wish is to see how these policies can be coordinated and harmonized like value chains. When the cropping season ends, another policy that governs harvesting, drying and conservation is put in place, then follows the policy of transport to markets, the policy of marketing, processing ”, she indicated. Specialist Mukayiranga recognizes that each institution works independently, without harmonization and coordination of policies in place. The important thing is that all policies complement each other. Responding to the concerns of participants in a meeting organized by the National Reference Group (GNR), under the initiative of the Association for Cooperation, Research and…

La bonne productivité agricole réalisée doit impérativement rencontrer un marché assuré, et c’est dans ce sens que les fermies seront encouragés à produire plus pour atteindre la sécurité alimentaire et vendre pour des gains financiers à investir encore, selon la Députée Médiatrice Izabiriza. « Nous constatons encore des lacunes dans nos politiques agricoles et d’élevage. Car, le fermier produit plus et il n’a pas un marché pour ses produits comme cela se fait remarquer actuellement pour le riz de Bugaramana ou les poireaux de Rubavu pour ne citer que cet exemple. D’autres fermiers se plaignent de ne pas accéder aux semences de qualité à temps. Cette lacune résulte d’une absence d’harmonisation de nos politiques agricoles et commerciales », a-t-elle indiqué. Jules Kazungu de RICD fait une présentation Elle a tenu ces propos lors d’une réunion organisée par le Groupe National de Référence (GNR), sous la direction de l’Association de Coopération, de Recherchée et de Développement (ACORD). Cette réunion visait à cibler les meilleures stratégies pour atteindre une alimentation suffisante et de qualité pour le Rwanda et l’Afrique. Elle a plaidé pour la tenue des rencontres pour des délégués issus de diverses institutions gouvernementales, de la Société Civile et du Secteur…