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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Farmers in Rwanda’s Nyamasheke district say crop losses from climate-related disasters have fallen suddenly since they joined the government’s TEKANA agricultural insurance scheme, which compensates farmers when extreme weather damages their harvests.
The testimonies came during an awareness campaign held in the district this week, where farmers and livestock farmers shared their experiences with neighbors to encourage wider interest in crop and livestock insurance.
TEKANA was established to support commercial farmers and herders who operate at a professional, market-oriented scale, shielding them from financial losses caused by increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
Christine Uwizeyimana, a rice farmer working wetlands in the Macuba swamp, is among those who have felt the difference. She and her colleagues, members of the Duhuzimbaraga cooperative, cultivate rice across 125 hectares.
“We suffered losses for a long time because of climate change. Floods would come and swamp the rice, winds would flatten crops just before harvest, prolonged sunshine would burn the fields, and hailstorms would hammer our plants.”
Once word reached her cooperative about TEKANA’s crop insurance offering, she said members signed up without hesitation, having learned firsthand that a covered loss causes a payout from the insurer.
“Since we insured our crops in 2020, climate shocks have kept hitting our harvests, but we no longer lose everything because the insurance covers us. Over the past six years, TEKANA has paid us more than 34 million Rwandan francs in compensation.”
Joseph Desire Muhayeyezu, the vice Mayor in charge of economic development in Nyamasheke district, said the scheme arrived at a critical moment, when farmers and herders had no reliable safety net against climate-driven crop failures.
“We are grateful to the government for considering what matters to us and delivering it through TEKANA. When weather events strike, farmers are now compensated. We are continuing to spread the word so more people join, because those already joined speak for themselves.”
Joseph Museruka, the Project Manager of TEKANA under RAB-SPIU, acknowledges that the program has already delivered meaningful results but says awareness campaigns must continue to extend their reach.
“Each year, more than 200,000 farmers benefit from subsidized insurance under the TEKANA Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi program. The government covers 40% of the subsidy, while the farmer or livestock farmer contributes the remaining 60%. To date, a total of 9,392,461,332 Rwandan francs has been paid out in compensation.”
He adds that crop farmers have received 5,260,214,761 francs in payouts, while livestock farmers have been compensated 4,132,246,571 francs. The total government subsidy extended to support both groups stands at 7,025,436,179.20 francs.
TEKANA is a government program under the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources and is implemented by the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).
