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By Annonciata Byukusenge
The National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS), “Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi” (meaning “Smallholder farmer, feel safe, you are insured”), is the program of the Government of Rwanda launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) in 2019 with the goal of mitigate against risks and losses incurred by farmers due to unpredictable natural disasters, pests and diseases that affect their livestock and crops. The scheme, which is subsidized up to 40% by the Government of Rwanda, will also enable farmers to easily access financial services and ensure the flow of credit to the agriculture sector.
Console Nyirahirwa wakes up at five in the morning every day. She walks nearly an hour from her home to the farm where she tends her field. Her main activity consists of farming maize on a small 5-hectare farm in the Nyirabirande swamp, located in the Nemba sector, a remote rural village in the Burera district of Northern Rwanda.
“Before joining The National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS), “Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi, known as ‘TEKANA’, floods affected our maize farm, which spans 84 hectares. I am in a cooperative of 2112 members of COVMB Cooperative, 731 women and 1381 men. It is not the floods affecting our crops, because the Maize stalk borer (locally known as Nkongwa) also affects our crops.” Said Nyirahirwa.
The disaster caused the loss before TEKANA.
Natural disasters can include extreme events such as heatwaves, floods, landslides, and earthquakes. While many of these phenomena have always occurred, a warming climate is altering their frequency, intensity, and geographic reach, turning once-rare events into recurring threats and increasing impact.
What are the requirements to register in TEKANA?
The farmers get capital insurance, not production insurance. The crops and livestock. The tuition fees are 9.000 RWF per season. Crops and livestock animals /birds insured are Maize for consumption, Maize for seed multipliers, Irish potatoes, Chili Cassava, Soya bean, Beans, and French beans. The livestock insured are Cattle, both dairy cows and bulls, Piggery, Poultry, and Aquaculture/Fish. For the livestock insurance, it depends on the livestock value.
François Rwamunyana is a rice farmer in the Rurambi swamp located at Rugazi, a remote rural village in the Bugesera district in Eastern Rwanda.
An interview with The Forefront Magazine said that: “In 2017, the unseasonal rains affected farmers, because we did not produce anything in this season. We did not have crop insurance. In 2018, the flood took away the rice, and we went bankrupt.
In the 2025 A season, Nyirahirwa farmed maize on 20a. “In this season, the 3a is affected by floods in the Ndongozi swamp located in the Nemba sector, Burera district.
The lack of insurance for crops and livestock caused the loss to Kamuzindu Claude, a farmer in the Nkotsi sector, Musanze district.
Before joining TEKANA, his cow died, and he did not compensate because TEKANA did not exist.
TEKANA saved farmers from losses caused by disasters- Testimony
Bugesera district
François Rwamunyana is a rice farmer. In 2018, the flood took away the rice, and we went bankrupt. In 2020 flood also affected his rice farming, but the insurance compensated him because the crops insurance program was established in 2019.”
“For the rice destroyed by floods in 2020, the insurance compensated me one hundred thousand Rwanda francs (100.000 frws).”
Gicumbi district
Jean CLAUDE Shirimpumu is a pig farmer. ”I have been a farmer for 15 years. I have pigs between 700 and 800. The 102 have insurance. I have a good testimony because two years ago (2023, 2024), two pigs died, and the insurance compensated me.”
He added that participating in Tekana helped him to cover the loss of two pigs.
“One pig had the value of four hundred thousand Rwandan Francs (400.000 Rwfrs). Without insurance, the loss was 800.000 Rwfrs. But the insurance compensated, because it compensates the capital of 400.000 Rwfrancs, not production.”
Musanze district
- Claude Kamuzindu is a farmer in the Nkotsi sector. “Last year (2024), my dairy cow died, TEKANA compensated me one million Rwandan francs.”
- Joseph Ndahayo, with other 40 members of KOABUIRU growing Irish potatoes at the edge of Volcanoes National Park on Musonga Mountain, joined Tekana in 2020.
“In 2023, my farm of Irish potatoes on 1ha was affected by drought. The Tekana Insurance compensated me 450.000 Rwfrs. Before joining Tekana, I experienced an extreme loss like this, but not covered. I thank our government for this initiative to support farmers by providing 40% in Tekana.” Ndahayo said.
- KOABUIRU currently has 8 ha of Irish potatoes insured under Tekana. Climate change, too much rain or lack of it, is the major challenge, along with pests and diseases that attack their crops!
In 2020, 1ha of Irish potatoes was affected by the impact of climate change through drought. Tekana compensated our cooperative 536,000frw. The loss we faced before joining Tekana, we did not get any compensation, “said Theoneste Habimana, the president of KOABUIRU Cooperative.
Rulindo district
Goretty Kampundu has livestock insurance. Earlier this year (2025), one of Kampundu’s dairy cows fell seriously ill. She immediately informed a livestock veterinarian, who treated the animal daily, but despite their efforts, the cow eventually died.
“Because all my cows are insured, I reported the loss to my insurance provider, and they compensated me with one million Rwandan francs (1,000,000 Rwfrncs). It showed me that there’s absolutely no loss when your livestock is insured.”
Farmers who have livestock insurance participate in the NAIS mobilization
Uzabakiriho Gervais is a farmer who lives in the Shangasha sector, Gicumbi district. After understanding the benefits of NAIS-Tekana, he started the mobilization in his village.
“Two years ago (2023, 2024), my sister had four cows that were pregnant. Those cows died with their calves in their wombs. Before this, her loss, I tried to tell her how the livestock insurance is a profit to her farm, but she did not change her behavior of farming traditionally.”
“After this loss, I went back to her for mobilization; fortunately, she changed her behavior, and now she has livestock insurance.”
Chantal Mukurizehe is a Poultry farmer in the Gisagara district. “I joined TEKANA in May 2024. I am conducting awareness in different women’s groups to join livestock and crop insurance. Now two women have joined TEKANA.”
The same in the Rwamagana district, Mary Uwotwambaza is a Poultry farmer with 6.000 chickens. “I started Poultry farming in 2018, but joined TEKANA in 2022. After joining livestock insurance, I engaged in mobilization. Now, more than 10 people have joined TEKANA.”
TEKANA helped farmers access financial services easily
Farmers who join the Tekana program work with banks because they have Tekana as a guarantee, and the banks trust them.
Uzabakiriho Gervais from the Shangasha sector in the Gicumbi district applied for loans to buy dairy cows. “I have 15 cows, including two cows I bought in the loan I have applied for at the Bank of Kigali. Before joining Tekana, I tried to buy a cow, but it was very expensive without enough capital. Now I can request even a loan of 40 million in the bank because my livestock is insured.”
Her colleague Consolée Nyirahirwa, who lives in the Burera district, in January 2025, applied for a loan from the Bank of Kigali, and the bank accepted her request because of Tekana.
“As a farmer, I need to expand my development from various incomes. I requested a loan of two hundred thousand Rwandan Francs (200,000 Rwfrs) in BK, and in three weeks, the bank gave me that loan after verifying if the crops are insured. The hope is that Tekana is a guarantee.”
Kamuzindu Claude, a farmer in the Nkotsi sector, Musanze district. Says that having insurance for his livestock gives him the trust of the bank, allowing him to continue expanding his livestock business and improving his lifestyle.
“I applied for a loan of 5 million RWF to start a livestock business. I offered insured cows, and the bank approved it and gave me a loan. Tekana is guaranteed.”
In the 2024 Season B, the Northern Province had set a target to ensure 58,628 animals, but managed to ensure 45,663, which included 7,977 cows, 48,470 chickens, and 2,281 pigs, achieving 77.9% of the target. The crop insurance target was 1,188 hectares, but the province insured 1,434 hectares of maize, rice, beans, and potatoes – reaching 128% of the target. Said by the Governor of the Northern Province, Maurice Mugabowagahunde, during the interview with The Forefront Magazine.
Challenges
The main challenge is the mindset of farmers to farm traditionally without insurance.
“Some farmers say that to have livestock insurance is to spend money for nothing. But as farmers changed that mindset, we have to inform them how insurance compensates farmers in case of loss. Others say that to compensate capital only is not fair.” Said Uzabakiriho.
Another challenge is that the crops and animals insured under the National Agriculture Insurance, the insurance compensates capital. They suggest compensating the production too, even if it is necessary, they will require increasing tuition fees.
“To compensate capital only is an achievement because before establishing insurance for crops and animals, the losses were too much. But we need the production insurance, because the capital is too small for the production we expect.”
Joseph Museruka Ntezimana is the program manager of the NAIS/TEKANA project. Says that NAIS-Tekana is decentralized.
“We encourage farmers to participate in the NAIS program, because in case of the loss caused by disasters or other accidents for livestock, the insurance compensates farmers. This program has a support of 40% from the government.”
He added that the government will continue to support the TEKANA Urihingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi Program so that it reaches more farmers and herders, where the government supports farmers and herders with 40% of the insurance cost, and farmers and herders contribute 60%.
At least 189,734 farmers and ranchers are supported under this program every year, equivalent to 6% of all farmers, with at least 8,192,723,212 billion Frw (3,569,567,033 Frw in livestock and 4,623,156,179 Frw in agriculture) being the amount after compensation to farmers and ranchers who suffered losses due to disasters and climate change. The government has already supported farmers and ranchers in obtaining income of about 5,950,632,110 Frw, and this will continue to increase.
The contract between a farmer and an Insurance Company is that the compensate transfer to the farmer within 30 days. A farmer pays 30% and the government pays 70%.
This insurance covers unexpected losses due to floods, heavy rain, extreme heat and snow, Wind, Erosion and landslides, Diseases and pests that have not been controlled, and Fire.
