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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Pauline Kamaliza wakes up at five in the morning every day. Her main activity consists of irrigating crops in a small 5-hectare farm located at Gashikiri, a remote rural village from Huye district in Southern Rwanda.
The 32-years-old mother never envisioned that her efforts in the farmlands would pave the way for women workers in her remote village to pursue prosperous lives.
“Women are now playing a vital role in agriculture, contributing to current national efforts towards improving food security,” she said.
The latest data shows that in Rwanda, women especially from rural areas form the backbone of the agricultural labor force.
According to the Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census, conducted in 2022 by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) there are currently 77 percent of females engaged in agricultural activities compared to 58 percent of males.
Figures show that of the total 2.3 million agricultural households in Rwanda (69% of private households), the Northern and Southern Provinces have the highest percentage (more than 80% of total private households). Estimates indicate that out of total male-headed households, 70% are agricultural households. On the other hand, 67% of female headed households engage in agricultural activities.
Percentage distribution of agricultural households by gender and marital status
Women’s empowerment
But empowering women with agricultural skills has been a critical step in Rwanda to celebrate the successes and accomplishments of this category in agriculture.
This is because official estimates show that in Rwanda, more women than men are primarily engaged in agriculture, yet female farmers face more challenges in starting successful agribusinesses than their male counterparts.
As part of national efforts to overcome these challenges, various stakeholders are trying to equip female farmers with skills on how to boost their farm productivity
For example, one of these initiatives consist of a comprehensive training offered by Corps Africa volunteers to several female farmers from Ruhashya Sector the Southern Province Huye district, with farming practices helping them to mitigate negative climate change impacts
Kamaliza is among women who gained valuable knowledge on smart climate agriculture practices, with a particular focus on kitchen gardens. Currently, the gardens enable smallholder farmers in this remote rural area to grow a diverse range of resilient and nutritious crops, ultimately improving productivity and ensuring food security in their communities.
Kamaliza confesses that thanks to the farming skills acquired, her kitchen garden now thrives with a vibrant array of vegetables, including beets, carrots, leafy greens, indigenous vegetables, and eggplants.
The easy availability of fresh produce, such as calottes and other vegetables, has greatly improved her family’s nutrition and eliminated the occurrence of kwashiorkor.
“I don’t buy vegetables anymore; I cultivate my own potatoes and even cassava for flour. The only items I buy are beans and salt” she says.
Overall, Rwanda has 2.3 million agricultural households. The majority of the agricultural household heads are in the age group 31-64 (71%) and have a primary school level (61%)
Out of 3.3 million households, 69% practice agricultural activities
Kamaliza success has already inspired many of her neighbors to try and adopt this gardening style as they also realize how effective the kitchen gardens can be in the fight against malnutrition.
To ensure farmers have access to quality inputs, tools, and equipment, the government has established a subsidy program tailored to the agricultural sector.
Yet women outnumber men in Agriculture sector, data show that the population engaged in agricultural occupations decreased at a slower pace between 2012 and 2022 (5-percentage points) compared to a registered decrease between 2002 and 2012 (15-percentage points).
Changes in the data-collection methods
Rwanda’s most recent population and housing census data have revealed the demographic changes and trends of the country, offering strong statistical support for its efforts in advancing socio-economic development.
Data from the latest Population and Housing Census show that there are 2.1 million private households in Rwanda who practice crop farming. However, the male agricultural household heads had higher access to all the levels of schooling than their female counterparts.
For the first time in Rwanda, there were also changes in the data-collection methods used in the Population and Housing Census last year. Electronic data collection was adopted for the first time, allowing real-time reporting.
Rwanda’s population has reached 13,246,394 people according to the results from the fifth Population and Housing Census (PHC) conducted in 2022.
