SEED FUNDING JOINT PROGRAMMES

Rwanda

Resilient Food Systems: Enhanced Value Chain and Post Harvest Management

SDG 1 No Poverty SDG 2 Zero Hunger SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth SDG 13 Climate Action

PROJECT TITLE	Resilient Food Systems: Enhanced Value Chain and Post Harvest Management
Context	Food systems transformation is embedded in several national policies in Rwanda, including the National Transformation Strategy, the Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation, the National Environment and Climate Change Policy. In 2021, Rwanda developed its National Pathway, which highlights four priority areas for the country towards 2030: ensuring food security and nutrition for all, while increasing demand for healthy diets; enhancing the environmental sustainability of food systems; improving livelihoods for farmers and all workers in food systems while building resilience to shocks; promoting inclusion of women and youth in food systems, including through enhanced financial opportunities.
PUNOs	FAO, WFP, IFAD
Contribution to SDGs	SDG 1 No Poverty; SDG 2 Zero Hunger; SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 13 Climate Action
Contribution to other SDG transitions	Decent Jobs and Universal Social Protection; Energy Access and Affordability
Duration	July 2024 – June 2025
Expected financial leverage	$ 3,070,000
Alignment with SG Call to Action	Policy integration; Food systems governance; Research, data, technology and innovation; Inclusive and participatory design; Private sector engagement
Outcomes	The JP leverages on improved post-harvest management as a strategic approach to simultaneously reduce food loss, improve incomes, and boost food availability. The JP promotes the economic integration of youth-led MSMEs and builds linkages with partners and initiatives focused on nutrition and food security to connect the dots between food production, processing and consumption.
Partners	MINAGRI, RAB, RRDB, Ministry of Gender, Ministry of Infrastructure Enable – Belgium Development Agency AGRA Hinga Wunguke USAID
Outputs	Assess suitable post-harvest handling management technologies (e.g. grain mobile dryer machine) Equip youth-led MSMEs with post-harvest technologies and assist them in developing a rental business model, promoting public private partnerships Identify successful business models for potential scale-up Train and raise awareness among youth and farmers on nutritious and safe food, improved grain post-harvest handling and storage, irrigation, marketing, and financial management skills.

Post-harvest management Youth employment Inclusivity

The Hub partners with CARE for food systems transformations

The UN Food Systems Coordination Hub met with CARE leadership to discuss partnership opportunities to support national pathways implementation.

Left to right: Mr Juan Echanove, Associate Vice President, Food and Water Systems at CARE, Ms Sofía Sprechmann Sineiro, Secretary General at CARE International, Ms Sylvia Lopez-Ekra, Deputy Director of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, Ms Christine Campeau, Global Advocacy Director at CARE.

25/11/2022

Developing strong partnerships for food systems transformations is a key part of our work at the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub.

On 25 November 2022, the Hub met with leadership from CARE to explore ways of collaboration to support implementation of national food system transformation pathways. CARE was extremely active during the UN Food Systems Summit preparations, serving as the lead for Action Track 4 – Advancing Equitable Livelihoods – which focused on “the elimination of poverty by promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all actors along the food value chain, reducing risks for the world’s poorest, enabling entrepreneurship and addressing the inequitable access to resources and distribution of value.”

Discussions focused on the strong value addition that CARE can provide as it is present in 100 countries working with civil society, grassroots organizations, farmers and communities to address health, nutrition and gender issues within the Food Systems Transformation agenda. Together, we explored opportunities to support on-the-ground work in countries to accelerate the implementation of national pathways.

CARE leads the human rights-based Decent Work and Living Income and Wages Coalition jointly with IFAD and ILO, and is a member of the Coalition of Action on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems, the Blue Aquatic Foods Coalition, Fighting Food Crises along the HDP Nexus Coalition, and Making Food Systems Work for Women and Girls.

The Hub and CARE leadership agreed to regularly touch base and both look forward to continuing to strengthen and leverage collaboration to help countries overcome inequalities in their food systems.