Green village for Rwandan farmers
October 29, 2019
Project goal: To help rural communities adapt to climate change and increase resilience in northwestern Rwanda
Project implementation: Construction of ecovillages to rehome families displaced by flooding; improving water and land management systems
Project partners: Partners include NGOs such as Care International and Rwanda's Development Rural Durable, the Association pour la Conservation de la Nature au Rwanda, local and national government departments and local farming cooperatives
Project funding: Funded in part by the UNFCCC's Adaptation Fund, with support from the German Environment Ministry through its International Climate Initiative
Rwanda's economy is underpinned by agriculture and the labor of farmers on rural smallholdings. Around 1.4 million households depend on the land for a living, but 90% of this land is on hillsides where crops are particularly vulnerable to flooding.
Erosion makes farmland increasing vulnerable to extreme weather, and sudden rains can wipe out the livelihoods of entire communities.
For some, the Kabyaza Green Village had offered new homes and a fresh start. Better water management means they can harvest rainfall, and terraced fields resist erosion.
A film by Wiebke Feuersenger.