Small livestock development in Rwanda: enhancing the policy environment for pig and poultry value chains

In recent years, much has been accomplished to develop the small livestock subsector in Rwanda. The Livestock Master Plan (LMP) 2017–2022 and the Fourth Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation (PSTA 4) 2018–2024 have proposed and attracted investments that have improved productivity of small livestock value chains including better piggery and poultry genetics, feeds and health services. However, this subsector still faces many problems related to policy and the enabling environment. Those problems were identified by a policy analysis involving stakeholder consultations in September and October 2022 and a national policy dialogue held in November 2022, jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agricultural and Animal Resources (MINAGRI). The study was supported by the European Union under the FAO-led TAP-AIS project “Developing capacities in agricultural innovation systems: scaling up the Tropical Agriculture Platform Framework”.

The main problems facing small livestock development in Rwanda include:

- insufficient access to affordable, suitable and nutritious animal feeds;

- limited or poor market infrastructure and processing facilities for animal products;

- limited extension and animal health services to control disease outbreaks;

- financial constraints to smallholder farmers’ participation in different small livestock value chains;

- insufficient means of transport and logistics services for live animals and animal products;

- limited access to improved animal breeds; and

- poor links between small livestock farmers, feed producers and animal processing facilities.