Authors:
Nienke Beintema, Aimable Gatete, and Sandra Perez
Year:
2016
Publisher
International Food Policy Research Institute and Rwanda Agriculture Board
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Continuing spending growth
Agricultural R&D spending grew by one-third during 2011–2014. At RAB, growth was driven by increased donor support, whereas at UR-CAVM it was driven by increased human resource capacity. The total number of researchers increased during 2011–2013, but sharply declined in 2014 due to a restructuring of RAB’s researcher classifications: an MSc degree is now the minimum requirement for scientists to qualify as researchers, so most junior researchers were reclassified as research technicians.
Strong funding support
The Government of Rwanda has provided strong support to RAB over the years, contributing the largest share of its funding. Nevertheless, these funds primarily cover the cost of salaries, with a small portion available for day-today operations. RAB relies on external sources of funding for its research activities and has been highly successful in establishing a diverse funding portfolio that includes both regional organizations and international organizations, such as CGIAR, FAO, and many others.
Capacity strengthening needed
Rwanda has one of the youngest pools of agricultural researchers in Africa. Furthermore, the number of researchers with PhD degrees remains small. The government has supported the development of a number of agricultural MSc and PhD programs at UR-CAVM, together with the hiring of international researchers to mentor young scientists at RAB. These strategies have been insufficient to date, so it is important that the government continues to invest in higher education and local postgraduate training programs in agricultural sciences.
Institutional consolidation
The agricultural sector in Rwanda has continued to grow over time. Demand for a more efficient agricultural R&D and extension system prompted the government to merge separate research and extension entities focusing on crops, livestock, and natural resource management to form RAB. Lack of associated improvements in the staff salary and benefits structure have led to staff dissatisfaction, so it is important that these anomalies be promptly addressed.