Empowering Rwanda’s Future: Gender and Youth-Responsive Agronomy for Inclusive Agricultural Growth

The gender and youth diagnostic study conducted for the Smart Nkunganire System (SNS) in Rwanda explored the challenges and opportunities that affect agricultural development outcomes, with a focus on women and youth. The study aimed to inform how the SNS-RAB Use Case, which includes a fertilizer recommendation tool for six priority crops (cassava, maize, wheat, potato, rice, and beans), can better reach, benefit, and empower these groups. By addressing underlying social norms and power relations, the SNS aims to foster greater equality in Rwanda's agricultural sector.

Key Findings:

Gender and Education:

• More women (28%) had no schooling compared to men (21%).
• Women were less likely to be literate than men (80% vs. 87%).

Agricultural Involvement and Access to Advice:

• Both men and women were heavily involved in agriculture (over 90%).
• Access to agricultural advice was high, with 91% of women and 95% of men receiving advice, though women and youth received more advice from informal sources.
• Phone ownership was significantly lower among women (60% vs. 74%), and smartphone ownership was very low for both genders (8% for women and 17% for men).
• Digital app usage for accessing agricultural advice was minimal (<2%).

Participation in Groups:

• Both genders participated in community organizations at high rates, which could serve as key platforms for delivering agricultural advice and training.

Willingness to Take Risks and Asset Ownership:

• Women and men owned agricultural assets at similar rates, except for land, which was more commonly owned by men (89% vs. 75%). Female youth were particularly disadvantaged, with only 45% owning land.

Decision-Making Power:

• Men reported making more decisions on farming matters and financial services compared to women. For instance, 92% of men made borrowing decisions versus 79% of women.

Recommendations:

Reaching Women and Youths: To overcome literacy barriers, the SNS should diversify communication channels. In addition to text-based resources, non-text formats like radio, videos, and infographics should be prioritized, as radio remains a major source of agricultural advice in rural areas. Moreover, digital platforms need to be promoted, given the low smartphone penetration.

Improving Extension Services: Given that men predominantly serve as government extension officers, the Use Case should ensure gender-sensitive training for male officers and promote the recruitment of female extension agents. Collaboration between male and female officers can help increase outreach to women and youth.

Leveraging Group Participation: High participation in community groups suggests a valuable avenue for disseminating agricultural information. The Use Case should work with these networks to reach farmers more effectively and provide training that includes all household members, fostering a more inclusive approach.

Empowering Female Youths: Since female youths have limited access to land ownership, the Use Case should investigate how this impacts productivity. Strategies to engage women and youth in other parts of the value chain, such as marketing and processing, could provide alternative means of empowerment.

Key learnings from report in Rwanda

This gender and youth diagnostic study offers insights to guide the SNS-RAB Use Case in addressing the subtle yet significant gender and generational differences in Rwanda’s agricultural sector. By implementing the recommendations, the Use Case can enhance its agronomic solutions and contribute to reducing inequalities in agricultural productivity and participation.

The gender and youth diagnostic study conducted in Rwanda as part of the Smart Nkunganire System (SNS) provided important insights into the social dynamics affecting agricultural outcomes. The study aimed to understand gender and generational differences in agricultural participation and identify how the SNS-RAB Use Case, a fertilizer recommendation tool, can better reach and empower women and youth. Below are the key learnings from the report:

1. Gender and Educational Disparities

• A larger proportion of women (28%) compared to men (21%) had no formal schooling, and women had lower literacy rates (80% vs. 87%). This educational gap can limit women’s access to agronomic information and resources.

Recommendation: The SNS-RAB Use Case should use diverse communication methods (e.g., videos, radio programs) to ensure agronomic solutions reach women who may lack literacy skills.

2. Involvement in Agriculture and Access to Advice

• Both men and women are actively involved in agriculture, with over 90% participation. However, men received more advice from formal sources, while women and youth were more reliant on informal networks such as relatives and neighbors.

Recommendation: The SNS should train more female extension agents and encourage gender-responsive service delivery. This approach can help bridge the gap and ensure more women receive formal agricultural advice.

3. Low Access to Digital Tools

• While mobile phone ownership was high, fewer women (60%) owned a mobile phone compared to men (74%), and smartphone ownership was even lower (8% for women, 17% for men). Access to agricultural advice through digital apps was minimal for both genders (<2%).

Recommendation: The Use Case should consider increasing access to digital tools and exploring alternative, low-tech methods such as radio, which remains a key source of agricultural information for rural populations.

4. Participation in Groups and Networks

• Most respondents were members of some form of community group or association, regardless of gender or age. This widespread participation offers a platform for delivering agricultural training and advice.

Recommendation: The SNS-RAB Use Case should engage these groups to provide training and extend its reach to more women and youth. Agricultural advisories could be delivered through these networks to ensure inclusive participation.

5. Ownership of Agricultural Assets

• While women and men owned agricultural assets at similar rates, men were more likely to own agricultural land (89% vs. 75%). Female youth had particularly low land ownership (45%).

Recommendation: The Use Case should explore strategies to increase land access for female youth, or alternatively engage them in other value chain activities such as marketing and processing to ensure they benefit from agricultural advancements.

6. Decision-Making Power in Farming and Finance

• Men were more likely to make farming decisions, with over 80% of men versus 60% of women reporting they made major farming contributions. A similar gap existed in financial decision-making, with 92% of men making borrowing decisions compared to 79% of women.

Recommendation: Empowering women to take greater roles in decision-making is crucial. Training and awareness programs aimed at shifting household dynamics could help promote more equitable decision-making.

7. Attitudes Toward Gender Equality

• While gender attitudes regarding women’s roles in agriculture were relatively equal, less support was seen for gender equality in areas such as women's productivity and earnings from agricultural work.

Recommendation: The SNS-RAB Use Case should address these underlying social norms through community-based interventions aimed at transforming attitudes around gender roles in agriculture.

Conclusion:

This diagnostic study highlights the subtle but significant gender and generational disparities in Rwanda’s agricultural sector. Addressing these differences through targeted interventions will help ensure that women and youth benefit from the SNS-RAB Use Case and contribute to achieving greater agricultural productivity and social equity in Rwanda.

Key Trends Shaping the Future of Agronomy for Rural Women and Youth: Designing Gender- and Youth-Responsive Agronomic Solutions

The future of agronomy for rural women and youth in Rwanda is being shaped by innovative solutions aimed at addressing both technical and social challenges. The Smart Nkunganire System (SNS) Use Case, developed by the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Board (RAB), is a key initiative in this space. By integrating gender- and youth-responsive strategies with cutting-edge digital tools, the SNS aims to enhance the agricultural productivity of underrepresented groups, particularly women and youth. The insights from the recent gender and youth diagnostic study offer a roadmap for how these groups can be better engaged and empowered in Rwanda’s agricultural future.

1. Designing Gender- and Youth-Responsive Agronomic Solutions

Agricultural development efforts in Rwanda must consider the distinct needs of rural women and youth. The SNS Use Case is centered around a fertilizer recommendation tool tailored for six priority crops—cassava, maize, wheat, potato, rice, and beans. The tool is designed to provide site-specific recommendations, but to maximize its impact, it must also address gender and generational disparities in access to agronomic advice, education, and decision-making power. The gender and youth diagnostic study revealed that women are often at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing formal agricultural extension services. Most women rely on informal sources of advice (such as neighbors and relatives), whereas men are more likely to receive advice from formal sources like government extension agents. To bridge this gap, the SNS must ensure that extension services are gender-responsive. Training female extension officers and fostering collaboration between male and female agents could enhance the reach and quality of agronomic services delivered to women and youth.

2. Accelerating the Use of Digital Tools for Agronomic Advice

While mobile phone ownership is widespread, the study found that women and youth are less likely than men to own smartphones or use digital applications for agricultural advice. This presents a significant challenge in the context of Rwanda’s growing digital agriculture initiatives. The low adoption of digital tools underscores the importance of integrating more accessible, low-tech solutions such as radio programs, which remain a key source of agricultural information for rural communities.

To accelerate the use of digital tools, public-private partnerships are crucial. Collaborating with technology providers, agricultural stakeholders, and local governments can drive innovation in the development of user-friendly apps that cater to the needs of women and youth. At the same time, digital literacy programs could be introduced to build the capacity of these groups to leverage mobile technology in their farming activities.

3. A Public-Private Partnership Extension Model

The success of gender- and youth-responsive agronomy in Rwanda hinges on the creation of a robust extension model that draws from both public and private sector expertise. The SNS Use Case exemplifies how such a model can work. By engaging public sector extension services alongside private sector technology providers, Rwanda can ensure that rural women and youth receive consistent, high-quality agronomic advice. This partnership can also drive innovation in the tools and services offered, ensuring they are adaptable to the needs of different demographic groups.

For example, public-sector extension agents, who have an established presence in rural areas, can be instrumental in introducing digital tools. Meanwhile, private-sector companies can provide the technological infrastructure and training needed to make these tools accessible and effective. Together, they can create a more inclusive agronomic system that supports not just farmers but the broader agricultural ecosystem.

Key Takeaways from the Gender and Youth Diagnostic Study

The diagnostic study conducted under the SNS Use Case highlighted several key areas where agronomy solutions can be made more responsive to the needs of women and youth:

• Educational Gaps: More women than men lack formal schooling, with literacy rates lower among women. This limits women’s ability to access written agronomic advice.
• Access to Formal Advice: Women and youth rely heavily on informal sources of agricultural advice. Formal extension services, where male non-youths dominate, are less accessible to these groups.
• Ownership of Agricultural Assets: While women and men share ownership of most agricultural assets, men are more likely to own land. Female youth, in particular, have low land ownership rates.
• Decision-Making Power: Men generally dominate decision-making in both farming and financial matters. Women are less likely to make independent decisions about borrowing money or managing agricultural production.
• Digital Divide: Access to digital agricultural advice is minimal for both men and women, but particularly so for women and youth. The gap in smartphone ownership also limits the ability to use digital agronomic tools.

Recommendations for Gender- and Youth-Responsive Agronomic Solutions

To build a more inclusive agricultural sector, the following recommendations emerge from the SNS Use Case study:

• Diversified Communication Channels: In addition to digital platforms, agronomic advice should be provided through radio, videos, and other formats that do not require literacy or smartphone access. This will ensure that women and youth, especially those with lower education levels, can benefit from the information.
• Female Extension Agents: Training more female extension officers and sensitizing male officers on gender-responsive service provision can increase women's access to formal agronomic advice.
• Group-Based Interventions: Given the high participation of women and youth in local groups, agricultural training and marketing support should be delivered through these networks to ensure widespread access.
• Improving Land Ownership for Women and Youth: Strategies should be explored to provide greater land access for female youth, or alternatively, to engage them in other value chain activities like marketing or processing.

Conclusion

The future of agronomy for rural women and youth in Rwanda is intertwined with the ability to design and deliver solutions that address their specific needs. The Smart Nkunganire System Use Case is a significant step in the right direction, leveraging public-private partnerships, digital tools, and a gender- and youth-responsive approach to create a more equitable and productive agricultural landscape. By focusing on inclusive extension services and expanding the use of digital technology, Rwanda can unlock the full potential of its women and youth in agriculture, ensuring long-term food security and economic growth.