Farm to Plate: Rwandan Food Security and Preparation

Written By: Anna Newcome and Ashton Boehm

There are over 13.7 million mouths to feed in Rwanda with less than a seventh of Nebraska’s land size available for production. Throughout our time in Rwanda, we have been able to experience first-hand the culture of food, production, and preparation in Rwanda. We have experienced a variety of methods used to produce commodities and seen how communities are working together to create food security. The country of Rwanda produces potatoes, rice, red beans, sorghum, and many fruit varieties such as bananas, mangoes, pineapple, and passion fruit. With low importing power and the sheer cost of imported goods to Rwanda, these crops are the staple ingredients in local dishes.

A first visit of the trip was Lakeside Fish Farm where farmers Roger and Faith worked the land and raised animals. They also provide local students with some products produced to help increase the students’ daily nutrition intake. The smallholder farm focused on common foods local to Rwanda and meats such as poultry and fish. They also had a collection of dairy cows to make products such as yogurt. Dairy products tend to be expensive and less common in Rwanda.

Sina Gérard, a local Rwandan food processing enterprise, works to fund the farmers to increase crop productivity and the value of daily life. Many farmers have a specific crop they produce and all seeds are provided by the enterprise. We visited the strawberry fields and macadamia trees. We toured the livestock sector as well, where we were able to see poultry, swine and beef.

We toured different enterprises on the RICA campus including poultry/swine, dairy, food, and grain. We were given the opportunity to join the RICA students for cleaning and pre-season preparation of the barns and field plots. We also joined RICA students in a communications class and field trip. The field trip consisted of traveling to a rice cooperative to interview a group of rice farmers. The farmers consume some of the rice that they grow, but sell the majority of their harvest. Rice is an affordable staple in Rwanda.

While staying on RICA’s campus, we have tried a variety of foods that we are not exposed to in the U.S. including cassava and plantains. A popular dish on campus is amaranth or “pigweed”. It is eaten in Rwanda and is better known to the locals as “dodo”. Almost all of the food consumed on campus is grown and produced by the students and faculty. Anything that isn't produced on campus is bought locally. While talking to some of the students about the food served at RICA, they stated that, “The food is very good, there is enough variety and you can choose what you like due to the buffet style cafeteria”. The food at RICA has a high contrast to what some of the students would eat in more rural areas, where less variety is offered.

In general food in Rwanda tends to be more fresh due to local markets and fresh produce as compared to the U.S. There is very little processed food in Rwanda, with Sina Gerard being one of the only food processing enterprises. Rwanda has different farming practices as compared to the U.S. but is still incorporating sustainable practices. Diversity is the largest difference between Rwanda and Nebraska farms. Rwandan farms produce many commodities on small plots of land that are typically on sloped surfaces where terraces are needed. The commodities grown reflect household needs and climate capabilities unlike Nebraska. Rwandan food is unique, local, and so delicious, everyone should try it!