Fertility Preferences and Level of Family Planning in Rwanda : Case of Huye District

peer reviewedThe eradication of poverty and hunger is the first of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established by the United ations. One of the Rwanda’s commitments is the fulfillment of this goal as indicated in its own long term Vision 2020 aimed at enabling Rwandans to emerge from under-development and poverty status by achieving economic growth objectives in combination with social indicators objectives. As it has been researched that the major cause of poverty in developing countries is the high rate of their population growth, this paper is aimed at assessing the fertility preferences and the level of family planning in Rwanda as a tool to poverty eradication. The paper also presents some challenges and some other pathways to improve the socioeconomic welfare of Rwandan population. In this paper descriptive methods have been used to present and analyze data and a Pearson Chi square test has been used to study the association between variables. The results shows that the knowledge of contraception is universal (99%) but the use of contraception methods for family planning is still very low (37%). On the average fertility preferences are 3.2 children which are good if realized. The general conclusion that emerges from the study is that in order to reduce poverty, family planning is a must but lot more are to be done. Among other things, a focus on increasing rural income and agriculture output

A Comparative Study between Major Crop (Potato) and Minor Crop (Onion) in Volcanic Highlands of Rwanda

peer reviewedThis paper aims to assess the competition between the priority (major) crops and the non priority (minor) crops. Competition between crops is defined as the significant major differences between two crops in terms of production costs and their performance. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered to a random sample of 226 small scale crop producers including 94 onion producers and 132 potato producers. The T-test was conducted to state whether there is significant difference of mean land sizes, mean crop yields, mean selling prices, and mean net farm incomes between the two groups of crop producers. Results showed non significant difference between the mean land size allocated to onion production and that allocated to potato farming. Results also indicate that onion yield is significantly greater than potato yield, onion selling price is significantly greater than that of potato, and the net income from onion production is far away greater than the income from potato production. It is remarkable that, in some circumstances, the authorities may prioritize and thus propose to farmers the crops that are less competitive considering their price, yield or income, if the current climatic conditions and economic settings are maintained in the medium or long term. Referring to these findings, policy efforts should encourages to the farmers to shift from potato farming to onion production, or simply inclusion of crop diversification via adopting onion may be the best option to maximize the potentials of the selected crops

Analysis of Small-scale Farmers’ Exposure to Environmental Risks: Empirical Evidence from Rural Rwanda

Agriculture is a backbone of economy in Rwanda. Even if the sector faces environmental challenges, people still depend on it for subsistence and income. Essentially, there is an urgent need of coping and mitigation strategies to shocks. We used the fifth integrated household living conditions survey (EICV 5) cross sectional data collected from October 2016 to October 2017 by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). The study used a sample size of 3,081 rural farm households, descriptive statistics were computed to describe the main socioeconomic characteristics of the small-scale farmers in rural Rwanda and the independent samples T test was performed to compare means between exposed and non-exposed farmers to environmental risks. Results revealed that some farmers have been exposed to environmental risks and even more affected by impact born from shocks like destructive rains (60.2 per cent), mountain slides (22 per cent) and floods (4.8 per cent). Except for total household consumption expenditures, no significant difference was observed between exposed and non-exposed farmers in terms of crop production, land size, livestock and farm expenditures. Results from econometric analysis identified the age, livestock, farm output, land consolidation, land tenure and farm expenses as the main factors affecting the farmers’exposure to environmental risks. From these finding, farmers should be trained on environmental risks, their effects, as well as the farming practices to cope with them.L'agriculture est l'épine dorsale de l'économie du Rwanda. Même si le secteur est confronté à des défis environnementaux, les gens en dépendent toujours pour leur subsistance et leurs revenus. Il existe essentiellement un besoin urgent de stratégies d'adaptation et d'atténuation des chocs. Nous avons utilisé les données transversales de la cinquième enquête intégrée sur les conditions de vie des ménages (EICV 5) collectées d'octobre 2016 à octobre 2017 par l'Institut National des Statistiques du Rwanda (NISR). L'étude a utilisé un échantillon de 3.081 ménages agricoles ruraux. Des statistiques descriptives, le test d'échantillons indépendants et l’analyse économétrique sont les méthodes d’analyse. Les résultats ont révélé que certains agriculteurs ont été exposés à des risques environnementaux et encore plus touchés par l'impact de chocs tels que les pluies destructrices (60,2 %), les glissements des terres (22 %) et les inondations (4,8 %). À l'exception des dépenses totales de consommation des ménages, aucune différence significative n'a été observée entre les agriculteurs exposés et non exposés en termes de production agricole, de superficie des terres cultivées, de bétail et de dépenses agricoles. Les résultats de l'analyse économétrique ont identifié l'âge, le bétail, la production agricole, la consolidation des terres, le régime foncier et les dépenses agricoles comme les principaux facteurs déterminant l'exposition des agriculteurs aux risques environnementaux. A partir de ces constats, les agriculteurs devraient être formés sur les risques environnementaux, leurs effets, ainsi que les pratiques agricoles pour y faire face

Regional Trade and Competitiveness of Rwandan Agriculture: Empirical Analysis of Selected Priority Foodstuffs

This study aims at investigating the impact of regional integration on the agricultural trade development by focusing on wheat flour, maize grain, maize flour, potato, rice and soybean, fresh bean and dried beans sectors selected among priority foodstuffs in Rwanda. This is motivated by the lack of the studies comparing the competitive performance of all priority staple foods sub-sectors in Rwanda in the context of regional trade. The analysis used secondary data obtained through documentary reviews and those collected from the National Bank of Rwanda and FAOSTAT on imports and exports of Rwanda from 2007 to 2017. Apart from the literature review, the analysis was conducted using the Net Export Index (NEI) and the Grubel-Lloyd (GL) measure. The literature review and empirical results reveal that Rwanda benefited from its accession to regional and global trade blocks, especially in terms of the ease of access to external markets through the establishment of the Common Market, the Customs Union and the alleviation of some of trade barriers for basic foodstuffs and consumer goods. The analysis of the Net Export Index and the Grubel-Lloyd measures revealed that Rwanda can have a comparative advantage for wheat flour, fresh beans and dried beans at regional and global markets if measures aiming at developing a dynamic commercial network and improving agricultural value chains productivity are put forward

Analysis of the determinants of households’ expenditures in Rwanda

peer reviewedEconomists use two different approaches, unitary and collective, to analyze household decisions. The unitary approach ignores the differences between single-person and multi-person households, whereas the collective approach states that each person in the household must be characterized by specific preferences. The household’s decisions concern mainly the allocation of their income to current consumption or for savings and future consumer expenditures. This study uses the Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) data collected from a random sample in 2015 in Rwanda. The ordinary least squares (OLS) method was applied to a linear regression model to estimate the household demand functions (total household consumption expenditures, household food consumption expenditures and household nonfood consumption expenditures). The results show that the socioeconomic characteristics of the household, the possession of productive assets and wealth conditions as well as the household locational controls are among the primary drivers of its consumption expenditures. The findings highlight the policy efforts that improve household human capital (education, health), access to and capitalization of productive assets and financial capital, continuous urbanization of rural areas, and sustained provision of quality infrastructure, to achieve high standards of household welfare

Analysis of the behaviour of prices of food products on local markets in Rwanda : a methodological approach using equilibrium model

peer reviewedThe present article is concerned by the main theoretical stages of the Error Correction Model (ECM) and its application. The first part starts with the analysis of the stationarity of the series followed by the cointegration test of Johansen and then the estimation of the ECM. The second part gives details of the application of this methodological approach on real data. This study has established that the current price of beans on the market is dependent on the price of white maize flour observed for two days in the first and the second quarter

Constraints and strategies for improving the maize sector in Rwanda

Depuis plus d’une décennie, le Rwanda a adopté une série de politiques et stratégies visant le développement économique et l’amélioration des conditions de vie de sa population majoritairement agricole. Dans le secteur agricole, la mise en pratique de ces stratégies et des programmes y relatifs s’est accompagnée d’une série de progrès en matière d’adoption de paquets technologiques et de l’augmentation de la production. Cependant, on remarque que l’économie du pays est toujours caractérisée par une agriculture de subsistance, et pour la filière maïs en particulier, le pays affiche une dépendance continuelle vis-à-vis des importations pour satisfaire la demande nationale, et les usines de transformation du maïs opèrent toujours en dessous de leur capacité installée. Cette recherche se propose de comprendre le niveau de compétitivité de cette filière dans les conditions actuelles de production et de commercialisation en vue d’inventorier les contraintes existantes et de formuler les stratégies pouvant améliorer le niveau de performance économique de la production et le système de commercialisation du maïs. Les données collectées pour étudier la performance économique de la production du maïs proviennent d’un suivi rapproché des activités de production du maïs sur un échantillon de 50 producteurs issus de cinq coopératives de producteurs de maïs choisies dans les districts de Huye, Rusizi, Gasabo, Burera et Bugesera pendant deux saisons culturales. Elles ont été complétées par l’observation directe, les entretiens avec les personnes ressources ciblées et les discussions de groupes focalisés. L’analyse a été faite à l’aide de l’analyse de groupe et des méthodes statistiques appropriées. L’étude de la chaîne de commercialisation a utilisé le modèle ‘Structure-Comportement-Performance’ avec des données collectées sur un échantillon de 150 producteurs et 17 collecteurs choisis dans les districts de Burera, Bugesera et Huye, et 15 transporteurs, 5 grossistes et 15 détaillants choisis au marché national de Kigali. Les résultats ont révélé que pour la plupart des producteurs, le rendement reste très faible comparativement aux rendements théoriques attendus, les prix de revient restent plus élevés et supérieurs aux prix de vente, la marge brute et le revenu du travail familial sont négatifs et la valeur ajoutée brute créée par les producteurs n'est pas élevée quand bien même elle est positive. L'analyse a montré que l’augmentation du prix de vente influence positivement la marge brute, la valeur ajoutée et le revenu du travail familial, et que l’usage rationnel des semences améliorées, des engrais chimiques et amendements contribuent à augmenter le rendement. Ce qui montre clairement que l’amélioration du prix de vente et de l’usage rationnel des intrants peut contribuer significativement à faire de la production du maïs une activité plus rentable et rémunératrice des facteurs de production. Cette étude a également mis au clair les défis qui entravent le processus de production du maïs. Ils englobent: la non-disponibilité et le faible accès aux intrants, l’insuffisance de l’encadrement technique, les ressources financières limitées et le faible accès au crédit agricole formel, le coût élevé de location des marais, le mode de fixation du prix plancher et manque de mécanismes assurant son usage par les acheteurs potentiels, le manque d’infrastructures de stockage, et la non-durabilité des subventions aux intrants octroyées par le gouvernement. Au niveau de la commercialisation, les résultats ont révélé que plusieurs acteurs participent dans la commercialisation du maïs. L’étude a également révélé que le maïs importé de l’Ouganda est vendu sur le marché domestique à des prix moins élevés que le maïs produit localement, ce qui atteste en même temps de la hausse du coût de production du maïs au Rwanda par rapport à l’Ouganda et du faible niveau de compétitivité du maïs local par rapport au maïs de l’Ouganda. L’état amélioré des routes de desserte et le niveau élevé d'accès à l'information sur les prix par les acteurs ont été soulignés parmi les innovations technologiques qui ont contribué à améliorer le système de commercialisation des denrées agricoles en général et du maïs en particulier, ce qui a également été témoigné par le niveau d’intégration observé entre les marchés de collecte de maïs et le marché national de Kigali. Toutefois, on note que le manque de capital suffisant et le faible accès au crédit formel ont été signalés comme contraintes majeures par la plupart des acteurs de la chaîne. A la lumière de tous ces résultats, il est clair que les conditions de production et de commercialisation du maïs ne sont pas bonnes à tous les niveaux. Ceci porte atteinte à la capacité de la filière à répondre convenablement à la demande domestique, à générer des revenus pour les acteurs et à s’intégrer sur les marchés tant domestiques que régionaux. Par conséquent, les stratégies visant à augmenter la production et améliorer les conditions de conduite de la filière ont été recommandées. Elles incluent la mise en place d’actions visant à améliorer l’accès au financement par les acteurs de la filière, à rendre disponibles et accessibles les intrants, à réorganiser le système de commercialisation surtout en matière de fixation et d’usage du prix plancher, à rendre disponibles les infrastructures de stockage dans les zones où elles sont en déficit, à améliorer le suivi, la formation et la sensibilisation des producteurs de maïs sur les techniques culturales et l’adoption des innovations, et à harmoniser au niveau national les coûts de location de la terre des marais.For more than a decade, Rwanda has adopted a series of policies and strategies aimed at economic development and the improvement of the living conditions of its predominantly agricultural population. In agriculture, implementation of these strategies and related programs has been accompanied by a series of advances in the adoption of farming technologies and increasing agricultural production. However, the country's economy is still characterized by subsistence agriculture, and for the maize sector in particular, the country is continuously depending on imports to meet domestic demand, and maize processing plants always operate below their productive capacity. This research aims to examine the level of competitiveness of this sector in the current production and marketing conditions in order to identify existing constraints and formulate the strategies that can improve the level of economic performance of maize production and maize marketing system. The data used to study the economic performance of maize production come from close monitoring of maize production activities on a sample of 50 producers from five maize producers’ cooperatives selected in the districts of Huye, Rusizi, Gasabo, Burera and Bugesera during two growing seasons. They were supplemented by direct observation, interviews with targeted resource persons, and focus group discussions. The analysis was done using group analysis and appropriate statistical methods. The study of the maize marketing system used the 'Structure-Conduct-Performance' model with data collected from a sample of 150 producers and 17 assemblers selected in the districts of Burera, Bugesera and Huye, and 15 transporters, 5 wholesalers and 15 retailers selected at the national market of Kigali. The results revealed that for many producers, the yield is very low compared to theoretical expected yields, production costs are higher and exceed sales prices, gross margin and family labor income are negative, and the gross added value created by maize producers is not high even though it is positive. The analysis showed that the increase in the selling price positively influences the gross margin, added value and family labor income, and that the rational use of improved seeds, chemical fertilizers and soil conditioners improves the yield. This clearly shows that improving the selling price and rational use of inputs can significantly contribute to making maize production a more profitable and income-generating activity. The study also identified challenges that hamper the production process. These include non-availability of, and low access to inputs, inadequate technical support, limited financial resources and low access to formal agricultural credit, high marshlands rental fee, method of fixing the maize floor price and lack of mechanisms ensuring its use by potential buyers, the lack of storage infrastructure, and the unsustainability of inputs subsidies granted by the government. At the marketing level, the results revealed that several actors are involved in the marketing of maize. The study also revealed that maize imported from Uganda is sold on domestic market at lower prices than locally produced maize, which attests the increase in the cost of maize production in Rwanda compared to Uganda and the low level of competitiveness of the local maize compared to Ugandan maize. The improved status of feeder roads and the high level of access to price information by actors were highlighted among the technological innovations that helped improve the marketing system of foodstuffs in general and maize in particular, which was also evidenced by the level of integration observed between districts maize markets and the national market of Kigali. However, the lack of enough capital and low access to formal credit were noted as major constraints by most of the chain actors. In the light of all these results, it is clear that the production and marketing of maize are not done in good conditions at all levels. This in turn undermines the sector's ability to respond adequately to domestic demand, generate income for actors and integrate itself into both domestic and regional markets. Therefore, strategies aiming at scaling-up the maize production and marketing, and improving working conditions of the sector operators were recommended. These strategies include the implementation of actions to improve access to finance by farmers and other actors; making inputs avail and accessible; reorganizing the marketing system especially in terms of fixing and using the floor price; making available storage facilities where necessary; improving the monitoring, training and sensitization of maize producers on farming techniques and the use of improved technologies; and harmonizing the marshland rental fee at national level.Contraintes et stratégies d’amélioration de la filière maïs au Rwand

Price transmission mechanism analysis: An application to selected foodstuffs on the main markets of the Southern Rwanda

peer reviewedThis study analysed the transmission of the prices of the major foodstuffs on local markets of the Southern Rwanda. It used time series data collected on Huye, Nyanza and Muhanga markets from January 1997 to June 2014. The cointegration analysis has been applied to analyse the data and the Error Correction Mechanism was used to integrate, around the long-run, the short-run fluctuations. The obtained results have confirmed the relationship between the variation of the price of bean, the seasonal calendar and the prices of maize flour and potato on the markets covered by this study. It is revealed that during the first quarter, the price of beans decreased on the three markets while the third quarter influenced the increase of the price of beans only on the market of Muhanga. A positive influence of white maize flour price on that of beans was noticed on Huye and Muhanga markets in the same period. The previous and the current monthly price of potato is likely to influence the increase of the current monthly price of beans respectively on Huye and Nyanza markets. In light of the findings, the following main recommendations emerge. Policy makers and local authorities should consider the price transmission mechanism and the relationship between foodstuffs' prices in the control of prices of major staple food; a study analysing the mutual influence between these main markets by assessing their level of integration for these important staple foods is suggested

Determinants of Access to Agricultural Credits for Small Scale Farmers in the Southern Province of Rwanda

peer reviewedThis study investigated the determinants of financial inclusion for small scale farmers by focusing on the access to formal and informal agricultural credits in the Southern Province of Rwanda. Data were collected from 310 farmers from Huye and Nyamagabe districts through an open-ended structured questionnaire and analysed using the binary logistic regression method. The major findings, on one hand, showed that among the requested and approved agricultural loans, 87.2% and 12.7% were from informal and formal financial institutions respectively. Among those who accessed agricultural credits, 59.7% were from Huye and 40.3% from Nyamagabe. On the other hand, it was revealed that the household characteristics and the community attributes are the most important determinants. Those household characteristics include household income and expenditure, Ubudehe socio-economic category of the household, off-farm employment and the size of the land owned by the household whereas community attributes involve residence area, transport and informal financial services availability. Regarding farmer characteristics, the education level was found to be the only factor affecting the smallholder farmers' access to agricultural credit. In light of the findings, it was recommended to conduct sensitization sessions focusing on the importance of agricultural credits for smallholder farmers especially in the areas with high level of poverty. In addition, there is need to work on alleviating the formal agricultural credits access barriers, and to conduct a study on the dynamics of informal and formal agricultural credits up take and usage by smallholder farmers to explore all dimensions of financial inclusion in the study area

Unemployment and underemployment in Rwandan rural areas

peer reviewe