Agroforestry in Rwanda
- Victoria Acland
- Feb 26, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: May 23, 2024

Why is the combination of agriculture and reforestation a good solution?
Today, to answer that question, we're focusing on one of the projects supported by the Furthr app users: Agroforestry in Rwanda.
Forest loss in Rwanda
The Republic of Rwanda is a small country just south of the equator, in Central Africa’s Great Rift Valley. The country has a range of diverse ecosystems, including wetlands, tropical forests, and wooded savannas. Of course, all these different ecosystems also mean a wealth of biodiversity!
Unfortunately, farming and overexploitation of natural resources pose a threat to these ecosystems, including Rwanda’s forests - from 2001 to 2022, Rwanda lost 43,100 hectares of tree cover. This is equivalent to a 8.7% decrease in tree cover since 2000.

This loss has impacted the country's soil and therefore its climate resiliency, mainly because of:
Increased exposure to erosion
Reduced water retention capacity
Increased leaching (the loss of water-soluble plant nutrients)
Changed soil alkalinity
Land degradation and soil erosion in Rwanda
The country is also particularity prone to soil erosion because of its geography.
Rwanda is a landlocked country sometimes called “the land of a thousand hills”. Steep slopes, deforestation, heavy rains, combined with poor land management, leave the mountainous landscape at high risk of land degradation.
There is therefore a clear need to conserve and restore forests, but competition for space is fierce, putting farmers and restoration efforts at odds with each other...

Agriculture in Rwanda
70% of Rwanda’s population is engaged in the agriculture sector and it is the main economic activity in the country.
Unfortunately, agriculture and forest conservation or reforestation can seem to have opposing interests when land resources are limited.
Poor farming practices and land clearing for crops, lead to forest cover loss.
Farmers rarely have incentives in the short term to prioritise trees instead of cash crops, though erosion and land degradation is impacting them directly. A real vicious circle that can be sorted through none other, than Agroforestry!
In the short-term, farming and conservation might appear to be at odds, but in a longer term view, healthy ecosystems like forests can help safeguard farming from the impacts of climate change.

Agroforestry in Rwanda
Because of its strong need for agriculture at an economic level, and dense population - Rwanda is the most densely populated country in mainland Africa - the country needs a specialised approach to reforestation and conservation that can bring farming and tree planting together.
The way our planting partners do this is by distributing the trees that will be planted to farmers to diversify their income, focusing on timber and fruit trees. More than 10 different tree species are planted, including well-known favourites like Avocado, as well as Alder, Spanish Cedar, and other shade trees.

This is the perfect example of how important it is to consider - and work with - the needs of local communities. Instead of fighting for space, the project is able to meet everyone’s needs. A steady source of income for farmers, and more trees planted and protected.
Additional climate benefit: habitat
Of course, it’s not just people who benefit from more trees. Having more trees on farmland helps provide habitat for local wildlife, including Blue Monkeys, Bocage's Frogs, and Yellow-Bills.

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