Rwanda Aims to Improve Child Nutrition Through School Farms
A new initiative promoting the cultivation of iron-rich beans and vegetables on school farms in Rwanda aims to improve the diets of more than 445,000 students while reducing school feeding costs. The programme, known as Scaling Sustainable School Feeding Innovations (3SFI), is being implemented in the districts of Karongi, Nyamasheke, and Rusizi as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen school feeding systems and combat child malnutrition.
Officials say the programme is currently being piloted in three districts of the Western Province and could be expanded nationwide if positive results continue. Under the model, schools are encouraged to source food from local farmers and cooperatives while also producing crops in their own gardens. The approach is expected to increase students’ access to nutritious food while creating a stable market for local farmers.
The initiative builds on an earlier pilot project in Kigali, where 73 percent of participating schools established their own bean gardens, reducing dependence on external food suppliers. The programme comes as Rwanda continues to face nutrition challenges, with 20.6 percent of the population experiencing food insecurity. Nearly one-third of children under the age of five suffer from stunting, while 39.8 percent face anaemia.
Currently operating in 509 schools, the project has distributed 18.5 tonnes of iron-rich bean seeds, 266 kilograms of foliar fertiliser, and 427 tonnes of agricultural lime. In addition, 1,901 demonstration plots have been established as practical learning sites for students, teachers, and farmers.
Officials believe that if expanded across the country, the programme could significantly improve nutrition outcomes for hundreds of thousands of children while making school feeding systems more sustainable.