INDUSTRY TRENDS

Rural women make use of solar-powered irrigation under UN agencies’ support

Rural women in the Jarama sector, Ngoma District, have built wealth worth over Rwf200 million by earning, saving, and investing money thanks to solar-powered irrigation intervention financed by three UN Rome Based Agencies.

The agencies include the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The women were supported under the Rural Women Economic Empowerment (RWEE) project, also funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Swedish government.

The project is implemented in partnership with the Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RWARRI), the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), and Ngoma District.

The UN agencies’ representatives observed the women’s achievements in climate-smart agriculture and assets on September 13, 2023, to celebrate UN Day for South-South Cooperation.

South-South cooperation is a manifestation of solidarity, exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge between developing countries, also known as countries of the Global South, to foster self-reliance of developing countries by enhancing their creative capacity to find solutions, strategies, and technological capabilities to address their development problems.

Talking about UN Rome Based Agencies, Ye Anping, the Director of the Office of South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) Division at FAO, said FAO is committed to providing more assistance to developing countries through South-South and Triangular Cooperation, adding that supporting rural women is part of preparing a bright future for Rwanda’s population.