Originally published on the CGS blog on April 14, 2016.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pursue broad benchmarks in food security such as ensuring local food production systems, installing resilient agricultural practices, and maintaining ecosystems. By way of international donors, the UN advocates for these practices to be guaranteed in all countries.
Ideally, the involvement of the international community should expand the capacity of the developing country so that they can sustain themselves once the aid flow stops. Endorsing methods of local autonomy, such as sustainable agriculture, can decrease the likelihood of fragile states like Rwanda becoming dependent on food aid.
Rwanda, a small landlocked country within Sub-Saharan Africa, remains a fragile country since the end of the 1994 genocide. Last week, the Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) 2015 was released, stating that 80% of Rwandan households are now able to meet their essential food needs. The report highlights progress in the development policies implemented over the past several years. However, this means 20% of households are still food insecure, mostly in rural areas. Furthermore, 44% of children under the age of two are malnourished. CFSVA recommends “enhanced efforts and initiatives to reach the most vulnerable people living in rural areas.”
The economic growth in Rwanda over the past two decades has much to do with the development of sustainable agriculture programs, which help provide macroeconomic stability to the people of Rwanda. Since 2006, the share of their national budget allocated to agriculture has increased from 3% to 10.7%, showing the country’s commitment to sustainable agriculture. Organizations such as USAID are also interested in expanding Rwandan productivity of high value crops such as maize, beans, and dairy. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) invested a $25 million loan for maize production in Rwanda. Through IFC funding, farmers will be supplied with the necessary seeds and fertilizer to maintain their fields.
Feed the Future is another organization helping to promote investment in rural areas of Rwanda. Many of these areas are suffering from degraded lands unable to yield enough crops to sustain the community. Feed the Future funds projects that promote the development of small-scale irrigation networks, which can bring sustainable solid and water management to the region. By investing in Rwandan agricultural capacity, the organization helps rural regions increase their productivity and create jobs within the community.
Over time, the Rwandan government will be faced with the challenges of phasing out any dependency on international donors. Even when international aid is used for projects that promote local autonomy, there is still the risk of unpredictability. Between aid and loans from the international community, 33% of Rwanda’s annual expenditure is funded externally. Removing international aid will hit the Rwandan economy hard, as was seen in 2012 when donor payments were frozen due to allegations that the federal government was supporting rebels in the neighboring Congo. During this time the economy slumped to 4.7% growth. There is always the risk of the international community removing its aid, and in that case the Rwandan people need to be able of sustain themselves through agricultural programs.
Without building capacity for sustainable agriculture, the economy of the fragile state is bound to plummet when the aid leaves. In order to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the international community should continue to assist food insecure states in producing agriculture. However, the practices must be through enhancing techniques that can be continued after the aid itself is removed.
