Agroforestry and benefits for GHG emissions reduction, resilience, and job creation: Insights from Rwanda

Agroforestry and benefits for GHG emissions reduction, resilience, and job creation: Insights from Rwanda

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  Agroforestry and benefitsfor GHG emissions reduction, resilience, and job creation: Insights from Rwanda Dietmar Stoian, CIFOR-ICRAF ILO-IFPRI Crash Course on Addressing Climate Change and Increasing the Resilience of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Agrifood Systems ILO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland and virtual 16 January 2025
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  Background Need for economicincentives ➔ Value chain development Transforming Eastern Province through Adaptation (TREPA) project • Focus: Eastern Province of Rwanda • Funded by Green Climate Fund (GCF) • Restoration of 60,000 ha of drought degraded landscapes ➔ climate resilient ecosystems through reforestation, agroforestry, restoration of pasturelands, and soil erosion control • Increasing resilience of 75,000 smallholder farmers
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  • Value chainprioritization through market and landscape appraisals ➢ Tree crops (e.g., fuelwood, timber, mango, avocado) ➢ Bee products (e.g., honey, beeswax, soaps, body lotions) ➢ Fodder (derived from agroforestry trees) • Enterprise prioritization ➢ Identification of 248 cooperatives/SMEs operating across targeted value chains ➢ Prioritization of 101 advanced cooperatives/SMEs for business development • Intervention prioritization ➢ Capacity development needs assessments among prioritized cooperatives/SMEs ➢ Customized capacity development plan ➢ Linkages with (non-)governmental service providers for joint capacity development Prioritizing agroforestry product value chains, enterprises, and interventions for climate-resilient agribusiness
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  Value chain interventions:Tree crops • Differentiation: energy wood, timber, fruits & nuts • Diversification: products and services, markets, and clients • Business viability: business strategies & plans • Capacity development: business skills • Market and climate information: digital tools • Market linkages: brokering off-taker agreements
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  • Diversification: Beeproducts other than honey (beeswax, soaps, body lotions) • Physical infrastructure: Modern beehives, honey and wax storage stations, processing equipment • Business viability: Developing strategies and business plans • Brand development: 'Akagera' brand Value chain interventions: Bee products
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  Value chain interventions:Fodder • Diversification: tree-based fodder (in addition to grass and concentrate feed) • Physical infrastructure: establishing feed storage areas • Business viability: developing strategies and business plans
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  Cross-cutting interventions • RuralResource Centers: Integrated offer of inputs and services • Women and youth empowerment: Focus on involvement of marginalized groups in business development • Digitalized services: Climate and market information accessible through apps and digital platforms • Business roundtables and trade fairs: brokering business relationships and promoting local climate-resilient products
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  Integrating crop, biological,social, and economic diversity: Climate resilience through agroforestry value chain portfolio development Global value chains (e.g., honey, mango, avocado) Regional value chains (e.g., timber, pellets, fruits, livestock) Local value chains (e.g., fuelwood, charcoal, staples, livestock) Image credit: Landscapes for People, Food and Nature
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  Conclusions • What: Economicincentives needed for smallholder farmers to plant trees on their farms ➔ combined income generation and household consumption of tree products • How: Developing value chains of agroforestry products can provide such incentives ➔ value adding and upgrading of processes, products, and services • Important: developing portfolios of value chains in support of diversified land use and livelihood strategies • Prerequisite: smallholder organization into cooperatives for successful engagement in value chains • Bottomline: Integrated approaches spanning biophysical, environmental, socio-economic and political-legal aspects
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  Thank you Special issue "Valuechain development in agriculture: improved support for smallholders and SMEs" Volume 28 – Number 1-2 March 2017 Edited by Donovan, J. Stoian, D & Ferris, S. [email protected] Dietmar Stoian