Mainstreaming Climate Smart Planning and Implementation into Agricultural Development

The proposed programme aims to transition Rwanda's agriculture sector toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient model by mainstreaming adaptation and mitigation into national policies and the Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PSTA-4). With a requested grant of 30 million USD, the initiative focuses on implementing climate-smart pilots, building institutional capacity, and creating an enabling environment to overcome economic and policy barriers. The programme targets the agriculture sector, which is responsible for 78% of Rwanda's total greenhouse gas emissions and is highly vulnerable to climate variability, including floods and droughts.

• Agriculture is the primary driver of greenhouse gas emissions in Rwanda, accounting for 78% of total emissions, with the main sources being rice cultivation and livestock.
• The programme seeks a 30 million USD grant from the Green Climate Fund to implement climate-smart agriculture (CSA) over a five-year period from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2022.
• The initiative employs a 'mainstreaming' approach, integrating climate actions into existing sector development plans rather than as stand-alone projects, specifically aligning with the Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PSTA-4).
• Proposed climate-smart interventions include soil and water conservation, agroforestry, rain-water harvesting, improved risk management (including insurance), and the development of more resilient crop varieties.
• Rwanda's agricultural sector is highly vulnerable to climate variability, with 90% of cropland located on slopes between 5% and 50%, making it susceptible to soil erosion and permanent fertility loss.
• The programme will use an 'iterative climate risk management approach' to address the uncertainty of future climate change through low-regret options and adaptive learning cycles.
• The project is submitted under the Enhanced Direct Access (EDA) pilot, meaning funding decisions and management occur at the national level, with MINIRENA as the implementing entity and MINAGRI as the executing entity.
• The programme explicitly targets gender inequalities, noting that women are more vulnerable to climate impacts due to fewer financial resources and a higher dependence on primary natural resources.
• Rwanda faces a significant fiscal gap for climate action, with the total additional capital costs to shift toward climate-resilient and low-carbon development estimated at 2.7 billion USD by 2030.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2016). Mainstreaming Climate Smart Planning and Implementation into Agricultural Development. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/15120-mainstreaming-climate-smart-planning-and-implementation-agricultural-development.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Mainstreaming Climate Smart Planning and Implementation into Agricultural Development. 2016. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/15120-mainstreaming-climate-smart-planning-and-implementation-agricultural-development.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Mainstreaming Climate Smart Planning and Implementation into Agricultural Development |date=31 July 2016 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/15120-mainstreaming-climate-smart-planning-and-implementation-agricultural-development.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2016mainstreaming, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Mainstreaming Climate Smart Planning and Implementation into Agricultural Development}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/15120-mainstreaming-climate-smart-planning-and-implementation-agricultural-development.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }