Rwanda’s Climate Adaptation Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning System in the Agriculture Sector

The document details the operationalization of a pilot adaptation MEL system in Rwanda's agriculture sector, focusing on how data is communicated to national and international bodies and the lessons derived from tracking NDC indicators. It identifies successes in quantitative tracking and qualitative case studies, while highlighting gaps in gender-disaggregated data and local-level awareness. The briefing provides a roadmap for expanding the MEL system to other priority sectors and recommends aligning data collection with international reporting cycles, such as the UNFCCC Biennial Transparency Reports.

• The pilot test in the agriculture sector successfully tracked 10 NDC adaptation indicators from 2019 to 2022, demonstrating that the Government of Rwanda can monitor whether adaptation actions meet planned targets using quantitative data from MINAGRI and other sources.
• Analysis of agriculture sector indicators revealed three performance categories: those highly likely to be achieved by 2030 (e.g., climate-resilient crop varieties and radical/progressive terraces), those likely to be achieved with continued focus (e.g., irrigation and crop insurance), and those that are off-track without significant intervention (e.g., farmer adoption rates of resilient varieties and livestock insurance).
• Qualitative case studies provided evidence that adaptation actions like improved seeds and solar irrigation are increasing productivity and resilience; for instance, solar irrigation enabled some farmers to achieve a 50% average yield increase in seasons A and B and produce in season C.
• Significant data gaps exist in the agriculture sector MEL, specifically a lack of gender-disaggregated data and a need for more qualitative data to measure actual outcomes rather than just outputs.
• The adaptation MEL system is designed to feed into several international UNFCCC reporting mechanisms, including National Communications (with the Fourth expected by August 2024), Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) due by December 2024, and voluntary Adaptation Communications.
• Implementation of the MEL system is hindered by limited budgets, a lack of dedicated personnel, and low awareness of the NDC among district-level officials, which obstructs data collection and submission.

APA

Tsinda, A., Ntaganda, B., & Cyiza, B. (2023). Rwanda’s Climate Adaptation Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning System in the Agriculture Sector. NAP Global Network. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/napgn-en-2023-brief-4-rwanda-mel-agriculture-final.pdf

Chicago

Tsinda, Aimé, Brenda Ntaganda, and Beatrice Cyiza. Rwanda’s Climate Adaptation Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning System in the Agriculture Sector. NAP Global Network, 2023. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/napgn-en-2023-brief-4-rwanda-mel-agriculture-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tsinda |first1=Aimé |last2=Ntaganda |first2=Brenda |last3=Cyiza |first3=Beatrice |title=Rwanda’s Climate Adaptation Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning System in the Agriculture Sector |publisher=NAP Global Network |date=March 2023 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/napgn-en-2023-brief-4-rwanda-mel-agriculture-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tsinda2023rwandas, author = {Tsinda, Aimé and Ntaganda, Brenda and Cyiza, Beatrice}, title = {{Rwanda’s Climate Adaptation Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning System in the Agriculture Sector}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/napgn-en-2023-brief-4-rwanda-mel-agriculture-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }