IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v11y2022i11p2023-d970500.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Securing the Harvest for the Smallholder Farmer in Rwanda: Fragmented or Consolidated Farmland Use?

Author

Listed:
  • Uwacu Alban Singirankabo

    (Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
    Department of Geography and Urban Planning, School of Architecture and the Built Environment, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali 3900, Rwanda)

  • Maurits Willem Ertsen

    (Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands)

  • Nick van de Giesen

    (Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands)

Abstract

The year 2007 marked the beginning of a journey to secure food in Rwanda. The country introduced the Crop Intensification Program (CIP), which promotes the farmland use consolidation (LUC). This study assesses the effect of farmland use changes on the agriculture production. We collected data at four research sites and considered three agriculture years to assess the effect of the fragmented or consolidated farmland use on the harvest. The study confirms that the CIP/LUC program converted perennial crops, mainly banana plantations, into seasonal crops, which were prioritized by the program. Overall, we conclude that the shift in farmland use has created an increase in both the harvest and monetary yields of the prioritized crops. However, within that general trend, we observe differences: farmers with smaller and/or fewer farm plots did not realize as great a yield increase as those who joined the CIP/LUC program with larger and/or multiple farm plots. While contributing to an understanding of the ongoing agriculture transformation program in Rwanda, this study followed a statistical approach that could be used by new studies assessing the benefits and outcomes of development policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Uwacu Alban Singirankabo & Maurits Willem Ertsen & Nick van de Giesen, 2022. "Securing the Harvest for the Smallholder Farmer in Rwanda: Fragmented or Consolidated Farmland Use?," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-16, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:11:p:2023-:d:970500
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/11/2023/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/11/2023/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Del Prete, Davide & Ghins, Léopold & Magrini, Emiliano & Pauw, Karl, 2019. "Land consolidation, specialization and household diets: Evidence from Rwanda," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 139-149.
    2. Fidele Byiringiro & Thomas Reardon, 1996. "Farm productivity in Rwanda: effects of farm size, erosion, and soil conservation investments," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 15(2), pages 127-136, November.
    3. Asiama, Kwabena Obeng & Voss, Winrich & Bennett, Rohan & Rubanje, Innocent, 2021. "Land consolidation activities in Sub-Saharan Africa towards the agenda 2030: A tale of three countries," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    4. Uwacu Alban Singirankabo & Maurits Willem Ertsen, 2020. "Relations between Land Tenure Security and Agricultural Productivity: Exploring the Effect of Land Registration," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-18, May.
    5. Singirankabo, Uwacu Alban & Ertsen, Maurits Willem & van de Giesen, Nick, 2022. "The relations between farmers’ land tenure security and agriculture production. An assessment in the perspective of smallholder farmers in Rwanda," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    6. Jiang, Yanfeng & Tang, Yu-Ting & Long, Hualou & Deng, Wu, 2022. "Land consolidation: A comparative research between Europe and China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    7. Muyombano, Emmanuel & Espling, Margareta, 2020. "Land use consolidation in Rwanda: The experiences of small-scale farmers in Musanze District, Northern Province," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    8. Uchendu Eugene Chigbu & Pierre Damien Ntihinyurwa & Walter Timo de Vries & Edith Ishimwe Ngenzi, 2019. "Why Tenure Responsive Land-Use Planning Matters: Insights for Land Use Consolidation for Food Security in Rwanda," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-24, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Singirankabo, Uwacu Alban & Ertsen, Maurits Willem & van de Giesen, Nick, 2022. "The relations between farmers’ land tenure security and agriculture production. An assessment in the perspective of smallholder farmers in Rwanda," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    2. Yin, Qiqi & Sui, Xueyan & Ye, Bei & Zhou, Yujie & Li, Chengqiang & Zou, Mengmeng & Zhou, Shenglu, 2022. "What role does land consolidation play in the multi-dimensional rural revitalization in China? A research synthesis," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    3. Nsabimana, Aimable & Adom, Philip Kofi & Mukamugema, Alice & Ngabitsinze, Jean Chrysostome, 2023. "The short and long run effects of land use consolidation programme on farm input uptakes: Evidence from Rwanda," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    4. Qiqi Yin & Shenglu Zhou & Chengxiang Lv & Yang Zhang & Xueyan Sui & Xiaorui Wang, 2022. "Comprehensive Land Consolidation as a Tool to Promote Rural Restructuring in China: Theoretical Framework and Case Study," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-17, October.
    5. Sung Kyu Kim & Fiona Marshall & Neil M. Dawson, 2022. "Revisiting Rwanda’s agricultural intensification policy: benefits of embracing farmer heterogeneity and crop-livestock integration strategies," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(3), pages 637-656, June.
    6. Oladehinde, Gbenga John & Olayiwola, Lasun Mykail & Popoola, Kehinde Olayinka, 2024. "Security of land tenure: A comparative analysis among sub-ethnic groups in rural communities of Oyo State, Nigeria," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    7. Peng Cheng & Houtian Tang & Yue Dong & Ke Liu & Ping Jiang & Yaolin Liu, 2021. "Knowledge Mapping of Research on Land Use Change and Food Security: A Visual Analysis Using CiteSpace and VOSviewer," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-22, December.
    8. Walter Dachaga & Walter Timo de Vries, 2022. "Integrating Urban Land Tenure Security in Health Determinants: The Design of Indicators for Measuring Land Tenure Security and Health Relationships in Developing Country Contexts," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-28, March.
    9. Mikhail Miklyaev & Glenn Jenkins & David Shobowale, 2020. "Sustainability of Agricultural Crop Policies in Rwanda: An Integrated Cost–Benefit Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-21, December.
    10. Inoussa Guinin Asso & Soulé Akinhola Adéchian & Mohamed Salifou & Bédé Prudence M’po Kouyinampou & Bruno Charles Pierre O’heix & Mohamed Nasser Baco, 2022. "Effects of the Systematic Cluster Approach (SCA) and Rural Land Plans (RLPs) on Land Tenure Security for Agricultural Household: Insight from Benin (West Africa)," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-14, September.
    11. Walter Timo de Vries, 2022. "Social Aspects in Land Consolidation Processes," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-13, March.
    12. Przemysław Leń & Klaudia Maciąg & Michał Maciąg & Justyna Wójcik-Leń & Katarzyna Kocur-Bera, 2023. "Automated Processing of Data in the Comparative Estimation of Land Value during Land Consolidation Works," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-13, May.
    13. Yan Sun & Xiaojun Song & Jing Ma & Haochen Yu & Xiaoping Ge & Gang-Jun Liu & Fu Chen, 2021. "Assessing the Effectiveness for Achieving Policy Objectives of Land Consolidation in China: Evidence from Project Practices in Jiangsu Province from 2001 to 2017," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-20, December.
    14. Guanghao Li & Guanyi Yin & Wei Wei & Qingzhi Sun & Zhan Zhang & Shenghao Zhu, 2024. "The Prohibition of Forestation on Cultivated Land in China: A Difference-in-Differences Model Analysis of the Effects of Cutting Down Trees on Farmland Transfer," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, November.
    15. Bichaye Tesfaye & Monica Lengoiboni & Jaap Zevenbergen & Belay Simane, 2023. "Rethinking the Impact of Land Certification on Tenure Security, Land Disputes, Land Management, and Agricultural Production: Insights from South Wello, Ethiopia," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-25, September.
    16. Daniel Solís & Boris E. Bravo‐Ureta & Ricardo E. Quiroga, 2009. "Technical Efficiency among Peasant Farmers Participating in Natural Resource Management Programmes in Central America," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(1), pages 202-219, February.
    17. Mireille Mizero & Aristide Maniriho & Bosco Bashangwa Mpozi & Antoine Karangwa & Philippe Burny & Philippe Lebailly, 2021. "Rwanda’s Land Policy Reform: Self-Employment Perspectives from a Case Study of Kimonyi Sector," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-17, January.
    18. Bienvenu Dagoudo Akowedaho & Inoussa Guinin Asso & Bruno Charles Pierre O’heix & Soulé Akinhola Adéchian & Mohamed Nasser Baco, 2022. "Access to Land for Agricultural Entrepreneurial Activities in the Context of Sustainable Food Production in Borgou, according to Land Law in Benin," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-16, August.
    19. Joshua Sikhu Okonya & Netsayi Noris Mudege & Anne M. Rietveld & Anastase Nduwayezu & Déo Kantungeko & Bernadette Marie Hakizimana & John Njuki Nyaga & Guy Blomme & James Peter Legg & Jürgen Kroschel, 2019. "The Role of Women in Production and Management of RTB Crops in Rwanda and Burundi: Do Men Decide, and Women Work?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-15, August.
    20. Kawasaki, Kentaro, 2010. "The costs and benefits of land fragmentation of rice farms in Japan," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 54(4), pages 1-18.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:11:p:2023-:d:970500. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.