Building on the achievements of KIIWP1, the Kayonza Irrigation and Integrated Watershed Management Project–Phase 2 (KIIWP2) is transforming livelihoods in Rwanda’s drought-prone Eastern Province. The project aims to reduce poverty by improving food security, increasing incomes for at least 40,000 rural households, and strengthening climate resilience. This is being achieved through the protection of 1,950 hectares of catchment areas, reforestation of 2,000 hectares, and the development of modern irrigation systems across Kayonza District.

KIIWP2, funded by IFAD and implemented under the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), has had a remarkable impact on communities, especially youth and women.

Félicien Mbonigaba, a fruit farmer from Murama Sector, shares his experience:
“We ploughed the land, added manure, planted the trees, covered them with mulch, watered, and fertilized them. Now we are in the harvesting phase, and the fruits are ripe. Murama once had the highest malnutrition rates, and we depended on humanitarian assistance. But since planting these fruit trees, we no longer rely on aid, and most people can even buy domestic animals from selling fruits.”

François Ndimukaga, another farmer, echoes this transformation:
“We could barely eat and could not meet other needs. Now, after eating, we still have surplus. We can pay school fees for our children and feed them properly. The project has also provided agronomists to support fruit forestation development.”

Through initiatives like these, KIIWP2 is not only tackling food insecurity but also enabling families to invest in their future, reinforcing both household resilience and district-wide development.