USAID Feed the Future Rwanda Kungahara Wagura Amasoko
Client
USAIDClient Overview:
USAID Feed the Future Rwanda Kungahara Wagura Amasoko (“Prosper While Expanding Markets”) was a flagship USAID initiative supporting the Government of Rwanda to increase high-value agricultural exports. The project worked with the government, the private sector, and civil society to catalyse $300 million in new agricultural investment. J.E. Austin Associates – JAA (since 2025 part of Civitta) managed the first strategic objective, facilitating an inclusive and resilient policy and regulatory environment, under a subcontract with the Research Triangle Institute (RTI).
The Challenge:
Rwanda’s agricultural sector held significant export potential, yet structural gaps in the policy and regulatory environment were limiting private investment and sector growth.
Key obstacles included:
- Weak policy development and implementation across key agricultural sub-sectors
- Limited capacity of government institutions to design, implement, and monitor agriculture policy improvements
- Fragmented public-private dialogue platforms that lacked the structure and evidence base to drive meaningful reform
- Private sector associations with limited capacity to advocate effectively for policy and regulatory improvements
Our Approach:
Our team applied its proprietary Policy Development and Implementation Methodology across three interconnected phases:
- Phase I: Policy landscape & political economy analysis
We conducted a comprehensive Policy Landscape and Political Economy Analysis – an in-depth diagnostic of key agriculture policies, improvement processes, and the context for reform. The diagnostic included desktop research, economic analysis, and over 30 structured key informant interviews. This provided the evidence foundation for all subsequent work and enabled a detailed work plan co-created with government and private sector partners.
- Phase II: Policy development & institutional capacity strengthening
Our team assisted government and the private sector to collaborate on improving policy development and implementation in priority areas, including contract farming and certification. Capacity improvement initiatives were embedded directly within ongoing policy processes – building institutional capability while delivering real reform outcomes, rather than standalone training.
- Phase III: Private sector advocacy & public-private dialogue
We supported private sector associations to design and execute advocacy campaigns, with advocacy capacity development conducted alongside the campaigns themselves. In parallel, we helped organize and facilitate improvements to public-private dialogue platforms to increase their effectiveness through evidence-based, inclusive dialogue.
Results & Impact:
The project aimed to facilitate $300 million in new investments in Rwanda’s agricultural sector by 2026. Key outputs included an improved policy and regulatory environment for high-value agricultural exports, strengthened capacity of both government institutions and private sector associations, and more effective public-private dialogue platforms grounded in evidence and broader stakeholder participation.
Key Takeaways:
1. Embed capacity building in real reform processes: Instead of standalone training, our team integrated capacity building directly into ongoing policy reform work. This allowed government institutions to develop skills they could immediately apply in practice.
2. Lead with evidence: The Policy Landscape and Political Economy Analysis created a shared, credible evidence base that supported co-creation with government and private sector partners, helping reduce misalignment and speed up action.
3. Run advocacy and capacity development in parallel: Rather than simulations, private sector advocacy capacity was built through real campaigns, enabling associations to gain practical skills with immediate impact on the sector.
