ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes key features of Rwandan agriculture and provides the description of the 1984 drought and its consequences. It presents a discussion of measures needed in subsanaran Africa for economic and agricultural growth through the development of sustainable technologies and increased income earning opportunities. The 1984 crisis called to the forefront the approach to agricultural development taken by the Government of Rwanda: self-sufficiency in domestic food crop production and minimal food imports. Eight food crops dominate the Rwandan agricultural system: bananas, sweet potatoes, manioc, beans, potatoes, sorghum, maize, and peas. The demand side of the agricultural production equation, which expresses household interest in technology adoption, is less visible for its locus in out-country settings among relatively voiceless populations. The chapter concludes with another look at Rwanda and a strategy which it can adopt to increase food and economic security for households and the nation at large.
