Within this framework, MASHAV will establish a Center of Excellence for Horticultural Development including agricultural production, training, and the demonstration of new and more efficient production methods and irrigation systems.
The three-year agreement was signed on December 2nd in Kigali, by the Deputy Head of MASHAV, Ilan Fluss, and the Director General of Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Innocent Musabyimana. It follows the Joint Declaration signed in July 2014 by the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Republic of Rwanda, Dr. Agnes Kalibata, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, Avigdor Liberman.
The Center of Excellence Project in Rwanda is a bilateral initiative conceived in support of Rwanda's national plan to modernize its agricultural sector, to stimulate agricultural growth and alleviate rural poverty. The project is designed for all levels of the farming community, from small-holder to commercial scale farmers, and will be implemented by MASHAV in partnership with Rwanda’s Agricultural Board (RAB), through CINADCO – the Center for International Agricultural Development Cooperation, MASHAV’s main professional and operational affiliate for international agricultural and rural development.
Located 12 km West of Kigali, the center will put special emphasis on building local capacities in agriculture and agricultural entrepreneurship, and will conduct applied agricultural R&D in order to adapt Israeli agricultural experience, technologies and innovations to local needs, serving all stakeholders in the horticultural sector, from small-holders to large commercial farmers.
This initiative aims also to promote an efficient Extension Service in order to ensure an appropriate level of innovation and training for industry stakeholders, to provide specialized assistance and also to support applied research for local solutions.