A political ecology analysis of the narratives and practices of organic agriculture in Rwanda

In the recent decade, efforts to initiate a new Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa have been widely lauded in policy circles. As a result, there has been a rise in interest and focus on seeds and seed systems, among others, in the agricultural policy agenda. However, because of the widespread awareness of the adverse effects of the green revolution, corporate industrial agriculture and climate change, organic agriculture has been proposed as an alternative to the new green revolution for Africa. Based on qualitative interviews, this research investigates whether and how and the extent to which the emerging rhetoric of organic agriculture in Rwanda fits into and is compatible with the country’s agricultural modernization policy initiatives. This study argues that critical scrutiny of the tensions and contrasting politics and narratives around organic farming and agricultural modernization policy is particularly crucial in the context of the growing interest among the global corporate actors involved in the food and farming sector to ‘appropriate organic agriculture’. The study focuses on the critical analysis of Rwanda’s experiences with organic farming and how it is playing out in light of the emerging debates around smallholder farming versus large-scale commercial agricultural investments. It mainly focuses on investigating the narratives and practices of the Rwanda Organic Agriculture Movement (ROAM), particularly focusing on its members/stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences. The research establishes that despite the general increase in organic agriculture practice in Rwanda, there are still challenges in developing the sector. This may be attributed to the perception of stakeholders towards organic and inorganic agriculture. Rwandan organic agriculture movement stakeholders largely perceive it as contributing towards environmental and food safety and security, contrary to their perception of inorganic agriculture, which they largely deem as a threat to the environment and food safety. This perception favors the adoption of organic farming practices. The stakeholders also adopt organic farming due to the support they receive from different actors to adopt them. This includes financial and technical assistance from the government and NGOs. However, the findings also indicate that some farmers still engage in inorganic agriculture, largely because of the economic benefits that it offers compared to organic agriculture. This is a potential threat to organic principles. Moreover, organic agriculture is influenced by marketing and production challenges, which causes its slow/low adoption. One major challenge relates to certification, which restricts smallholders in developing countries while favoring large-scale players in developed countries. Political ecology (mainly through government policies); environmental factors (that organic agriculture is mainly based on); and social factors (which influence if and how stakeholders adopt organic practices) also affect the adoption of organic farming practices. Therefore, it is recommendable for the government (and other actors) to help boost the adoption of organic agriculture by offering support, creating awareness, and creating/pushing for policies that support organic agriculture practices.