On the implications of the ongoing land reform on sustainable rural development and poverty reduction in Rwanda
Plus: the outcome report of the thematic dialogue held on 20th january 2006, Kigali, Rwanda.
The paper focuses on the relationship between land reform, poverty reduction and sustainable development. It is grounded in the current process of implementing a land law and policy in Rwanda. The thrust of the discussion is pillared on a number of interrelated arguments. Firstly, the current land reform in Rwanda is shaped by the economic and political context of the country, especially the structural evolution of land use, demographic change, environment, agriculture, livelihoods and governance in the post colonial decades. Rwanda is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It has a population 8.2 million and land surface area of 26,388 square kilometers. With a population density of over 340 per square kilometer, it is one of the most densely populated in Africa. About 92 per cent of its inhabitants live in the rural areas and 90 per cent of them depend on agriculture. The per capita income is estimated to be US$ 250 and the incidence of poverty below a national poverty is slightly above 60 per cent. Being the 159th out of 177 countries on the Human Development Index, it is one of the poorest countries of the world. More than 70 per cent of the poor are in the rural areas depending on agriculture for a livelihood.
Event: A vision for the future : International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development
Only personal, non-commercial use of this document is allowed.