Help 78 Rwandan Women Farmers Double Their Income

Women-led cooperatives supported by Women for Women Rwanda made significant gains in moving from subsistence farming to commercial horticulture. Across cooperatives in Gasabo and Nyaruguru Districts, women received training in Good Agricultural Practices and climate-smart farming techniques, along with quality inputs, tools, and on-farm coaching to improve both yields and product quality.

The results have been transformational. Average monthly earnings rose substantially, and most cooperatives are now linked directly to formal export buyers, replacing the informal markets and middlemen that once limited their income. Investments in infrastructure, including sorting facilities and transport, have helped reduce post-harvest losses and improve reliability for buyers, while training in cooperative governance and financial management has strengthened how groups plan, save, and reinvest.

Beyond individual households, the benefits have reached entire communities. In one cooperative, members used part of their growing income to build a water pipeline, now serving several villages with clean water, a reminder that supporting women's businesses creates ripple effects well beyond the farm.

With stronger skills, market connections, and collective bargaining power, these women are transitioning from subsistence farmers to entrepreneurs, building sustainable incomes and reshaping what's possible for women in rural Rwanda.