Across Rwanda, rural women farmers are redefining agriculture through innovation and leadership. As part of the Joint Program for Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE), women-led cooperatives are adopting climate-smart greenhouse agriculture to increase productivity, build resilience and ensure year-round food supply. This program, implemented by INADES-Formation Rwanda in close collaboration with the Rwandan government, is the fruit of a partnership with UN Women, FAO, IFAD and WFP.
Operating in the districts of Gisagara, Nyaruguru, Nyamasheke, Kirehe and Ngoma, JP RWEE equips women farmers with modern agricultural technologies, intensive capacity building and catalytic inputs that improve both their livelihoods and their adaptation to the climate. Among these interventions, greenhouse farming has emerged as one of the most transformative.
An intelligent solution to the vagaries of the weather
For decades, rural women have relied heavily on open-field farming, highly vulnerable to erratic rainfall, prolonged drought, soil degradation and pest infestations, all intensified by climate change. As climatic shocks multiplied, seasonal crop failures and income fluctuations became commonplace.
Greenhouse agriculture is changing this reality. Before adopting this technology, women in some cooperatives earned very little from field cultivation.
“At first, we grew tomatoes in the field and only earned around 20,000 RWF on six acres,” recalls Josiane Uwimana, a member of a cooperative. “But with our first greenhouse crop, we earned 500,000 RWF on a much smaller area.” This dramatic increase in income illustrates the potential of greenhouse agriculture to transform the economic trajectory of rural women.
Thanks to a protected environment, controlled irrigation and reduced pest pressure, greenhouses enable the production of high-value crops such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and leafy greens all year round, whatever the weather conditions outside.
The women now dream of extending this model: “If we could have more greenhouses, we wouldn’t have to wait a whole season. We’d harvest in one and start immediately in the next,” explains Josiane Uwimana.
Empowering women through skills, leadership and innovation
JP RWEE goes beyond the simple provision of technology; it strengthens women’s autonomy, leadership and technical mastery. Through INADES-Formation Rwanda, cooperatives receive practical training in greenhouse installation, maintenance and environmental control, irrigation and water use efficiency (essential in drought-prone regions), integrated pest management, soil fertility monitoring and crop rotation, as well as business planning and collective marketing.
These training courses are strategically designed to boost women’s confidence in managing cutting-edge technologies, negotiating market prices and making production decisions, traditionally dominated by men.
Some cooperatives now practice crop rotation in greenhouses, switching from tomatoes and green peppers to cucumbers in subsequent seasons. This innovation preserves soil health, reduces pests and guarantees continuous production.
A field technician explains: “We train women to understand every step, from soil preparation to market access. This strengthens their leadership in agribusiness and helps them make informed decisions”, explains Jean Marie Vianney DUSENGIMANA Ndabashimiye, Field Manager at INADES-Formation Rwanda based in the Kirehe district.
The gender dynamic is visibly changing, with women increasingly taking on roles as business owners, trainers, revenue managers and technology champions in their communities.
Improving household nutrition and resilience
The benefits of greenhouse farming go far beyond increased income, bringing significant improvements to household well-being and community resilience. Many families report greater dietary diversity, made possible by the constant availability of fresh vegetables throughout the year. Women also point out that this regular supply has helped improve children’s nutrition, as they can prioritize household consumption before selling surplus production. The switch to greenhouse farming has led to more regular income, helping cooperatives to build up savings and reducing household vulnerability to financial shocks. By eliminating dependence on unpredictable rainfall, greenhouses have enabled farmers to plan their farming activities with greater confidence, creating more predictable and efficient agricultural calendars. Women farmers regularly emphasize that this technology has “freed them from climatic uncertainty”, improved their family’s well-being and strengthened their role in decision-making, both within their households and in cooperative management structures.
Amplifying impact: sustainability opportunities and challenges
While greenhouse agriculture has demonstrated strong potential for transforming rural women’s livelihoods in the JP RWEE project, the sustainable scaling-up of this model requires overcoming several emerging challenges. One of the biggest hurdles remains the high initial investment cost, with a standard greenhouse costing between 1.5 and 2.5 million Rwandan francs, far beyond the financial capacity of most women’s cooperatives without external subsidies or cost-sharing mechanisms. Even after installation, access to reliable water sources poses difficulties in some districts. Although greenhouses use 40% to 60% less water than open-field farming, they still require regular irrigation to maintain productivity.
Beyond financial and environmental constraints, technical maintenance skills are another critical area. Greenhouse systems require regular maintenance, monitoring drip irrigation lines, ensuring adequate ventilation, managing soil fertility and identifying early signs of pest infestation. These tasks require specialist knowledge, which needs to be continually reinforced through coaching and extension support. On the market side, women growers are often faced with price volatility and limited market access, particularly for high-value crops such as tomatoes, which flood the market during peak seasons. Stronger collective marketing strategies, market information systems and value-added opportunities are needed to stabilize incomes.
At a social level, gender norms continue to influence women’s ability to take full advantage of the greenhouse model. Despite significant progress, some women continue to face barriers to accessing land, financing, decision-making positions or control over the income generated by greenhouse production. Sustainable approaches to transforming gender relations, involving men, promoting shared decision-making within households and strengthening women’s leadership remain essential to ensure that women retain control over productive resources and realize the full empowerment potential of the intervention.
A women-led path to a food-secure, climate-resilient future
Data from the JP RWEE project show that when women have access to climate-smart technologies, training and organizational support, agricultural productivity and resilience to climate change increase dramatically, and communities prosper.
Greenhouse agriculture is more than a production method: it’s a gender-sensitive climate adaptation strategy that empowers women to be leaders in the transition to sustainable, resilient agriculture.
With continued investment, technical support and strategic expansion, Rwanda’s women farmers can offer their families and communities a more food-secure, climate-resilient and equitable future.
Elissa CYUZUZO – Communication INADES-Formation Rwanda
