AGRA and Mastercard Foundation Visit YEFFA Participant Transforming Agriculture in Nyagatare

The visit highlighted the progress being made under the project “Unlocking Youth Employment Opportunities Through Agri-Food Systems in the Eastern Province of Rwanda,” a 2024–2027 initiative implemented through the YEFFA program, a partnership between AGRA and the Mastercard Foundation. In Eastern Province, the program is delivered by a consortium comprising Rwanda Youth in Agribusiness Forum (RYAF), Empower Rwanda, Akazi Kanoze Access (AKA), African Development Center (ADC), Youth Empowerment through Agriculture Network (YEAN), and ABUSOL. Together, these implementing partners support young people to access skills, entrepreneurship opportunities, markets, and other services needed to build successful agribusiness enterprises. The initiative addresses systemic barriers that limit youth participation in agriculture, including access to land, skills, finance, and markets.

The initiative aims to create 34,048 dignified and fulfilling work opportunities, with 70 percent targeting young women, through investments in high-potential value chains such as horticulture and poultry.

One of the YEFFA participants, Mushimiyimana Peline, a 31-year-old farmer from Rukomo Sector in Nyagatare District who works closely with YEAN under the YEFFA program, exemplifies the transformation the initiative seeks to achieve. In 2020, she cultivated maize and beans on 32 ares of land mainly for household consumption. Limited technical knowledge, poor access to quality inputs, and weak market connections constrained her productivity and income.

After joining YEFFA in 2024, Peline received training in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), participated in field learning exchanges, and benefited from continuous coaching and technical support from YEAN agronomists and field extension officers. She adopted certified seeds, improved farming practices, and shifted from subsistence farming to market-oriented horticulture, growing cabbages, carrots, passion fruits, and greenhouse tomatoes.

Passion fruit production became a turning point in her journey, generating a net profit of RWF 3 million. Combined with an additional RWF 1 million she had saved, Peline invested in the purchase of one hectare of land to expand her agribusiness. Today, she cultivates the land, operates a greenhouse for tomato production, is preparing to venture into chili production, earns more than RWF 200,000 in net profit per month, and provides employment to five permanent workers, including two youth, as well as five casual youth workers.

“Before YEFFA, farming was mainly for feeding my family, and I had little knowledge about modern agriculture. Through the training and support from YEAN, I learned how to farm as a business. The income from passion fruits allowed me to buy land, invest in a greenhouse, and create jobs for others. My dream is to continue growing and enter chili production next season,” said Mushimiyimana Peline.

Speaking during the visit, Peter Okomoh, AGRA Rwanda Country Programs Lead, said Peline’s story demonstrates the impact of an integrated approach that combines technical skills, entrepreneurship development, and market linkages.

“YEFFA is designed to equip young people with the skills, tools, and opportunities needed to build sustainable agribusinesses. Through our implementing partners, including YEAN, Akazi Kanoze Access, ADC, Empower Rwanda, RYAF, and ABUSOL, we support youth with productivity skills, entrepreneurship training, business development services, and market linkages. Peline’s journey demonstrates what is possible when these interventions come together to help young people transition into dignified and fulfilling work,” he said.

Okomoh noted that the program is helping many young people see agriculture as a viable business opportunity.

“What is encouraging is that we are seeing young people move beyond farming for survival and begin treating agriculture as a business. Through YEFFA, participants are adopting improved technologies, accessing extension services, improving productivity, and earning incomes that allow them to reinvest and expand their enterprises. Peline’s story is a strong example of this transformation. She started with just 32 ares of land, but through knowledge, hard work, and the support provided by the program, she has expanded to one hectare and built a growing agribusiness that is creating employment and contributing to local food production,” he said.

He added that despite the progress, challenges such as access to land, finance, markets, and climate-related risks continue to affect many young agripreneurs.

“Access to land continues to be one of the biggest barriers facing young people. Access to affordable finance is another challenge because many young entrepreneurs lack collateral and business records required by financial institutions. Market access and climate-related risks also affect profitability. That is why YEFFA works through partnerships to address these constraints holistically by connecting young people to skills, markets, technology, and policy support,” said Okomoh.

While reflecting on her journey, Peline noted that access to affordable finance remains one of the key challenges limiting the expansion of her agribusiness. Although she has successfully grown her enterprise through reinvestment of profits, obtaining financing to scale production and invest in new opportunities remains difficult for many young farmers.

Responding to the challenge, Lucia Zigiriza, Partners Coordination Officer at AGRA Rwanda, said YEFFA is working to strengthen financial inclusion for young agripreneurs through partnerships with financial service providers.

“AGRA links YEFFA participants to access Kataza financing opportunities through MVEND, RIM, SACCOs and MoneyPhone, while also crowding in other financial institutions such as Equity Bank to enable young entrepreneurs to tap into digital financing opportunities. Our goal is to ensure that promising young agripreneurs can access the capital they need to grow sustainable businesses and create employment,” she said.

Okomoh also highlighted the need to strengthen Rwanda’s horticulture seed system to support the growing number of young agripreneurs entering the sector.

“One of the challenges facing horticulture producers is the high cost of seeds, many of which are imported. AGRA is already working with the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) to strengthen local production and availability of quality horticulture seeds. This will help reduce costs for farmers, improve accessibility, and strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of Rwanda’s horticulture sector,” said Okomoh.

He further revealed that AGRA and its partners are exploring innovative solutions, including land access mechanisms, market facilitation arrangements, and technology adoption initiatives to help young people scale their enterprises.

“As we move into the next phase of implementation, our focus is not only on reaching more young people but also on helping them achieve greater scale and income. We are using evidence to identify enterprises and value chains that offer the greatest potential for dignified and fulfilling work and supporting young people to grow resilient businesses that create jobs and contribute to Rwanda’s food systems transformation,” he added.

In Nyagatare District alone, YEAN’s interventions are being implemented across 14 sectors and have already reached 3,759 young people, 61 percent of whom are female. A tracer survey conducted in May 2026 indicates that the district has the potential to create 3,120 dignified and fulfilling work opportunities, with current interventions already contributing more than 30 percent of YEAN’s overall target of 9,000 dignified and fulfilling work opportunities.

Ben Bizinde, Agriculture Lead at the Mastercard Foundation Rwanda, said the success seen at Peline’s farm reflects the program’s response to challenges identified directly by young people.

“Research conducted with young people showed that three major barriers continue to limit their success in agriculture: low productivity, limited access to finance, and weak market access. YEFFA was designed to address these challenges through a coordinated approach that combines skills development, entrepreneurship support, financial inclusion, and market linkages,” he said.

Bizinde emphasized that sustainable market opportunities are essential for youth-led enterprises to thrive.

“An entrepreneur’s growth is closely linked to the market opportunities available to them. When young people like Peline can produce quality products, access finance, and connect to reliable markets, they are able to grow successful businesses, create jobs, and contribute to economic development. Her progress is a testament to what can be achieved when the right ecosystem of support is in place,” he added.

Implemented by AGRA with support from the Mastercard Foundation, the YEFFA program continues to empower young people across Rwanda to build profitable agribusinesses, create employment opportunities, and contribute to a more resilient, inclusive, and youth-driven food system.