Farming boosts refugees' livelihoods in Nyabiheke, but more support is needed to sustain progress

As the sun rises over Nyabicwamba marshland near Nyabiheke Refugee Camp in eastern Rwanda, Alice steps forward with her machete in the middle of her plot of maize. She begins cutting through stalk after stalk, working with energy to ensure she collects enough maize before the sun gets too hot.

Alice, a Congolese refugee, is not alone – her fellow KODIGA cooperative members, are scattered across the marshland, doing the same. They include women and men, Rwandans and refugees alike, working alongside each other.

After months of hard work, the moment has arrived: the first day of the first maize harvest of the year.

“I expect to get around 200kg of maize,” she estimates. “We harvest and sell it at the market, while also keeping some for home consumption. The money we earn helps us buy other essentials like clothes and small livestock.”

For Alice, farming is more than just growing food – it’s a new beginning: tilling the land has given her dignity, a livelihood, an occupation, and hope for a better tomorrow.

Refugees and Rwandans harvesting maize in Nyabicwamba marshland near Nyabiheke refugee camp

© UNHCR/Eric Didier Karinganire

Forced to flee her home country Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), she arrived in the refugee camp in 2012.  For ten long years, there was little to do; no land to farm meant no way to earn a living. But in 2022, everything changed: Gatsibo District set aside marshland for agriculture to benefit refugees like Alice and her Rwandan neighbours alike.  Together, they finally had a chance to put her hands in the soil.

Alice shares a similar story with over 450 other refugees in Nyabiheke camp and their Rwandan neighbors who are now enjoying their harvest from the 23-hectare marshland.

Thanks to funding from the Danish International Development Agency, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda and local non-governmental organization DUHAMIC-ADRI, has been supporting hundreds of refugee families in Nyabiheke and Kigeme camps alongside Rwandans living near the camps to improve their livelihoods through this climate-smart and market-oriented agriculture project.

Further, this farming project goes beyond just livelihoods – it also brings refugees and Rwandans together.  Rwandan farmer Emmanuel Karimutumye says that working with refugees through the farming cooperative has brought them together:

“When they have weddings, they invite us and we support them, we visit each other often, and some even gift each other livestock; this really strengthens the bonds of friendship,” Emmanuel points out. “Personally, I used to see those in the refugee camp as strangers, but now we see them as our brothers and sisters. I have many friends there, we share everything, visit each other, and get along well in everything.”

But despite the progress, challenges remain. While the farming initiative has transformed the lives of many refugee families and their Rwandan neighbours, the need far exceeds the available support.

Bernard Munyaneza, a Congolese refugee farmer in Nyabicwamba marshland, believes that such livelihood programs should be expanded to benefit more refugees, especially as the cost of living continues to rise and humanitarian cash assistance decreases, making it harder for many to afford even the basics.

“Before, when we received more cash assistance, food at the market was affordable. For example, a kilo of beans cost Rwf 200, while one person received Rwf 10,000. That money was valuable to us because food was cheaper,” Bernard explains. “Now, they have reduced the money while food prices keep rising. Right now, a kilo of beans costs Rwf 1,200. In my case, Rwf 4,500 [per person] isn’t enough. I’m lucky to be in this Nyabicwamba marshland, but I wish others who are not here could also get support and find a way to make a living.”

As global funding constraints affect humanitarian assistance to people forced to flee, livelihood initiatives like the climate-smart agriculture project offer a sustainable path forward. However, more diversified investment is needed to ensure that no refugee is left behind.