Beyond inputs: How market linkages and quality infrastructure can address crop disease in Rwanda's horticulture sector
Crop disease is a major but often overlooked constraint on horticulture productivity in Rwanda, with smallholders losing substantial shares of potential yields. Evidence suggests that value chain integration and well-designed certification schemes are more effective than standalone subsidies in improving disease management and productivity.
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Irafasha-Policy-Brief-March-2026.pdf
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- Crop disease is one of the most significant and under-addressed constraints on horticulture productivity in Rwanda, with many smallholders losing half or more of their potential yields annually.
- Conventional policy responses—such as input subsidies and public extension—are necessary but insufficient on their own; they fail to resolve the underlying incentive failures that drive poor disease management.
- The structure of markets matters: farmers who are integrated into demanding value chains adopt better practices, not primarily because they receive more inputs, but because commercial relationships create enforceable incentives and reliable information flows.
- Certification schemes, when well-designed, can align private incentives with public productivity goals at scale.
- A coordinated package of reforms—spanning certification, buyer–supplier linkage facilitation, and value chain coordination—offers the highest return on public investment.