Pulses and Oil Crops Program
The Pulses and Oil Crops Program is mandated to develop, evaluate, and disseminate improved legume and oil crop varieties, including beans, soybean, peas, groundnuts, sunflower, and other related crops, with traits such as high yield potential, early maturity, resistance to pests and diseases, enhanced iron and zinc content, and strong market demand.
The program focuses on generating and promoting innovative technologies that improve productivity, nutrition, and resilience of pulses and oil crops across Rwanda’s diverse agro-ecological zones, including low, mid, and high altitude areas.
In fulfilling its mandate, the program supports the dissemination and adoption of improved technologies through field demonstration plots, participatory variety selection activities, farmer trainings, and agricultural communication platforms such as radio programs. The program also strengthens linkages among stakeholders within the pulses and oil crops value chain, including farmers, cooperatives, seed producers, aggregators, traders, processors, researchers, and development partners.
Furthermore, the program promotes capacity building, collaborative research, germplasm exchange, and resource mobilization through partnerships with research institutions, NGOs, and CGIAR centers to enhance innovation, seed systems, and sustainable agricultural development in Rwanda.