Work

‘Climate-smart agriculture’: top-down solutions versus knowledge from the ground in rural Rwanda

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Policymakers and international donors promote climate-smart solutions in agrarian modernisation, yet the term remains ambiguous in the literature. In Rwanda, new climate-smart policies appear distinct from past Green Revolution models but risk repackaging the same top-down approaches. Standardised, technology-driven solutions may again marginalise rural communities’ knowledge and lived experiences. This paper argues for a historically grounded, inclusive approach that views farmers as active participants rather than passive recipients. Moving beyond the modernity-versus-tradition binary, agrarian transformation must prioritise adaptability, participation, and the recognition of agriculture as both a cultural and political practice.

Source: Journal of Eastern African Studies

DOI: 10.1080/17531055.2026.2618914

Authors: An Ansoms, Jean Paul Kayumba Cyitatire, Assumpta Mugiraneza, Aubaine Hirwa

Institutions: UCLouvain, Wageningen University & Research

Language: English

Topic: Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development

Subfield: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Zero hunger

Open Access status: green

Funders: Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS, Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad, VLIRUOS, Université Catholique de Louvain