Quarterly Progress Report for Fiscal Year 2018: Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity

The activity is implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) and has a budget of $32.6 million. The Hinga Weze activity focuses on three main components: Component 1, which aims to sustainably increase smallholder farmers' income; Component 2, which aims to improve farmers' market access; and Component 3, which aims to improve the nutritional outcome of agriculture interventions. The activity also includes Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) and cross-cutting components. During the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2018, Hinga Weze completed mobilization activities and hired all field staff. The activity opened all district offices and is now present in all 10 targeted districts. The district offices are equipped, staffed, and Hinga Weze team members have deployed to the field for beneficiary assessments and meetings with district leaders. Hinga Weze developed and validated innovative District Action Plans (DAPs) for each district, which include mutually-agreed upon goals between Hinga Weze and government stakeholders. The DAPs match as many MEL targets as possible with the Government of Rwanda's Imihigo targets, to increase local government buy-in and support of the activities. Progress on Component 1 included establishing beneficiary selection criteria, finalizing activities, and developing a road map for implementation with district officials. Hinga Weze also identified, selected, and budgeted for terrace construction and rehabilitation works in the targeted districts. Additionally, the activity explored the establishment of small-scale irrigation schemes and launched the selection, review, and approval process for irrigation and terracing sites to be launched next quarter. Progress on Component 2 included an assessment of the Irish Potato value chain, which was successfully completed. The assessment aimed to identify opportunities for improving the value chain and increasing farmers' income. Hinga Weze also conducted a Digital Market Access Assessment (DMAA) to understand the market access challenges faced by farmers and identify opportunities for improving market access. The activity also made progress on cross-cutting themes, including environmental mitigation and monitoring plans, development of the activity baseline, and local partnership building. Hinga Weze conducted Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) activities and collected data on the progress of the activity. The activity also launched the selection, review, and approval process for irrigation and terracing sites to be launched next quarter. Overall, the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2018 marked an important milestone for the Hinga Weze activity, with the completion of mobilization activities, development and validation of district action plans, and progress on the three main components of the activity.