Farmers in Nyamasheke District say that the losses they incurred due to climate change disasters have decreased since they joined the TEKANA agriculture and livestock insurance program, which supports them when the weather damages their production.
This was highlighted during an awareness campaign to encourage farmers and livestock keepers living in Nyamasheke District to use this insurance on this May 27, 2026, where some of the farmers and livestock keepers shared their secrets with their peers to increase their curiosity and desire to use this insurance for crops and livestock.
The TEKANA program was established to help professional farmers and livestock keepers with the aim of protecting them from financial losses caused by sudden climate changes.
Marie Yamfashije, a rice farmer in the Kirimbi marshland located within the Kirimbi sector, explains that before the introduction of the program, she used to farm in constant fear of natural disasters.
She recounts: “In the past, violent winds, floods, and soil erosion would completely destroy our rice fields. Sometimes, I just had to wait for the rains to stop so I could start over the following season, hoping for better weather. Back then, farming rice felt almost like economic suicide.”
She explains that in 2010, natural disasters destroyed the 50 ares of rice she was cultivating at the time, as the agricultural insurance program was not yet available in the region.
She testifies: “I was just a simple farmer without enough financial means to quickly buy new seeds or pay for labor to resume my activities. That situation left me deeply impoverished. Without insurance, losses can completely ruin a farmer.”
Marie Yamfashije affirms that after discovering the “Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi-Mworozi” program, she immediately decided to insure her crops. A few years later, when another disaster destroyed 78 ares of her rice, she received a payout of over 200,000 Rwandan Francs.
She explains: “This compensation allowed me to get back on my feet quickly and continue my farming business without suffering heavy losses.”
She adds that she previously thought agricultural insurance was reserved only for large-scale producers or wealthy individuals, before realizing that every farmer, regardless of the size of their farm, could benefit from the program.
She expresses her gratitude to the Government of Rwanda and its partners, particularly the President of the Republic, Paul Kagame, for the initiatives put in place to protect citizens from poverty and promote their economic development.
Christine Uwizeyimana, a rice farmer in the Macuba marshland, is one of those who have already seen the benefits of TEKANA. She and her colleagues from the Duhuzimbaraga cooperative grow rice on an area of 125 hectares.
She said: “We faced losses for a long time due to climate change, where heavy rain would flood the rice, the sun would burn the crops that had a short time left before harvest, or it would shine and dry out the seeds planted in the field, and hail would destroy our crops.”
She says that after learning that TEKANA provides crop insurance, their cooperative immediately joined without hesitation because they were not completely sure that when you face a loss, the insurance pays you.
She said: “Since we insured our crops in the year 2020, where disasters used to make us lose, now our production no longer goes to waste because the insurance supports us.”
She said: “In the past six years, TEKANA has paid our cooperative more than 34,000,000 Rwandan francs in compensation for the citizens.”
The Vice Mayor of Nyamasheke District in charge of Economic Development, Joseph Desire Muhayeyezu, said that this program came at a time that matched what farmers and livestock keepers needed most, becoming an umbrella that protects them from disaster losses.
He said: “We thank the Government of Rwanda for looking at the essential things that concern us and bringing them to the citizens through TEKANA.” He added: “When disasters come, farmers are given compensation. We will continue to conduct awareness campaigns so that others can also join, because those who have already joined are speaking about its benefits themselves.”
Joseph Museruka, the Director of the TEKANA Project in the RAB-SPIU department, confirms that this program has already yielded tangible results, saying that the awareness campaign must continue because the responsibility is to reach far.
He said: “Every year, more than 200,000 farmers and livestock keepers are filled with joy because of this TEKANA insurance subsidy support called ‘Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi’ (You are Insured, Farmer and Livestock Keeper). The livestock keeper pays the remaining 60%. Until now, compensation worth 9,392,461,332 Rwandan francs has been paid to the citizens.”
He added that crop farmers were paid money amounting to 5,260,214,761 RWF, while livestock keepers were given 4,132,246,571 RWF.
The TEKANA program offers comprehensive insurance coverage against risks in the agriculture and livestock sectors. It is implemented by MINAGRI in partnership with contracted private insurance companies.
Under this scheme, the Government provides a 40% subsidy on the total insurance premium for each crop or livestock type, making the coverage highly affordable for farmers. The policy protects the farmer’s initial investment throughout the entire production cycle, spanning from land preparation up to harvest.
