In Rwanda, The DeSIRA_RWA project, Development-smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture (incl. livestock, aquaculture and fisheries) main objective is to effectively understand and demonstrate the ecological, social and economic pathways to, and resultant benefits from, the scale up of agroforestry-based restoration and sustainable biomass use in peri-urban Kigali. The research actions proposed must strengthen or accelerate innovation and transformation in the agricultural and rural sectors through science, while treating climate change as a central issue.

The focus are: (1) Mobilising science for impact: Actions should include various forms of research support (high-end promising practices and technologies). The potential to replicate activities across other contexts is paramount via the integration of scientific learning, policy and local arrangements; (2) Need for research capacity: Strengthen innovation and investment capacity through agronomic, institutional and market anchoring at local level. The participation of all stakeholders in the joint development of innovations along value chains and/or at territorial level is essential for the sustainable mobilisation of science and scientists and (3) Local and global knowledge: The mobilisation of science should contribute to improving local (including ‘traditional’) and global knowledge bases and developing new solutions.