Rwanda Launches Greenhouse Insurance to Boost Climate-Smart Agriculture

Risk cover for climate-smart, export-oriented farming

The Government unveiled the new greenhouse crop insurance on 7 May 2026 at the headquarters of the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda in Kigali. The event brought together 123 farmers from all districts, insurers, and senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board, and the National Agricultural Export Development Board.

The product sits under Rwanda’s National Agriculture Insurance Scheme, locally branded “Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi”. Under this framework, the state pays 40% of the premium while farmers contribute 60%, keeping coverage accessible even for smaller operators. The policy covers greenhouse structures, crops, irrigation equipment and produce during transportation against perils such as fire, storm, hail and accidental damage.

Officials position greenhouse farming as a core technology in Rwanda’s climate-smart strategy because it raises yields and crop quality while reducing exposure to weather volatility. This is critical in a country with limited arable land and rising pressure to move up the value chain in export horticulture. The government aims to expand land under export crops from 79,409 hectares in 2024 to 97,100 hectares by 2029, a planned increase of 22.3%. Greenhouses, backed by insurance, form part of the toolkit to achieve this shift.

Joseph Museruka, Manager of the National Agriculture Insurance Scheme, underlined that greenhouse operations demand substantial upfront investment but can deliver strong productivity gains and higher-value output. By de-risking those investments, the new cover is expected to encourage banks and microfinance institutions to extend more credit into agriculture.

Strengthening credit, insurance and agri-investment linkages

Since its launch in April 2019, the national agriculture insurance scheme has scaled to support more than 200,000 farmers annually across all districts. Compensation payouts under the programme have reached RWF 9.39 billion (about US$7.3 million), with RWF 5.26 billion going to crop farmers and RWF 4.13 billion to livestock farmers. Over the same period, the government has provided RWF 7.02 billion in premium subsidies.

Coverage now spans rice, maize, beans, chilli, potatoes, cassava, soybeans and vegetables, alongside cattle, poultry, fish and pigs. The integration of greenhouse farming into this portfolio signals a move towards higher-value, more specialised risk cover rather than basic crop protection alone. Officials say the scheme has helped cushion farmers from shocks while improving access to credit, as insured assets reduce lenders’ perceived risk.

Implementation relies on a partnership model. The Government works with insurers including Old Mutual, Radiant Insurance, Sonarwa General Insurance and BK Insurance. Public agencies oversee implementation, support awareness efforts and push for timely claims settlement, while private insurers underwrite the risk. Authorities are urging farmers to secure cover before planting or stocking to ensure full protection of their investments and to embed insurance in standard farm planning.

For investors, the launch sends a clear signal. Rwanda is matching its export ambitions with practical risk-transfer tools and public co-financing. That combination can support bankable projects in greenhouse horticulture, contract farming and input-supply chains. Over the next few seasons, institutional investors and agrifinance lenders will be watching claim performance, farmer uptake and how greenhouse insurance interacts with credit flows to gauge the depth of opportunity in Rwanda’s protected agriculture segment.

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