Research Article

Valorization of indigenous crops to enhance nutrition and food security in Kamonyi District, Rwanda.

Gisubizo Fabien¹, Habimana Evode^2, Ntabakirabose Rwami Gasapard³, Dushimimana Olive⁴, Niyigena Alphonse^5, Murindwa Emmanuel⁶ and Dushimimana Anicet⁷

¹Department of Food Science and Technology, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia.

²College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.

³Forestry Research Division, Rwanda Forestry Authority, Huye, Rwanda

⁴Educational Development and Quality Center (EDQC), University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda.

5IPB University, Department of Soil Science and Land Resources, Bogor, Indonesia,

⁶College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Kigali, Rwanda

⁷Crop Post Harvest Handling Technician Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resource Development Board ( RAB)

*Corresponding author e-mail: gisubizofabien@gmail.com  

(Received: 18/06/2025; Revised: 10/09/2025; Accepted: 25/09/2025; Published: 20/12/2025)

ABSTRACT

Agrobiodiversity loss and reliance on a limited combination of staple crops are still hampering nutritional diversity and adequacy of micronutrients throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Food insecurity, poor dietary diversity, and the lack of exploitation of indigenous crops that are high in nutrients a chronic issues in rural Rwanda, especially in Kamonyi District. This research evaluated the prospective of sorghum, millet, amaranth, and beans in improving nutrition and food security by a valorization approach. It involved a cross-sectional mixed-methods study that involved a sample of all twelve sectors of Kamonyi District (September 2024-September 2025), which included household surveys (n=120), key-informant interviews (n=12), and laboratory nutrient analyses (AOAC, 2019). Seasonal analysis of production revealed that beans (2.0 vs 1.6 kg/household, p < 0.001), sorghum (1.5 vs 1.1 kg/household, p = 0.005) had larger seasonal differences in production, whereas millet and amaranth had smaller but not significant differences. The complementary nutritional strengths were verified through nutrient profiling: beans contained the most protein (21%), amaranth and zinc the most iron (7.6mg/100g) and zinc (3.1mg/100g), and millet the most fiber (8.5%). In spite of these qualities, millet or amaranth only grew in 28-41 percent of households, giving reasons such as seed inaccessibility, labor intensity, and low market demand. Food survey indicated a mean Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) of 4.8 +- 1.6 with only 42 percent having adequate diversity. The regression analysis indicated that the regular eating of indigenous crops is a strong predictor of increased HDDS (b = 0.42, p = 0.001) and reduced food insecurity scores. Cultural preferences, lack of knowledge, and poor value chains were also noted as significant impediments to utilization by qualitative insights. On the whole, the results indicate that the inclusion of native crops into local food production and consumption networks can significantly increase dietary diversity, micronutrient consumption, and family food security. Enhancing the seed systems, extension services, and value-added processing and recipes accepted by the culture are necessary to realize the entire nutrition-sensitive potential of indigenous crops in Kamonyi District and other rural areas.

Keywords: Indigenous crops; crop valorization; food security; dietary diversity; agrobiodiversity; underutilized species; Kamonyi District