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Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences - Vol. 13, No. 1
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
DOI:10.14738/dafs.131.18216.
Gatesi, J. F., Ayuke, F., Musinguzi, S. P., & Hirwa, C. D. (2025). Assessment on Status and Challenges in Rabbits Farming in Rwanda.
Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences, 13(1). 17-28.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Assessment on Status and Challenges in Rabbits Farming in
Rwanda
Gatesi, Jeanne Françoise
Uganda Martyrs University, Faculty of Agriculture
Ayuke, Fredrick
Rwanda Institute of Conservation Agriculture
Musinguzi, Simon Peter
Uganda Martyrs University, Faculty of Agriculture
Hirwa, Claire D’andré
Rwanda Agriculture and Animal resources Board
ABSTRACT
The survey was carried out in all Provinces of Rwanda. Using a stratified sampling,
one district was chosen from each Province and a purposive sampling was used
based on the higher number of rabbits per District; those are: Gakenke, Muhanga,
Ngororero, and Bugesera. To select the respondents, a snowball sampling method
was used and rabbits farmers were interviewed if they possess at least 10 rabbits
and have been in rabbit farming for at least a year. A set of questions were answered
by the respondents and data on breeds, feeding, demand/supply, and challenges
were collected using telephone/face to face interviews. Using SPSS software version
20, data from survey were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The study found out
that respondents have few years of experience in rabbit farming and keep less
number of rabbits because they are demotivated by some challenges like diseases
and death of young rabbits. Most of respondents mainly raise crossbreeds from New
Zeland white, Calfornia, American Chinchilla, Angora, Mini Lop and local breeds.
The feeding is mostly based on local forage and kitchen residues and the maturity
of rabbits among respondents varies from 4 to 12 months. The demand of rabbit
products is higher than the supply and all respondents said that rabbit farming is a
profitable business. Identification and training of rabbit farmers was
recommended; import pure breeds and initiate specific programs that will work
closely with rabbit farmers in the entire value chain was also recommended at the
end of this study.
Keywords: Feeding, rabbit breed, forage, challenges, rabbit farming.
INTRODUCTION
The Rwanda’s vision of the National Agricultural Policy is to become “a nation that enjoys food
security, nutritional health and sustainable agricultural growth from a productive, green and
market-led agricultural sector.” [1]
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Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences (DAFS) Vol 13, Issue 1, February- 2025
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
The focus of the first priority for current strategic plan for agriculture transformation is
improving agronomic knowledge and technology in terms of basic research and innovation,
especially aimed at developing improved varieties and breeds. It is also crucial to highlight the
importance of data that will inform farmers, researchers and decision makers. Moreover, the
PSTA 4 aligns to the Vision 2050 of East African Community of Increased investment and
enhanced agricultural productivity for food security and a transformation of the rural economy.
[2] It was revealed that rabbits are herbivores which efficiently convert fodder to food by
converting plant proteins of little or no use to people as food into high-value animal protein [3].
The fact that rabbits can be fed on local forage and kitchen residues and being prolific makes a
good reason to testify that rabbit farming is a profitable business. When rabbits are raised with
appropriate technologies can contribute effectively to improve the diet of large numbers of
families in rural and urban area, especially it is very important to those landless and low- income ones, providing such families with employment and a source of regular income [4]
A situational analysis shows that strong demographic and natural forces are to undermining
the national objectives of improved livelihoods and food security. Rapid population growth
causes a constant need to increase food production while it is encroaching on agricultural land
and accelerating land-fragmentation and the pressure on the already scarce land resources is
increasing. [1]
In Rwanda, rabbits are raised for meat and manure but the level of investment in rabbit
production is still low compared to the demand. As such, eateries such as hotels and restaurants
who would wish to have rabbit meat on their menus still cannot make it because of inadequate
supply as reported by a Rwandan rabbit farmer [5].
The aim of this study was to assess the status of rabbit farming and highlight the challenges
faced by rabbit farmers in Rwanda. To propose the solutions to highlighted challenges and draw
the best recommendations for further improvement of that sector were the specific objectives.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Area of the Study
The survey was carried out in four Provinces of Rwanda. In each Province, one district was
chosen based on the high number of rabbits according to geographical distribution (by
Districts) of rabbits in Rwanda done in 2008; those are: Gakenke, Muhanga, Ngororero, and
Bugesera.
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Gatesi, J. F., Ayuke, F., Musinguzi, S. P., & Hirwa, C. D. (2025). Assessment on Status and Challenges in Rabbits Farming in Rwanda. Discoveries in
Agriculture and Food Sciences, 13(1). 17-28.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/dafs.131.18216
Figure 1:Geographical distribution (by Districts) of rabbits in Rwanda, 2008.
Data Collection
The survey was carried out in all Provinces of Rwanda. Because of lack of information about the
exact number of rabbits’ raisers, it was difficult to use a probability sampling. Using a stratified
sampling, one district was chosen from each Province and a purposive sampling was used based
on the higher number of rabbits per District. To select the respondents, a snow ball sampling
method was used and rabbits farmers were interviewed if they possess at least 10 rabbits and
have been in rabbit farming for at least a year.
Data Analysis
Statistical analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software,
version 20. Descriptive statistics was used to present the results from the survey.
RESULTS
The results include the background information of the respondents, rabbit production, market
(demand/supply) and the challenges faced by farmers in rabbit production from the study area.
Identification of Respondents
The sample consisted of 16 (76.2%) male and 5 (23.8%) female (N=21). The age range among
respondents is between 21 and 63.
Table 4.1.1 Sex among respondents
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Female 5 23.8 23.8 23.8
Male 16 76.2 76.2 100.0
Total 21 100.0 100.0
Source: Primary data