Leveraging Indigenous Knowledge for a Resilient Circular Economy
Lessons from Rwanda's Circular Economy for a Resilient Future
Circular Economy (CE) systems are vital for advancing sustainability across diverse contexts, emphasizing resource conservation through slowing, narrowing, and looping flows. The Brazil T20 Summit highlighted the global significance of CE, with examples from Rwanda demonstrating innovative approaches like the Girinka Program and the Circular Food Systems (CFSR). These initiatives focus on climate adaptation, food security, and empowering women and youth, showcasing the potential of inclusive community-driven solutions. By integrating indigenous practices and addressing informal sector challenges, Rwanda’s strategies align with Europe’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) and the broader Green Deal, offering scalable approaches and frameworks for equitable growth within planetary boundaries. Recommendations for leveraging such insights include promoting women’s empowerment, bridging data gaps, and fostering Global South-North collaboration, underscoring the critical role of developing nations in shaping global sustainability and resilience.
The Universal Importance of Circular Economy Systems and Approaches
Last year’s G20 Leaders Declaration highlights the reasserted effort of the world’s seven largest economies–which cumulatively account for 75% of global waste and the majority of natural resource consumption–to address waste production through zero-waste initiatives and the promotion of a circular economy.
A key takeaway of the Brazilian T20 Summit in Rio De Janeiro communiqué, was the importance of a holistic approach to sustainable development through trade and investment. Task Force 1 underlines the importance of bolstering sustainable food systems and agricultural practices to ensure global food security. Task Force 2 summarizes Circular Economy (CE) under three main approaches to the value chain: slowing flows, narrowing flows and creating loops.
Valuable lessons of CE implementation and strategies can be gleaned from African Indigenous practices, an example of which is evident in Rwanda’s approach to addressing agricultural practices toward sustainable food systems and nutrition in the East African region. The Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), part of the European Green Deal, emphasizes sustainable agriculture, food security, and localized resource use within Europe. By exploring the synergy between Rwanda’s CE initiatives—such as community-based practices and resource loops in agriculture—the EU can strengthen its CEAP goals with models suited for diverse, socioeconomically varied environments. Rwanda’s holistic approaches align with CEAP’s focus on reducing waste and enhancing food security, showcasing the potential for applying indigenous knowledge and insights from developing countries to support Europe’s sustainable agriculture targets, advancing the EU’s broader Green Deal objectives. Integrating these models would allow CEAP to leverage the Global South’s practical experience in often-overlooked sectors, underscoring the valuable contributions that Rwanda and similar nations offer toward achieving global sustainability.
The South African G20 Presidency and the African Union’s (AU) membership in the G20 can advance this agenda and highlight the critical role of developing nations in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in climate action, environmental protection, and sustainability. Rwanda’s experience highlights the invaluable integration of CE principles and innovative solutions to various socioeconomic contexts. As climate change challenges intensify, COP29, hosted in Azerbaijan, was a key marker on the road to collective action in leveraging the knowledge, expertise, and practices of developing nations, bridging the knowledge gap and driving sustainable solutions globally.
Circular Economy in Africa
In Africa, organizations like the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) and the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN) amongst others have accelerated CE practices by aligning them with all 17 SDGs. Such organizations focus on sustainable resource management, job creation, and reducing environmental impact. With a young and rapidly growing population, Africa is well-positioned to drive CE innovations that promote sustainable development. Projections estimate that CE implementation across Africa could generate $546 billion in global wealth. This transformation will largely be driven by the continent’s youth, whose demands for improved living standards will catalyze sustainable industrialization, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Circular Economy Case Study: Rwandan Food Systems and Agriculture
Rwanda’s agriculture sector is particularly vulnerable to climate change, with crop yields projected to decline by up to 15% by 2050. Agriculture represents about a third of Rwanda’s GDP and employs nearly 72% of its population, so this decline is a major threat to national food security. Rwanda’s Crop Intensification Program aims to address these challenges by increasing crop yields and building resilience, aligning with Brazil’s Alliance against hunger and poverty to foster sustainable food systems. Many of Rwanda’s small-scale farmers, particularly women, face challenges due to limited resources and societal gender gaps. These farmers, mainly in the informal sector, are vital contributors to the national economy but often lack access to the decision-making processes that shape agricultural and economic policies.
Rwanda’s response to its agricultural and environmental challenges is guided by four key principles: climate adaptation, sustainable resource management, food security, and job creation with an emphasis on women and youth. The Girinka Program, launched in 2006, exemplifies this approach by providing dairy cows to rural households. The program has helped improve nutrition, generate income, and enhance soil quality, reducing malnutrition by 20% by 2020. Similarly, the Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Home-Grown School Feeding programs aim to diversify diets and improve nutrition by equipping households with the resources and education needed to sustain healthier and more resilient communities.
Women’s empowerment is central to Rwanda’s CE efforts. The Joint Programme for Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE), led by FAO, IFAD, WFP, and UN Women, provides rural women with the tools to improve food security, income, and leadership skills while promoting gender-responsive policies. Despite challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, JP RWEE has demonstrated remarkable resilience, enabling cooperatives of nearly 2,000 members—mostly women—to generate over $62,000 in income, a testament to the resilience and impact of CE-centered strategies.
Another prominent initiative is the Circular Food Systems for Rwanda (CFSR) program, a three-year project to make Rwanda’s food systems more circular and sustainable. By partnering with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which account for 98% of Rwanda’s businesses, CFSR drives CE models in the agri-food sector to improve resource use and policy support. However, data gaps remain a significant barrier, particularly in the informal sector, where many women work without formal recognition. The lack of data limits policymakers’ ability to evaluate and adjust programs effectively. Across the continent, gaps in CE data—especially in sectors involving women—underscore a need for Africa-specific data for policy tools to enable evidence to inform decision-making and drive equitable growth.
Key Takeaways for the European Context
CE research often overlooks developing regions and the informal sector. Rwanda’s success highlights the importance of including rural communities, women, and youth in CE dialogues, enriching policy with diverse knowledge essential for global sustainability. As developing nations like Rwanda, Brazil, South Africa, and Azerbaijan take on greater climate leadership, their localized and indigenous circular solutions, while adaptable, offer universally beneficial principles. Recognizing and utilizing their expertise is crucial for advancing global sustainability, demonstrating that the Global South’s contributions are integral to the success of CE initiatives worldwide. The success of developing nations like Rwanda underscores the value of indigenous and community-driven knowledge for climate solutions. By integrating these insights, Europe can enhance its climate strategies.
Recommendations
- Integrate Indigenous Knowledge: Incorporate resource conservation practices from developing countries into European climate policies.
- Focus on Community-Based Solutions: Prioritize local input and approaches.
- Promote Women’s Empowerment: Ensure gender-responsive climate policies by prioritizing education, training and consultation of women and other marginalized social groups.
- Support Informal Sector Integration: Address data gaps and formalize the informal sector to foster equitable growth.
- Encourage Global South-North Collaboration: Build partnerships that recognize and apply developing nations’ expertise through bi-directional knowledge exchange and capacity strengthening.