Dr Sam Kanyamibwa, ARCOS

Pioneering regenerative agriculture in Rwanda

People are part of nature. It's vital that we live in harmony with it.

This is a guiding principle of the Albertine Rift Conservation Society – more widely known as ARCOS. The organisation was founded by Dr Sam Kanyamibwa in 1995.

As Dr Kanyamibwa explains, climate change tends to have a greater impact on developing countries. In Rwanda, where more than 80% of the population rely on agriculture, this poses a serious problem.

Long periods of drought can reduce crop productivity, which greatly affects communities in the area. The issue is significant – but nature-based solutions offer a new way forward.

Dr Kanyamibwa is an advocate for sustainable agriculture. His model is grounded in nature, from integrated water resources management to taking care of the soil. It's also embedded into the work ARCOS have been doing for over 30 years.

ARCOS are on a mission to conserve biodiversity and properly manage natural resources. Crucially, they do this by promoting collaborative action between people and nature. At first, their sole focus was the Albertine Rift region, but today they have expanded to the African Great Lakes and African Mountains.

Working closely with local communities, ARCOS integrate the environment into everything from education to the value chains of commercial crops — like tea and coffee. This creates a circular bioeconomy. When the products that fuel farmers’ livelihoods also regenerate nature, everyone benefits.

In Dr Kanyamibwa’s vision, humans don’t just get closer to nature – we actively collaborate with it to build a better future.

To learn more about ARCOS, visit their website.