Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, At the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology on “Building a New Nation: Rwanda’s Progress and Potential”

Economically, you’ve made an astonishing recovery: per capita gross domestic product has tripled since 1994. The foundation for this growth of course has been agriculture. The government, with external support, has reduced soil erosion through terracing and tree planting. It’s promoted effective use of fertilizers and pesticides, which has increased production. Consolidation of landholdings is slowly transforming farm production from subsistence to industrial levels, despite its complexities. Over the last decade, agriculture has grown at 5 percent or more per year. The United States is proud to play a small part in that growth through President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative.