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Overview

The Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture – projected to be the first climate positive university in the world – is designed to train Rwanda’s next generation of leaders in agriculture, while supporting national priorities for agricultural development. MASS partnered with RICA to create a campus informed by principles of Conservation Agriculture and One Health, both of which emphasize the interlinking of ecological, animal, and human health. With its first phases already completed, RICA utilizes 96% of materials (by weight) from Rwanda, a 1.5MW solar farm produces 100% of RICA’s electricity, and the campus sources and treats all water on-site.

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The Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) will be the first climate-positive campus of its kind. By utilizing sustainably sourced materials and off-grid power sources, RICA represents an unprecedented investment into one of Rwanda’s most underserved districts, creating an enormous opportunity for positive environmental, ecological, and agricultural impact.

RICA’s master plan emerged from a multidisciplinary research and analysis effort to understand the existing models of agricultural education within Rwanda, East Africa, the United States, and Central America. MASS immersed itself in the local community, hosting six engagement sessions and participating in monthly umugandas, or “national community workdays,” to understand the cultural values, needs, and resources of the community.

MASS collaborated with the university’s teachers to develop a curriculum tailored to the campus programming, emphasizing practical agricultural training, community engagement, and applied research through a lens of One Health. The One Health inspired master plan draws from conservation and regenerative agricultural practices, linking ecological and animal health through crop and livestock production practices that replenish soil, water and biodiversity resources. The campus is connected by a central spine that supports social movement and
cohesion. Connective programming along this corridor spatially links agricultural techniques and supports campus life.

RICA’s is completely powered by an on-site solar array, the largest in Rwanda, as recommended by the landscape architects to achieve optimal solar gain. Beyond the standard electrical draw of the campus, the array will support a network of lake pumps, filtering stations,
and irrigation systems. Wastewater streams became a guiding design factor, and a variety of treatment systems were analysed for their replicability and appropriateness for the site.

The project developed a supply chain of building materials harvested, crafted, and sourced locally, with 90% of the budget spent within 500 miles of the site and 96% of materials sourced within Rwanda. Structural foundations employ locally quarried stone masonry to drastically.
reduce concrete volumes. Engineers researched and tested on-site soils to create a low-cement mix for site-made compressed stabilized earth blocks and rammed-earth walling. Roof structures use regionally sourced softwoods to catalyse a fledgling, low-carbon industry.

RICA’s exterior patios utilize locally fabricated tiles, which MASS used to develop Rwanda’s first ever EPD (environmental product declaration) for a local product. By considering all stages of the building process: material extraction, manufacturing, transportation, and installation, RICA’s embodied carbon will be 44% less than the global average for institutional works. RICA is predicted to be climate positive by 2044, removing more carbon from that point forward than was produced from the campus’ creation and ongoing operations.

RICA will empower the next generation of leaders in food production, providing world-class education in conservation agriculture principles and practical skills in communication, leadership, and entrepreneurship.