“The Rwandan economy is based on rainfed agriculture, with coffee and tea as major cash crops. The key staple crops are bananas, beans, potatoes, sorghum, and cassava. Between 1991 and 2002, the rate of urbanization grew from 5.5 to 16.7 percent, a function of rural exodus, the return of refugees who from the 1994 genocide, and improvements in health and well-being in Rwanda. Life expectancy and child mortality rates in the country are influenced by a wide range of diseases, including malaria, diarrhea, and HIV/AIDS. Progress in reducing poverty has been very slow in spite of strong economic growth. In 2006, 57 percent of the population lived below the national poverty line; 37 percent were considered extremely poor because they could not afford the necessary minimum calorie requirements. Poverty declined most in urban areas. In rural areas, poverty declined from 66.1 to 62.5 percent.”
