Outward growth equity and poverty reduction - The case of Rwanda

Since the mid-20th century economists and economic policymakers have been searching for ways and means to combat poverty in developing countries. Among the strategies adopted experts advise nations to increase the volume and value of their exports a strategy that has been successful in some countries but has led in others to the formation of a dualistic society with two classes one with a much higher income than the other. In Rwanda agricultural exports have traditionally consisted of three agricultural products: tea coffee and pyrethrum which have been cultivated for more than three decades. Tea is one of the crops that employs a large part of the population and occupies a significant proportion of the best land in different regions of the country. The aim of this study was to analyse the distribution of tea export earnings and their impact on the living conditions of the population involved in this sector in the former MUDASOMWA district.