ROAM (Rwanda Organic Agriculture Movement) works to strengthen agroecological trade in Rwanda and across the East African Community by closing the communication gap that keeps farmers, traders, and consumers from realizing the sector's full potential. Agroecological farming is gaining ground in Rwanda, with more farmers recognizing its value and shifting their practices to meet rising local and regional demand. Yet a large share of agroecological products traded from Rwanda goes unrecognized in domestic and regional markets. Producers and traders lose out on income not because demand doesn't exist, but because product visibility, market information, consumer awareness, and knowledge of cross-border trade regulations haven't kept pace with that demand.

The opportunity this project responds to is real and sizeable. The EAC region is home to over 174 million people and a combined GDP of around US$163.4 billion, with a growing share of consumers actively seeking healthier, more sustainably produced food. Recent developments including regional market integration efforts and simplified cross-border trade guidelines for MSMEs are opening new pathways for agroecological products to move across borders formally and profitably.

To help unlock this potential, the project works on three fronts:

1. Reaching consumers and the media through journalist workshops, farm field tours, and ongoing engagement with media houses to build accurate, informed reporting on agroecology.
2. Getting the message out via community radio partnerships, multilingual spot messages (Kinyarwanda, Swahili, and French), and radio/TV talk shows that bring cross-border trade information directly to producers, traders, and consumers.
3. Telling the stories that matter through documenting the experiences of women and youth traders working in cross-border agroecological trade, and producing communication materials that give their work visibility.

Through this work, the project aims to grow consumer understanding of agroecology, support a policy environment that favors its trade, and ultimately increase cross-border commerce in agroecological products improving incomes and welfare for producers, traders, and consumers alike.