The Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) is a climate-positive campus built with local materials and craftsmanship, working to restore native biodiversity and train future generations of leaders in conservation agriculture.

RICA’s campus plan emerged from a multidisciplinary research and analysis effort and includes landscape, housing, academic spaces, barn storage, processing space, stormwater systems, human and animal waste management systems, and off-grid energy infrastructure. Programming is organized alongside a continuum of “shareholder to mechanized” farming methods.

RICA’s design explored how buildings could be harvested from the site with the lowest carbon footprint possible, aiming for regenerative impact. The buildings are constructed using biogenic materials, including rammed earth, compressed earth blocks, wood, stone, and terracotta.

RICA’s embodied carbon will be ~60% less than the baseline approach for institutional buildings. Approximately 96% of building materials were sourced within Rwanda, and 90% of the 2,500-person workforce came from the Bugesera district.

RICA’s landscape thrives as a biodiverse ecosystem, guided by a meticulous site plan for native species restoration. From savannah woodlands to papyrus wetlands, RICA's design blends seamlessly with nature, utilizing passive cooling and locally sourced materials like rammed earth and wood.

RICA is anticipated to be the first climate positive university of its kind by 2040, removing more carbon from that point forward than was produced from the campus' creation and ongoing operations. The average embodied carbon of the campus buildings is 214 kgCO2e/m2. RICA is powered by a 1.5MW on-site solar array, which stands as one of the largest in Rwanda.

The project team developed a biodiversity succession plan with local ecologists to restore conditions where native species can thrive. Two zones of savannah woodland were designated for conservation with a wetland buffer to ensure the health of the water system, all connected through ecological corridors.

The project team initiated extensive site and climatic analysis, engaging ecologists, local historians, agricultural academics, and biologists. This informed a design principle of “One Health,” an approach that posits human, animal, and ecological health are inextricably interconnected. The One Health campus plan serves as an integral part of the school’s curriculum, incorporating this research to emphasize passive climate-responsive design, conservation of ecological zones, and improved community engagement.

Our multidisciplinary team minimized the project’s ecological and carbon footprint, through the use of bio-based and low impact materials, whilst maximizing the human handprint, by celebrating the craft and culture embedded in local fabrication. To reduce operational impacts, we optimized for daylight and water to reduce demands, providing solar energy and water treatment facilities to support the off-grid campus.

Beyond its physical impact, RICA will empower the next generation of leaders in East Africa, and around the world, in food production by providing a world-class education in conservation agriculture principles and practical skills in communication, leadership, and entrepreneurship.