 Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture Designing for One Health In Southeast Rwanda, agricultural lands coexist with a patch of savanna forest and papyrus wetlands. Amongst the rich biodiversity of this habitat lives the endangered gray-crowned crane. A cross-section of the land is shown. Each night, the birds roost in native trees, such as the acacia. Below ground, the roots of these trees produce nitrogen that vastly improves soil fertility. The crane relies on the wetland and savanna for food. Birds help control insect populations that can otherwise infest crops or spread disease. A cross-section of the land changes through clearing, deforestation, papyrus removal, and topsoil erosion. Across the country, land is being cleared to make room for agriculture and to acquire firewood. This is not just the story of losing a bird or a tree or a termite. From a 10 by 25 grade of icons, animals and plants appear. As resources are depleted, the ecosystem that has the ability to replenish them and feed people is no longer there. A series of national maps from 1965 to 2019 illustrate the reduction of grasslands in the east and forests in the west, as population and farmland expand from the center of the country. Today, 80% of the land in Rwanda is employed for food production, and yet 21% of the population remains food insecure. By 2050, the population will double, and the sustainable productivity of the farmlands must rise to meet demands. Human, animal, and ecological systems are inextricably intertwined. One health is a global strategy to leverage these interrelationships and address the world's crisis of food insecurity and extreme weather events. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has committed US$125 million to create and operate the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture. Rika will train a new generation of leaders to adopt and promote conservation agriculture to support sustainable food production. A digital rendering illustrates the one-health approach. Preserve ecological assets such as the remnant savanna forest and the papyrus wetland, site grazing and food production based on soils and slope, and create first-year student farms and larger enterprise farms that share communal buildings and connect to a green-spine corridor. A cross-section of a first-year student farm is explored. In year one, students live and work together, 21 residents on a 2.1 hectare farm. The farm is built with solar principles to remain off-grid and uses V-shaped butterfly roofs to collect rainwater. Site soils are used to create compressed soil bricks and the rammed earth walls of the modern, bright and one-story farmhouse and barns. A cross-section of enterprise farm is explored. In year two, students move from small-scale practices to cooperative farming, including gaining exposure to value-added processing in six priority agriculture enterprises. In year three, students develop specialized expertise and spend time off-campus working directly with farmers and the agriculture sector. The dairy farm includes pastures, barns, a milk parlor, dairy processing facilities, and an academic building. The adjacent vegetable and fruit farm includes academic buildings and seed extraction and post-harvesting facilities. Celestorian windows minimize heat gain and provide optimal airflow and daylight, framed by a timber roof system built with sustainably harvested regional lumber. Artists rendering show the campus, the dairy, vegetable and fruit facilities at night and during the day. Students and faculty will convene in the campus center and dining hall. The clay tile roof is made from locally manufactured terracotta, sustainably fired with agricultural wastes. Artists rendering show the large campus center during the day at dusk and in the rain. Other renderings show a two-story housing building shaped like a figure eight, which features lush, round courtyards in bright, open, common rooms. The spine corridor is highlighted. Diversified program strips showcase all aspects of the curriculum, ecological, recreational, and teaching. One health construction. By looking at the entire supply chain and analyzing the embodied carbon that is created in the construction process, then choices can be made to align with the one health approach. Statistics illustrate the construction and employment benefits. Agriculture has historically been one of the least desirable career paths for college-bound students. RECA is transforming that perspective. In the first year of the school, 84 slots are available. RECA received over 7,000 applications. Classes start fall 2019. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation. Mass.