Over the last decade, Rwanda has been facing decreasing food security and increasing land degradation, which has impacted negatively on livelihoods. Key challenges experienced in Gishwati and Bugesera necessitated implementation of the Trees for Food Security (T4FS) Project in the sites. In Gishwati, the key challenges are: low tree cover due to deforestation and tree cover loss in Gishwati forest resulting to soil erosion and soil loss and shortage of tree products such as stakes for climbing beans, fuelwood, fruits and timber. Others challenges include: flash flooding and landslides due to cultivation in steep slopes, loss of soil fertility due to continuous cultivation without fertilizers, heavy land fragmentation, siltation of water sources and low tree diversity. In Bugesera, the key challenges are: water shortage, low tree cover leading to shortage of tree products such as fodder and fuelwood, low crop yields due to declining soil fertility and low rainfall and drought