This study was undertaken to examine how the “One Village One Product” （OVOP） program, introduced into Huye District, Republic of Rwanda in 2011 based on the Small and Medium Enterprises （SMEs） Development Policy has impacted small and medium enterprises. The study also focused on how the OVOP program has been localized by SMEs. The OVOP program is a community development movement proposed in Oita, Japan in 1979, and was later introduced into other regions and foreign countries.

This study assessed the results obtained from a field survey of nine participant groups （enterprises and cooperatives） in Huye District. The results revealed first that participant groups used what they learned through basic business training in the OVOP program, which focused on gaining knowledge and putting it into practice to improve their daily business activities. The results show that sales and employees increased after the OVOP program was introduced in most of the participant groups. Representatives of the groups expressed that their mindset and attitude related to community development had also changed. Secondly, the OVOP program contributed to the creation of networks among entrepreneurs in Huye. Originally, the OVOP program was started using a top-down approach to implement policy. However, the bottom-up approach was also implemented by networks of OVOP program entrepreneurs. For example, the “road side station project” came about through the entrepreneurs’ original ideas.

The survey targeted a total of 90 coffee farmers in Huye and the management at coffee company A. This survey revealed that the OVOP program is making a contribution by providing market information concerning quality requirements as well as advice on agriculture to coffee company A. Coffee company A voluntarily dispatched field officers to support coffee farmers to improve quality, which resulted in market expansion. Newly-introduced coffee tourism in Huye has also motivated coffee farmers.

We report the contents and feedbacks from a public excursion on charcoal production and related landforms in the Satoyama environment, held at the Manyo Forest Park in Ohira Village, Miyagi Prefecture. Foci were placed on local geology, hillslope geomorphology and past charcoal production by local villagers. Feedbacks were very positive and encouraging. Overcoming the time-scale issue in geological/geomorphological perspectives was highlighted for future challenges.