In the Western Province of Rwanda, Koperativey'Abahinzi ba Kawa ba Mabanza (KOPAKAMA) is working to create and sustain employment for more than 50,000 coffee farmers in the Rutsiro District. Why focus on coffee farmers? Because in the Land of a Thousand Hills, coffee is a prized export commodity.
In the early 1900s, German missionaries brought the first coffee plants to Rwanda, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that Rwanda coffee production began to take off. Today, there are nearly 400,000 smallholder coffee producers in Rwanda, with most farms sitting at 4,000 to 6,500 feet above sea level. In 2018, coffee accounted for almost $70 million worth of exports, up 7.2 percent from the previous year, with major markets being the United States and Europe.
Though KOPAKAMA had been growing organic coffee since 2011, the cooperative has not been able to benefit from the coffee boom in the country or tap into export markets. Among other challenges, KOPAKAMA lacked access to coffee processing and storage facilities and an adequate water supply system and was hampered by impassable roads that limited their transportation options.
With a nearly $217,000 grant investment from USADF, KOPAKAMA constructed a coffee washing station, a storage facility, and 50 drying tables. The cooperative also installed a water supply system and established a working capital fund to purchase coffee cherries at the start of the coffee growing season.
After two years of receiving capital and capacity building support from USADF, KOPAKAMA increased its organic coffee production from 157,360 tons to 486,040 tons of cherries and created employment for 130 community members. Even more exciting is KOPAKAMA’s establishment of relationships with coffee buyers, such as Joint Market Initiative, that are linking them to international markets. And for the farmers? KOPAKAMA's farmers now make more money than before, allowing them to better care for their families and invest in other horticulture businesses.
As the coffee industry in Rwanda continues to mature and demand for the country's coffee grows, KOPAKAMA is poised to benefit. And for its more than 50,000 smallholder coffee farmers, their lives will never be the same.
As Rwanda celebrates its Independence Day today, USADF congratulates the country for its remarkable investment in the coffee industry, paving the way for thousands of subsistence farmers to make a decent living and be part of Africa’s growth story.
Photo of organic coffee washing station.