Rwanda is a coffee exporting country, well-known for its high-quality Arabica beans, located in Central East Africa. The largest share of the coffee is produced by over 350,000 small-holder coffee farmers, with an average farm size per farmer of fewer than 0.5 hectares (1,24 acres)².
Rwanda exports over 60% of its coffee to the European Union annually, and its coffee plantations are mainly scattered on the hillside of the country. Coffee production plays a crucial role in poverty reduction through the monetization of the rural economy and job creation.
Since 2016, Selecta has been active in the Southern province of Rwanda to improve the livelihoods of coffee farmers and their families. The project focuses on improving coffee productivity through Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) training and increasing household income through the heifer program.
Additionally, the project has resulted in a diversification of income for coffee-producing families, which is expected to reduce the dependency on coffee cycles and fluctuating prices. As a result of the implementation of the Heifer program, the families impacted by the project have had the possibility to sell milk surplus or consume it at home, which resulted in a high-quality source of protein for children.
We celebrated a cow giving ceremony in Rwanda and distributed 20 additional cows to Selecta beneficiaries - including 12 woman farmers. The agenda included training of the new beneficiaries and a ceremony outdoors with the delivery of farming equipment.
Meet Beatha Mukamusoni, a coffee producer in the Nyamagabe district of the Southern Province of Rwanda. Beatha, a widow with two children, has 400 coffee trees of Bourbon Arabica and started in coffee farming in 2014. Beatha is a beneficiary of the Selecta Coffee Fund Program and sat down with us to discuss the impact of the Selecta Coffee Fund Programme.
The Selecta Coffee Fund (SCF) contributes to Sustainability initiatives across our value chain, with a focus on the development of coffee farmers, their families and communities in coffee growing areas around the world.
Through the Selecta Coffee Fund impact areas, we aim to improve the livelihoods of coffee farmers, foster social equity, maintain thriving ecosystems, reduce carbon emissions and protect our ecosystem.
If this news interests you, we encourage you to read our Selecta Coffee Fund Brochure, in which we describe our projects more in detail. Day-in and day-out at Selecta is about sustainable coffee. So, we want to thank our clients for the support and will keep updating you in the coming months.