Rusizi women supported into bumper coffee harvests

Ukwizagira says that before being trained by the organization, he knew nothing about good practices of coffee growing like pruning, among others.

“Previously, we knew nothing about coffee growing practices; we used to cultivate it inappropriately, with no information about the quantity of fertilizers to use among other practice, which resulted in low production,” she says.

After receiving training from the organization since 2014, Ukwizagira embraced modern cultivation practices and currently the production has improved threefold.

“After being trained in coffee plantation handling, production was improved to the extent that we have constructed family house and bought hybrid cow. I have personal 150 coffee trees and I plan to plant 300 more trees,” Ukwizagira testifies.

Ukwizagira shares the testimony with 200 women from Rusizi District of Western Province who were trained by Sustainable Harvest Rwanda.

All 200 women are from six coffee farming cooperatives.

All trained women say that they have various development projects following good production from coffee plantation.

Western Province Sustainable Harvest Rwanda representative, Martin Ngendo says that the project focus on women by encouraging and empowering them to cultivate coffee.

He says that previously, coffee cultivation was considered as men’s job.

“Women need to change their mindsets towards cultivating coffee and make it a family source of income. They should be supported more in coffee growing practices, right from handling coffee seedlings in nursery beds to processing coffee beans for drinkable coffee. Farmers should also drink coffee,” he says.

Sustainable Harvest Executive Director, Ruth Coleman said that when a woman is trained, it impacts the whole family.

“We did our best to train women so that they can, too, practice coffee growing. Before, coffee growing was mostly dominated by men. We want coffee to be come a household source of income, because when you train a woman, it means that you have trained the entire family,” Coleman said.

Sustainable Harvest Rwanda operates in 13 Districts. In Rusizi District they operate from six sectors.