34.7 "They say wealth is in the soil...."

Aug. 12, 2015
Michelle Hockett's master's thesis paper from 2014 gives new perspectives on the challenge of encouraging innovation among smallholder farmers in Africa, especially female farmers. The full title of the research paper is, "They say wealth is in the soil": Local Knowledge and Agricultural Experimentation Among Smallholder Farmers in Central Malawi. I find this topic fascinating because "innovation" and "experimentation" are not discussed much in the literature on improving coffee farmer livelihoods, but it should be. In other businesses, the "innovation imperative" is discussed and promoted constantly, and even in specialty coffee, buyers I've talked to are not shy about the fact that they strongly encourage suppliers to innovate.


Michelle studied in the Community Sustainability department at Michigan State University, which is where I study. So while I never met Michelle personally, I saw her poster display and I know some of the faculty on her advisory committee (all top notch)!

The study finds that Malawian farmers across a range of socioeconomic characteristics are inclined to experiment. While experimental methods differ between farmers, there are commonalities in the drivers of experimentation, including climate change, income generation and improving household nutrition. Recommendations forthcoming from the research results include suggestions to take farmers' current practices into account in the development and implementation of agricultural intervention projects. In Malawi, Hockett notes that when current practices are considered, intervention projects work more effectively and smallholder farming systems are improved.

Points to consider for smallholder coffee projects:
* Take farmers' current practices into account
* Assume the farmers are inclined to experiment and innovate
* Do not assume farmers all innovate the same way or for the same reasons

34. Field Notes 11: Women in Coffee in Rwanda -- Leading in the Office and on the Farm

May 27, 2015
It would be hard to capture all that I learned about gender issues and the important roles women are playing in coffee in Rwanda. Rather than try and bore everyone with a not-fully-thought-out conclusion, I will just share the laundry list of women and programs I encountered and let you begin to draw your own conclusions and ask new questions.

Women Leading Companies in Rwanda:

1. Immy KAMARADE - Managing Director, Kirisimbi Coffee
2. Epiphane MUKASHYAKA (and her son) - Owner, BUF Coffee
3. Maggie UMIMBABISA (and her daughter) - Managing Director, Sacof
4. Angelique KAREKEZI - Managing Director, Rwashoscco
5. Therese Karitanyi - General Manager, Agropharm - now AgroPy
6. Ramya Waran, Director of Operations, KZ Noir
7. Anne Marie KANTENGWA, CEO, Hotel Chez Lando 

Women Farmers:
6 of my 10 interviews were with women farmers. I also got to meet the wife of the farmer I interviewed at GIFT washing station and the two women at BUF who were interviewed by my partner, Grace. Altogether got to talk with 8 or 9 female farmers. Each of these women are business owners and managers, too -- they are in the farm business.

1. Shy female farmer interviewed near BUF
2. Female picker near Rutasira (built a house by saving her wages for a season)
3. Huye Mtn "mom" with 5 kids
4. Farm mom with bad foot
5. Wife & mom in the "collector couple"
6. Farmers/pickers (2) near Kigufi

Programs:
Sustainable Harvest - Bloomberg -- building washing stations for women's cooperatives and providing a year-long training and leadership program.
Abakundekawa -- has a women's program where the women grow and sell, and keep the profits from, their coffee trees.

Government and Academia:

• University of Rwanda also has launched a new masters program on gender-sensitive Agri-business.  Both men and women can apply. The first 40 students are starting Fall 2015.
• Gerardine Mukeshimana is Rwanda's new Minister of Agriculture