96. Coronavirus and Coffee: Interviews with Ten Coffee Farmers in Rwanda

May 6, 2020

Ejo Heza members harvesting in April 2017

Artisan Coffee Imports builds relationships with coffee farmers by listening to them. Harder than one might think, but it is truly powerful when it happens. Two weeks ago we arranged for a short survey-style interview with ten of the Ejo Heza farmers who produce Artisan's flagship imported coffee. Ejo Heza is a group of female farmers formed in 2011 with the support of their parent cooperative, Kopakama, in the Rutsiro district of Rwanda's Western Province. Over the years, the group has grown from 200 to 400 members. They have two community plots which they cultivate together, and each member also has coffee trees at home.

In nine of the ten interviews, the farmers said that labor was an issue, either paying for it, or finding it, or both. This is the main "finding" related to Coronavirus. To skim the actual farmer comments, see below.

It's important to note the context of these interviews. They were conducted:

Grace Izerwe - Quality Control Intern

• By phone by Grace Izerwe, Kopakama's Quality Control Intern, who is also a trained researcher, trained coffee cupper, roaster and barista, and holds a B.S. in Rural Development and Agribusiness from the University of Rwanda.
• During peak season, meaning the height of the harvest, when farmers are likely going to the coffee plots several times a week or daily to harvest cherry. Most likely they are using every able-bodied person in their household to help with the harvest, and hiring 'daily workers'.

Of further note:

• There tends to be a "going rate" for daily labor in rural areas of Rwanda. Today the average daily rate is 1000 Rwf per day, (around $1.10) for someone to work from about 7am to 5pm.
• The short survey was gathering feedback on two topics, the new "300 Club" started this year by Kopakama and the impact of Coronavirus on the farmers themselves. Here we will share about the coronavirus impacts and a future blog will discuss the 300 Club.
• Labor is the most important component of cost of production probably in all coffee producing countries, but even more than some in Rwanda. Labor was estimated to be 75% of total cost of production in a study with data collected in 2015. (Click here for the study by Ruth Ann Church.) Of total labor, harvesting accounts for 36% of costs. 

Take-away: don't be fooled by what may seem like low-cost labor. It is a huge part of the farmer's budget and therefore doubling it, as appears to be the case for Rwanda's farmers, is going to have a likewise dramatic impact.

Ejo Heza farmer checks the quality of a coffee tree.

(Names have been changed to maintain anonymity.)

1. Epiphanie: "The stay home period is preventing us from harvesting as usual.  Since we are respecting the distancing (1m) between workers, I hire less workers than needed." (245 trees; 9 years as a member of Ejo Heza; 4 children.)

2. Floride: "The stay home period is affecting me in ways of hiring more workers because I have to pay workers the same daily salary as if they have worked the whole day." (1800 trees; 2 years as a member of Ejo Heza; 3 children.)

3. Perpetue: "The stay home period is affecting me in harvesting because before I would use 4 workers and now I am using 2 workers because you cannot find those casual laborers to help you. People are staying at home. This means those 2 available workers spend much time in harvesting. Sometimes they do not even finish the harvest of the good cherries before the delivery time set by the buyers." (660 trees; 3 years as a member of Ejo Heza; 0 children.)

4. Clementine: "It is not easy with the distancing instructions of allowing only 2 people harvesting on 1 coffee tree at the same time." (1008 trees; 6 years as a member of Ejo Heza; 3 children.)

Ejo Heza members sort cherry at the washing
station - April 2017

5. Adele: "The challenge is that I can’t afford to protect my workers with masks or hand sanitizers." (670 trees; 9 years as a member of Ejo Heza; 6 children.)

6. Seraphine: "I used to sell banana wines in bars, but now now they are closed. So it is not easy to get money to pay workers for the harvest during this lockdown." (500 trees; 4 years as a member of Ejo Heza; 5 children.)

7. Julienne: "The distancing and use of less workers is affecting me particularly as a site collector. Due to the distancing requirement, I am not allowed to get close to the farmers to work together with them on checking the cherries which they have delivered.  This takes me more time and makes some losses when I am sorting alone with workers while farmers have already gone back home. The other challenge is the sanitary and hygiene requirements. I have to always buy hand sanitizers, soaps and water to make sure everyone arriving at the site is safe from the coronavirus." (1030 trees; 4 years as a member of Ejo Heza; 4 children.)

8. Beatrice: "As many businesses closed, we are not able to invest in harvesting because we lack money to pay workers in this period of lockdown." (315 trees; 4 years as a member of Ejo Heza; 2 children.)

9. Peruth: "This lockdown is challenging me in hiring workers. Many are staying home and the available ones cost much money for harvesting." (1500 trees; 3 years as a member of Ejo Heza; 0 children.)

Those are the comments about the labor challenge. A comment during the interview from our tenth participant references a challenge unrelated to COVID:

10. Dorthee: "It is really hard in this period of rain sometimes. You can’t harvest due to heavy rains and you have to go the following day to pick the specialty coffee." (800 trees; 3 years as a member of Ejo Heza; 2 children.)

To learn more about how Rwanda's coffee sector is faring in during the pandemic, head over to our other blog, Artisan Coffee in N. America, by clicking here.

85. Interview with Bette - 28 yr old Ejo Heza member

I was honored yesterday to be able to interview Bette UWIMANA, who is on the staff at KOPAKAMA cooperative and she's an officer of the women's group, Ejo Heza. CLICK HERE. (20 minutes)

Bette UWIMANA - Ejo Heza member and leader.

Interview during a visit to the Ejo Heza community plot. L to R: Uwimana, Church and Kayitare.

Listening to the interview gives you the opportunity to hear Uwimana express herself in her own voice. Here is a summary of some of her comments:

Q (Ruth): Tell us a little about yourself:
A: I am 28 years old, married with two children, 8yrs and 4 yrs old. Together with my husband we own and farm 1,650 coffee trees, plus we have other crops, like banana and I earn a salary as a staff person at Kopakama.

Q: How did you first "find" the Ejo Heza group? What made you want to join?
A: I first heard of the group in 2012 while I was working at Kopakama as a coffee receptionist. I realized there was this group, and these women were improving their lives. Meanwhile, my own farm was not productive.  Finally in 2017, I joined as a member. Now I am the Documentation Officer and Manager of Loans & Credit for Ejo Heza.

Q: What activities do you do now because you are an Ejo Heza member?
A: There is a group meeting twice a week during the season [to work together on the community plots.] For example, we do harvesting, pruning and weeding. When production is very high, we may even meet three times a week. When the season is over, the savings and credit group meets. This is very helpful for overcoming problems after the season ends [and the coffee money is gone].

Q: How much do you save in the Ejo Heza microcredit program?
A: Shares were 500 RWF ($.57) each, now they are 1000 RWF ($1.14). We meet once a month and each member saves at least 1 share, but we can put more in if we would like. At first there wasn't enough money to give big loans to members (in the first months after they started the savings group in 2014). Now we are able to give members loans of up to 200,000 RWF ($230).

Q: Have you taken out a loan? If so, what for?
A: Yes, I purchased a cow. Since I have trees in the area of Sure, where we are growing organic coffee, I wanted to buy a cow that would produce manure to help fertilize the trees.

Q: Have you been able to pay back the loan?
A: The loan comes with two installments. I've paid the first and will pay the second next year.

Q: You have coffee as one source of income. How important is coffee income to your household?
A: Coffee is important. When you calculate it, you see that it is helping. When my husband and I got the plots near Sure, we needed to move closer. We used coffee money to buy the land for the house, and then build the house.

Q: Artisan Coffee paid a premium of $.30/KG green coffee to Ejo Heza for the coffee last year and it was distributed at the general assembly. How did you feel about that and what were you able to do with that bonus?
A: I didn't receive it because I wasn't a member yet! I only became a member after the 2017 season. This year I can receive a premium.

Q: Ha! Understood. What did other members do with the bonus. Do you have some idea?
A: Yes, they buy animals depending on the amount of money they get, for example, cows, goats, chickens. Some pay for Mituel, the health insurance, others pay school fees.