77. New Dry Mill and Rural Community Development in Rubengera, Rwanda

10. November, 2017

Nov. 9 - Inauguration celebration included drummers and dancing!

Yesterday was a very exciting day in the small rural community of Rubengera, Rwanda. Hundreds of people attended the inauguration ceremonies for the new dry mill which opened earlier this year. I had the honor of seeing the large, cavernous building on May 1, shortly after it was purchased from the previous owner and was only starting to be converted. Then I saw it again in June when a contractor from Braz-Afric was there supervising the installation of a dozen different new, large machines. In July and August, Artisan Coffee Imports was honored to be one of the first coffee importers to have the coffee we were buying (from KOPAKAMA's Ejo Heza group) processed on those new machines.

I was so honored to be invited to the inaugural ceremony, but unfortunately, I was not able to be there in person. So I was delighted to receive photos and even a video from the auspicious occasion. (Thanks to Frederic HAKIZIMANA, KOPAKAMA's CEO who is adept with Whatsapp!) I'm sure if I had been at the day-long event, listening to the speeches and enjoying the dances, the food and the tour, some of the points I would have reflected on would be:

• How beautifully different organizations have worked together to make this large project possible. My understanding is that KOPAKAMA, TWIN and a group called SIDI brought the financing for the project together. Seven different coffee washing stations have agreed to use the facility, agreeing on the fees they'll pay, schedules, labor arrangements, etc. All of this takes levels of trust, cooperation and goodwill which cannot be taken for granted.
•  How this large building, near a school and not far from the road will be another visible sign to all in the community of how important coffee is to the community. It will visibly reflect how coffee brings development opportunities -- machines, big buildings, jobs.
• How this new business is going to offer multiple opportunities for building the capacity of the residents of this rural village. The machines will need technicians and operators, the offices of the dry mill will need accountants and human resources managers. The dry mill will require operations managers who understand production scheduling and modern communication. The new facility has a cupping lab staffed by trained cuppers, who in turn, will offer training for others to learn this critical quality evaluation skill.

This list of development and capacity building benefits could on and on.  The vision, foresight and planning of the individuals who supported the creation of the KOPAKAMA dry mill are truly to be appreciated for this momentous gift they are giving the people of Rubengera and indeed, all of Rwanda. It is concrete evidence of the benefits that coffee can bring to rural communities.

May 1 - building renovation in-process

May 1 - main entrance, lower floor

May 1 - First floor

May 1 - second floor

June - machinery being installed

June 16th - Braz-Afric Supervisor from Nairobi supervised machinery installation.

June 16th - Jean Bosco- the de-pulper operator at the washing station - looks happy to be working on bigger machines!

June 16th

June 16th

Nov. 9th

Guests of honor - Nov. 9th

Nov. 9th - Frederic HAKIZIMANA, KOPAKAMA CEO

Nov. 9th, Mattia Guglielmi of TWIN

Nov. 9th, food and drink enjoyed inside the new dry mill

68. More Research on Climate Change

February 22, 2017

As shared in a post yesterday, more and more research is appearing on the dire topic of climate change and how it affects coffee and coffee farmers.

TWIN, a coffee NGO and trading company based in the UK, has just released a report with four case studies that include Nicaragua and Uganda.


Today an article in Daily Coffee News discusses the new report from TWIN:

http://dailycoffeenews.com/2017/02/16/climate-resilience-requires-stronger-coffee-communities-and-deeper-partnerships/

This link takes you straight to an on-line version of the report. On page 28, there is a short synopsis of the report's findings related to on-farm practices to adapt to climate change. It categorizes measures such as shade trees, erosion control, diversification and improved fertilizers as "no-regret" measures that contribute to improved sustainability of production, but are not specifically addressing climate adaptation. For example, climate change in Nicaragua appears to be affecting phenology (esp. flowering), however none of the promoted practices respond to this change.

Pruning helps trees withstand climate change.

Mulching helps the soil retain moisture and other nutrients.

67. For Coffee, Climate Change is a Reality and Research is On-going

21. February, 2017

Climate change is not a theoretical discussion for coffee farmers. The question is "when" and "how" to deal with it. Unlike some folks in comfortable chairs in oval offices in Washington D.C., coffee farmers do not have the luxury of discussing "if" it exists. So organizations across the coffee industry are tackling the issue, hoping to learn from farmer experiences and share the best of what is known with farmers who may be struggling to adapt.

In December 2016 a colleague of mine at Michigan State University, Aniseh Bro, finished her Ph.D. in Community Sustainability on adaptation to climate change by coffee farmers in Nicaragua. [Formal title is: Biodiversity, Climate Change and Livelihoods: A Study on Economic and Ecological Sustainability Among Coffee Producers in the Highlands of Nicaragua.] 

Her thesis explores potential pathways for climate change adaptation via three separate studies. 

1. First, she looks at the characteristics of coffee producers in northern Nicaragua. Bro explores their attitudes towards risk through the use of experimental risk games. She finds that household food insecurity is a determinant of risk aversion, and that coffee income is important insofar as it results in greater food security.  Below is a graphic depicting the relationships:

 

The slide below shows farmers' responses with disaggregation to show which responses are due to which of three shocks: pests, drought or flood.

This study also mentions the gender gap. Women are consistently worse off than men in this sample from northern Nicaragua. They are more vulnerable and more food insecure. Therefore, equitable interventions are needed. The table below shows some of the data, and a tell-tale public relations message is also shown in the photo to the left.

 

2. In the second study, Bro uses choice experiments to elicit farmers' preferences for shade incorporation into coffee farms. Shade helps protect soils, promote biodiversity and mitigate effects of higher temperatures from climate change or other causes. She finds that for a small pay premium, farmers are willing to incorporate additional shade into their farms. An unexpected finding is that farmers are not willing to give up any coffee income to have better access to pesticides, a likely reflection of the recent leaf rust outbreak in the country and the poor institutional response.

 3. The third study analyzes the degree to which cooperatives help farmers have adaptive capacity to climate change. Results show that cooperative membership is associated with higher adoption of practices recommended for adapting to climate change, such as planting shade trees and mulching. Cooperative membership is also a significant determinant of practices that promote water conservation.