With coffee prices fluctuating and climatic and economic challenges multiplying, the coffee industry is at a crucial point in its evolution. To allow it thrive in this changing landscape, Rikolto has made diversification a key strategy. By investing in innovative diversification initiatives, coffee cooperatives and their members have built resilience while contributing to environmental conservation and creating new economic opportunities.
Although coffee is the world’s second most important commodity after oil and the second most consumed beverage after water, the sector is facing major difficulties in terms of economic viability. Its economic performance hinges on exports, which makes producers, who depend mainly on coffee for their income, vulnerable to price and production volatility.
In 2020, the cooperatives in the DRC supported by Rikolto were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. External inspections for certification were delayed and exports were hampered by restrictions on the movement of people and goods. The non-repatriation of funds linked to the marketing of coffee and the lack of cash exposed these cooperatives to unsustainable financial losses.
Surveys conducted in DR Congo in 2022 revealed a significant gap between the living income (sufficient income to afford a decent standard of living for all household members), which is $2,316 in coffee producing areas of the DRC*, and the actual household income of $1,400 for rural households**, highlighting the need to find alternatives to bridge this income gap.
(Sources: *the Anker methodology; ** a participatory survey conducted by Rikolto in Rutshuru.)
In Ituri, deforestation is exacerbated by unregulated export of crops like cocoa and coffee, which leads to the clearing of new areas, along with the logging and marketing of timber and wood fuel, mainly for subsistence needs. It is therefore vital to support farming communities in their transition to more productive, diversified and economically viable models that have less impact on the forest.
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“Thanks to crops grown in association with coffee, a greater variety of food is now available throughout the year and income from coffee is reinvested in large-scale projects,” says Vossi Luseya, a COOKKANZ producer in Mathungu.
Producers are the most vulnerable link in the coffee value chain, but diversification can act as a catalyst for sustainable development by promoting biodiversity, empowering farmers and stimulating economic growth through other sources of income. Diversification can be either horizontal, through the introduction of other crops or economic activities, or vertical, through the development of new types of coffee products.
Since 2014, Rikolto has supported six coffee producer cooperatives in setting up micro-washing stations to ensure consistent coffee quality and facilitate market access. However, our approach has shifted from a focus on coffee production and marketing to a systemic approach that considers the resilience and prosperity of coffee-producing communities. Three recent projects funded by IFAD, UNDP and DGD have enabled important diversification initiatives in the Kivu and Ituri regions.
With the support of Rikolto, the coffee growers who are members of COOPADE were the first to experiment with integrating the cultivation of green pigeon pea beans into their coffee production. This was followed by the SCPNCK, which introduced a biofortified bean and produced 6.5 tonnes, 78% of which was sold by the cooperative. Currently, 15,600 farmers are integrating the beans into their coffee fields. A total of 450 women from the above-mentioned cooperatives and CKK were supported with 4,000 kg of dwarf bean seeds, which they used to produce 80 tonnes of beans on 133 ha for the local market. The women were also trained in mushroom cultivation, an innovative method of recycling coffee pulp.
More than 45,000 banana transplants have been installed in coffee fields by the three cooperatives, which has led to an increase in banana production and improved local food security among coffee producers in DRC.
“Selling bananas provides me with an effective source of cash in addition to the income from growing coffee. Now I don’t have to worry about the lean season. I have cash all year round,” says Kalubero, a coffee farmer from Kyondo and member of the CKK cooperative.
These diversification initiatives have resulted in a remarkable increase of over 47% in the incomes of coffee growers: incomes have risen from $1045 to $1962.9 per year. Higher earnings have also helped to strengthen the Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), which were set up to encourage mutual aid. To date, there are 195 VSLAs, bringing together more than 3,000 producers.
In Ituri, Rikolto has introduced dynamic agroforestry systems as part of the PIREDD-O project, led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and aligned with the wider REDD+ initiative, which seeks to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. These systems integrate coffee, cocoa and oil palm across 2,483 hectares interspersed with productive trees and diverse food crops such as beans, groundnuts, maize and bananas on 436 hectares. This integrated approach has not only increased agricultural productivity but has also led to a significant 55% increase in farmers’ annual income.
Agroforestry offers numerous benefits for the planet as well. Combining different crops optimises land use and reduces the need to clear new land. Additionally, the organic matter generated by perennial crops enhances soil fertility, leading to increased agricultural productivity.
Diversification of income sources has also been achieved through the introduction of community savings and credit schemes, which have helped to finance 40 micro-enterprises and income-generating activities, such as soap-making, cut-and-sew clothing production, men’s hairdressing, water marketing and small businesses selling manufactured and agricultural products.
In 2021, Kibirizi coffee officially entered the international market, achieving a quality score of 85%, in line with the standards of the American Speciality Coffee Association. This achievement was made possible through the remarkable progress of the COOKURU cooperative who received high-performance equipment and in-depth training in the protocol for processing speciality coffees, provided by Rikolto with funds from IFAD’s PASA-NK project. But that was not enough.
To bridge the income gap, cassava and bananas were selected as the two main alternative crops, and 66 women were trained by Rikolto in the production of high-quality flour and supported with marketing it in Goma. With an individual capacity of 1,400 kg of fresh cassava strips per week, the women generated an average additional income of $140 per week, resulting in a gross annual income of $1,680, or 72.5% of the DRC living wage reference level.
"We are committed to giving priority to strengthening the role and position of women in coffee farming, as well as training them to produce soy milk, improve the quality of cassava flour and process fruit, all with the aim of supporting food security."
Given the large volume of Nescafé imported and consumed in the DRC, the potential for the local market is high, but locally produced coffee is less well known. Processing coffee locally would be a sure-fire way to escape the dictates of the stock markets, whose price-setting mechanisms are beyond the reach of cooperatives. With Rikolto’s support, LM Coffee, a youth-led initiative, now roasts, packs and sells 100% Congolese coffee in supermarkets, hypermarkets and shops. Four new businesses have been identified in Goma, three of which are women-owned, to receive training and roasting and distribution equipment.
Plans are also underway to raise awareness of the benefits of locally produced coffee, train hotels and other consumers in its preparation and eventually develop the market. Rikolto will also continue to work on living incomes for smallholder coffee producers in DRC by developing new diversification activities, such as beekeeping, and by facilitating access to a remunerative market for diversification products and services. Rikolto has made a choice to invest in the development of local markets, and the coffee market is no exception.
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