Rulindo Organic Coffee Farming
Over the past decade or so, Organic coffee is evolving at the forefront of both local and international market traceable to its rising health trends. Coffee can be deemed as organic when it is grown without the use of chemical-based fertilizers, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or genetically modified organisms (G.M.O.s).
Henceforward, Juru Coffee started the project in Rulindo District where coffee trees were already planted on 129 hectares through an irrigation project funded by World Bank.
Project Inception
By then, the planted coffee trees had no follow up and the District was worried about their survival. The threat to the survival of coffee trees resulted from lack of a permanent agronomist to assist farmers, lack of fertilizers, know-how and mulching etc. Additionally, the District plans to start a fish farming project into the water dam and was concerned by the fact that chemical fertilizers and pesticides to be applied into the coffee farms may be harmful to fishes. When Juru coffee ltd applied to implement its organic coffee farming project, the District was delighted that Juru coffee organic coffee farming was in line with the fish farming project.
It is for that reason that the District recommended Juru coffee to take care of the coffee trees planted in the surroundings of the water dam by providing technical assistance and incentives to farmers. In addition to being a good brewed drink and a commercial commodity, coffee has created other habits, practices and hobbies including tourism around its farming, processing and testing (cupping). Juru coffee ltd will develop a coffee Agro-tourism component along with farming and processing on high altitude mountains of Burega, Buyoga and Cyinzuzi sectors and around the man-made lake.
Project Implementation Pathway
Dominantly, Juru Coffee Ltd intends to achieve this project by providing support to Farmers in Rulindo District of Northern Province which includes; providing domestic animals to coffee farmers for production of organic manure to be applied to coffee trees and to their food crops to increase the productivities in addition to generation of money, meat and eggs for the family consumption.
The project will create jobs for hundreds of people in a rural areas especially women; through coffee farming, animal husbandry, coffee processing and during construction of a coffee washing plants in the project area.
The project will build the capacity of coffee farmers and empower women through training sessions and field visits to learn from best practices, it will increase their access to finance and contribute to fight malnutrition.
By organizing coffee farmers into small groups and cooperatives of coffee farmers around economic activities, the project will also contribute to rebuilding unity and reconciliation in a post genocide society.
Currently, this project is under implementation, as for now, an agronomist has been hired to assist farmers, a 100,000 coffee seedlings nursery has been built in addition to another nursery of 10,000 shade tree seedlings, three cow stables together with one biogas tank are constructed and Farmers have been organised into neighbourhood groups to help them work together.