Multer, bringebær, mango, pære, valnøtt, vanlije, kryderet.

Rushashi’s focus group

In Rutabo, villagers have owned the same piece of land, segmented into individual lots, since colonial times. If seen from a distance, this large plot could very well look like a single one. However, it was not until recently that farmers from this land started organising and working together as a group. After Abakundakawa began its efforts in the region, farmers changed from traditional to quality processing, came together, and began organising. Today, they all harvest on the same days, prune, and tend the land. Added to this, the group has a clear vision and perspective to make coffee sustainable in the long run: they save, invest, and have a credit system, they share this knowledge with farmers from other regions, and they motivate the youth to join coffee, “When you have a good harvest, invest” they say.

Added to this, it was precisely this group who, after noticing how young people were migrating, leaving the elderly behind and, with it, the future of coffee production, came up with the idea of creating a Youth group. This was the birth of Ishema, with whom we also collaborate, and is now a consolidated group of young coffee farmers.