Rwanda Beyond Flagship - Coffee Productivity & Income Diversification

By purchasing specific microlots from our sister company, RWACOF (Sucafina in Rwanda), you are supporting a project that’s helping farmers close the living income gap. As part of our Beyond Flagship program line-up, this multi-year initiative supports livestock distribution through solidarity chains, crop diversification through regenerative agriculture and ongoing tree rejuvenation to boost coffee yields and build resilience.

Introduction

This multi-year Beyond Flagship project supports coffee farming families in Rwanda by investing in livelihood diversification and regenerative agriculture – key strategies that can contribute to closing the living income gap.

Funded through a premium applied to select coffee purchases, the project enables direct investment into your supply chain – advancing sustainability initiatives that align with IMPACT Goals.

The Rationale:

Farmers delivering to Muhura Coffee Washing Stations (CWS) typically cultivate small plots with as few as 200 coffee trees, many of which are aging and increasingly unproductive. With such limited production, many households struggle to earn a living income.

Coffee accounts for only 29% of total household income within these communities, on average, and 99% of coffee-farming families remain below the living income benchmark.

In 2024, we partnered with farmers to implement tree rejuvenation techniques, which is expected to contribute to a 30% increase in coffee income by year 3–4. However, further action is needed, particularly in crop diversification and soil health, to ensure long-term resilience and income stability. 

2025/6 efforts focused on livestock (goats) distribution as a sustainable and income-generating asset for participating Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) members. 

Project Components

• Livestock Solidarity Chains: Distribution of goats and training in livestock rearing helps Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) members access livestock and increase their household income.
• Seed Distribution via VSLA Groups: Project funds are channeled through VSLAs, who then distribute cover crop and intercrop seeds that support both soil regeneration and income diversification.
• Research and Training: Farmers gain access to information on the optimal mix of cover and intercrops to enhance income, biodiversity and soil fertility.
• Women-Led Coffee Seedling Production: The project supports the creation of women-led VSLA initiatives focused on producing coffee seedlings, creating job opportunities and enhancing long-term productivity.

Expected Outcomes/Impact:

• 25 VSLAs (750+ members) gain access to livestock, with offspring distributed member by member until all members benefit (see more about Livestock Solidarity Chains)
• Farmers gain access to Regenerative Agriculture Kits (focusing on farm renovation through stumping, new seedlings access, cover cropping and intercropping tools and information)
• 2k+ coffee seedlings produced & distributed

Contribution options:

In addition to built-in contributions made through purchases of selected micro-lots, roasters and interested partners can make additional contributions to this project:

• Over 500 farmers kits cost 40 USD
• Flexible USD contributions enabled from 500 USD and above.

About Beyond Flagship Projects

Beyond Flagship Projects are initiatives linked to IMPACT-verified farmer groups within Sucafina’s direct supply chains. These projects are designed to offer partners a flexible way to support IMPACT goals, create measurable impact and drive meaningful change at contribution levels below the typical minimum threshold for full project sponsorship.

Investments are made through a premium and do not need to be tied directly to coffee produced by the project’s participating farmers. Instead, support is Origin-specific – for example, purchasing Beyond Flagship contributing coffees from Colombia enables investment in Colombia-based IMPACT Beyond projects. This approach increases flexibility, expands the potential for impact at scale and supports more consistent data collection and reporting across supply chains. 

About Muhura CWS: RWACOF (Sucafina in Rwanda) began operating Muhura washing station in 2022. Today, RWACOF works in concert with local farmers to process cherry with an eye towards producing high-quality coffees. Together, they produce coffees that are as remarkable as the landscape they come from. Additional initiatives led by the CWS include access to safe, clean water for household use.