Sucafina Rwanda (RWACOF) who has been collecting vital farmer data in order to better tailor improvement programs to support the farmers in the supply chain recently, rolled out the first data-driven initiative to distribute lime specifically to farmers with acidic soils. However, Maryann Wanja, R&D Officer/Agriculture Scientist with Sucafina Rwanda said that it requires excellent soil and farmer data to make the work.
‘Farmer parties’ which were hosted, in order to distribute lime, at Sucafina Rwanda’s washing stations that celebrated farmers while sharing important agronomic information about fertilisation. Maryaan said that the farmer parties gave an opportunity to them to engage one-on-one with farmers while distributing lime, which needs to be applied to the soil in a specific time window.
Distribution of farming inputs effectively
This is the first year that Sucafina Rwanda has distributed lime to farmers delivering to their stations. Maryaan further said that distributing lime was difficult, however lime can’t be applied in areas where the soil acidity is not a problem. Following Sucafina Rwanda’s soil testing initiative in 2021 and 2022, they identified about 2,000 farmers whose soil was too acidic and could benefit from applying lime. For the first time, Sucafina Rwanda has enough data to start implementing targeted interventions like lime distribution specifically to farmers whose soil is too acidic. These farmer parties are just one in a series of targeted, data-driven interventions that can help farmers increase yields, improve quality and enhance their overall income.
The lime distribution project is a 3-year project that aims at optimising soil conditions and boosting cherry production. Moreover, each station has agronomists available to provide training and offer technical support to the farmers. They will also conduct regular tests to assess changes in the quality of soil.
This project is stage 2 of an ambitious soil health program that Sucafina Rwanda launched in 2021. However, the first step was collecting soil data and analysing it and the Stage 3 is planned for the coming months and will involve distributing organic fertilisers to farmers to help them increase the fertility of their soil.
Sucafina Rwanda also plans to scale up the project over three years. This year, lime distribution is free to identified farmers and the next year lime will be subsidised and be offered at a nominal rate to ask farmers to claim ownership of the inputs they are applying to their farms. For Maryaan creating a mindset shift is a vital part of the initiative. They also hope to work with new partners to expand the program to additional beneficiaries and supply a greater volume of lime to more farmers in the future.
Formation of a community and trust
The farmer party concept sprung out of the need to distribute lime quickly and efficiently. Lime needs to be applied at least two weeks before chemical fertiliser is applied. Sucafina Rwanda was recently notified that the government would be distributing fertiliser in the coming weeks, meaning that lime needed to be distributed no less than two weeks before then. The government also does a great job of supporting farmer success by distributing fertiliser annually at no cost to farmers. The lime distribution project works in tandem with this government service to further support farmers.
Tom Swinkels, Head of Strategic Projects said that they had a short window of time to make these events happen. Moreover, Rwanda’s washing stations sprang into action planning these get-togethers and inviting farmers to attend.
The farmer parties were organised by full time employees at the washing stations working in concert with Sucafina Rwanda staff. There was food and conversation, and farmers had the opportunity to consult one-on-one with agronomists about their farm.
In total, about 10,000 farmers across 17 stations attended the parties. The parties gave Sucafina Rwanda agronomists the opportunity to convey their soil testing results. She said farmers were seen asking for these results. So this however gave them the perfect space to sit down one-on-one with them and go over the results.
The parties also enabled Sucafina staff to better interface with farmers. For many farmers, it was the first time they met Sucafina Rwanda’s Managing Director, Harrison Koch, who joined 8 months ago from the Tanzania operation. They also had an opportunity to meet Kigali-based headquarter staff, including those in finance and logistics who don’t often go to the field to meet with the farmers or visit washing stations. This facilitated additional communication and bonding between farmers and Sucafina Rwanda staff. Maryaan said that the farmers at parties really appreciated it as they got to meet Harrison and other staff with whom they usually do not interact. In the end, farmers were grateful for Sucafina Rwanda’s continued support, and this gesture of gratitude towards them and their contribution to the coffee supply chain. They also received positive reception from the local government, who appreciated their enormous efforts to invest in farmers’ lives.
The farmer parties gave Sucafina Rwanda an opportunity to better engage with and show appreciation for the farmers in the supply chain, while sharing important knowledge and distributing lime to selected farmers. This new lime distribution project is just one in a series of new technologically-driven projects aimed at supporting farmers and increasing coffee quality and volume.
Read More: New ground as tech aims to help boost soil health
