It turns out that not only people can get promoted, but also coffee washing stations as well. This was clearly demonstrated by one of these stations in Rwanda, which is called Karenge. In 2022, thanks to foreign sponsorship and local efforts, it was expanded, and a research center and a training center for farmers in advanced modern farming methods were built on the land adjacent to it.
The 6 acres around Karenge station were used in the past exclusively for growing coffee. Thanks to the conversion of land, an Advanced Research Center was recently established to study innovative ways of farming and help farmers in their daily work.
The main tasks of the center were:
• Adapting farmers ' work to long-term climate change;
• Training farmers in advanced farming practices and financial literacy;
• Increased yield;
• Providing practical agronomic support to farmers;
• Assessing and mitigating the effects of pests and diseases on coffee;
• Improving soil fertility in the region and solving the problem of aging coffee trees;
• Use coffee by-products to create added value and reduce carbon emissions.
Additional tasks were also set for the Center's staff, such as increasing coffee production in Rwanda at the country level, which would require the involvement of a large number of farmers, including with the support of the country's leadership. As of 2022, farmers on average harvested about 1 kg of coffee cherries from the tree per year. And this is significantly lower than in most neighboring countries. It is planned to gradually increase this indicator to 3.5-4 kg/year. At the same time, the center will achieve this without significantly increasing the amount of agricultural land and large financial investments in projects.
It is also planned to explore options for crop diversification for agroforestry, in addition to coffee. The team hopes that by adding new plants to lands where coffee trees already grow, they can increase food security and farmers ' incomes, as well as benefit coffee production by starting to grow using the shaded method. For this purpose, tall shady trees and plants that bind nitrogen will be used to gradually improve soil quality, such as legumes. This research center should serve in the future as an educational institution not only for farmers, but also for agronomists and university students of the country.
It is important to note that the center will focus on methods that are easy and accessible to implement for small farmers, most of whom do not have free financial resources for investment, as well as personal time that they can invest in their long-term development. While most international coffee aid programs around the world are designed for medium and large farmers, the focus of this center is on small farmers with tiny plots and low incomes, which should subsequently improve their social status.
As a result, the research that has begun and will continue to be conducted in the future at the Karenge Research Center should benefit coffee farmers in the area and throughout Rwanda. And this will allow international customers to get better coffee from this country..
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