Rwanda’s coffee farming sector has undergone significant changes in recent years, with improved varieties, better farming practices, higher prices and increased farmer training reshaping how the crop is produced.

Farmers who once relied on planting materials collected from wherever they could find them are now using improved varieties, applying fertiliser and adopting practices such as pruning, pest control and intercropping to improve production.

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Alexandre Nshimiyimana, manager of Gashonga Coffee Cooperative in Rusizi District, has witnessed the changes since he started growing coffee in 2001.

"When I started, we used to sell a kilogramme of cherry coffee for about Rwf70. The price later reached Rwf200, and now it is around Rwf1,000,” he said.

Nshimiyimana said the changes in farming practices have been just as significant as the increase in prices.

In the past, farmers often planted coffee and hoped to return later to harvest it, while access to reliable planting materials and fertiliser was limited.

"Now farmers apply fertiliser and have received training on how to properly care for coffee,” he said. "Almost every coffee farmer has received training in modern farming practices, including how to control pests and diseases.”

The changes are also being seen in Gicumbi District, where Papias Bizimana, a farmer and manager at Mayogi Cooperative, said farmers have gradually started treating coffee as a business rather than simply another crop grown on their land.

Around 2020, he said, low prices discouraged many farmers from investing in coffee.

"Farmers would simply wait for the coffee tree to mature and then go to harvest it, sometimes finding the trees overgrown in the bushes,” Bizimana said.

"But now farmers take care of their coffee trees, prune them and apply fertiliser. The mindset has changed.”

Improved planting materials

One of the notable changes has been the introduction of improved coffee varieties.

Nshimiyimana said farmers previously relied on seeds collected from different places, including forests, because they lacked reliable planting materials.

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The improved varieties now available to farmers mature faster and can produce higher yields, he said.

Combined with greater use of fertiliser, the change has helped some farmers significantly increase their production. Nshimiyimana said some farms have seen production increase by about four times.

Farmers have also gained more knowledge about managing their plantations.

Training has covered areas including pest and disease control, fertiliser application and general coffee husbandry.

This has changed the way farmers approach their trees, with production increasingly treated as something that requires regular investment and management.

Nshimiyimana said farmers now keep track of what they invest and how much they earn from their coffee, allowing them to assess whether their farms are generating meaningful returns.

Prices changing farmers’ outlook

Higher prices have provided another incentive for farmers to invest in coffee plantations.

Bizimana said a kilogramme of coffee went for about Rwf200 in 2021. In 2026, prices reached Rwf800-1,000 and above.

In some parts of Western Province, prices reached about Rwf1,200 this year because of competition among buyers, he said.

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The National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) set the minimum price for quality, well-ripened coffee cherries at Rwf750 per kilogramme for the 2026 season.

For farmers, the higher returns have changed the way they view the crop.

Bizimana said many farmers who were previously discouraged by low prices are now investing more in their plantations.

The income also has a direct impact on households.

"Farmers are benefiting because if your income was previously around Rwf100,000 and the amount you receive has now increased fivefold, your life changes significantly,” Bizimana said.

He said farmers with children can better afford school fees, while others can pay health insurance and continue investing in their farms.

At Gashonga, Nshimiyimana said the improved returns have encouraged farmers to expand the land they dedicate to coffee.

"They know that when they take their coffee to the cooperative, there is something meaningful they can earn from their investment,” he said.

Adapting to changing weather

As farmers seek higher yields, they are also being encouraged to adopt practices that can help them cope with changing weather conditions.

Bizimana said farmers at Mayogi are being trained in intercropping, particularly the use of bananas and grevillea trees alongside coffee.

The trees can provide shade, while other crops can provide additional income.

Farmers who have adopted the practices are seeing better production, Bizimana said, adding that long dry periods are not affecting them as much as before.

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At Gashonga, farmers are also using intercropping. Nshimiyimana said bananas can be planted at intervals within coffee farms, while pacura can provide another source of income.

Some of the crops can also help with pest control. Coffee farms where pacura is planted, he said, tend to experience fewer insects attacking coffee trees.

The sector is also seeing the adoption of varieties considered more suitable for changing weather conditions.

Bizimana said farmers are planting RAB C15, a variety studied for its ability to withstand changing weather conditions better than some varieties previously used.

Open market brings new dynamics

The way coffee is traded has also changed.

The government repealed its coffee zoning policy, allowing farmers to sell their coffee to buyers across the country instead of being restricted to designated areas.

The change has increased competition. For farmers, this means they have more freedom to choose where to sell their coffee. But the open market has also created challenges for cooperatives.

Bizimana said Mayogi Cooperative operates across 84 hectares and has the potential to produce about 300 tonnes of coffee in a season.

However, the cooperative does not necessarily receive all of that production because some farmers sell their coffee elsewhere.

Cooperatives therefore have to compete for farmers’ produce during the harvest season. Nshimiyimana said this has changed the dynamics of the market.

"In the past, you could go into the market and secure coffee before others had the money to buy it,” he said.

"Now, because the market is open, when coffee is harvested, you have to be lucky enough to have the money to buy farmers’ produce.”

Challenges remain

Despite the progress, the farmers said several challenges continue to affect coffee production.

For Nshimiyimana, one of the biggest is limited land suitable for coffee farming.

This makes productivity increasingly important, as farmers need varieties that can produce more from the land available.

Access to organic fertiliser is another challenge.

Nshimiyimana said coffee requires organic fertiliser, but farmers often depend on livestock to obtain it.

They are now being taught techniques for making fertiliser without relying entirely on livestock, although these methods also require investment. Mulch can also be expensive, he said.

For farmers, maintaining productivity requires continued investment even as coffee prices improve.

At the same time, the open market means cooperatives have to remain competitive to secure enough coffee from farmers.

A changing coffee farmer

The changes taking place across Rwanda’s coffee farms reflect a broader shift in how the crop is produced.

The farmer who once planted whatever seed was available and waited for the harvest is increasingly being replaced by one who selects planting materials, manages the trees, applies inputs, monitors production and looks for ways to adapt to changing weather.

Higher prices have strengthened the incentive to make those investments.

Nshimiyimana, who now has about 2,300 coffee trees on his own farm, has experienced that evolution firsthand.

He can harvest between three and five tonnes from his trees, depending on the season.

For him, the progress in coffee farming is ultimately about making the crop more productive and worthwhile for the farmers who depend on it.

"You can see that the coffee sector is progressing,” he said.