MILAN – We have previously talked about the situation in which coffee farmers live in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a particular look at the role of women in this supply chain. Now it is time to take up the topic again, considering the context influenced by conflicts, violence, political-economic dynamics that have created various tensions between different ethnic groups and religions and of course have a big impact on coffee production, contributing to DRC losing almost 75 percent of its coffee production in 40 years, as reported on
aljazeera.com.
Democratic Republic of Congo: on paper, a fertile place for the bean
In that its soil is particularly fertile and the easternmost area was for a good while a fairly profitable and active production area. That was until the outbreak of war, which adversely affected the performance of the agricultural regions.
Another side effect: it is currently complicated to count the exact volumes of coffee grown, and many farmers-especially the women who make up 80 percent of the workforce on the plantations-face challenges that are increasingly impossible to sustain.
One possible solution is to lean on local Associations
Such as Association Solidarite des Cooperations pour le Developpement et la Vulgarisation Agricole (SOCODEVA), which was established in 2014 precisely to support smallholders and women farmers to better manage their farms above all obstacles (it has currently reached out and involved 3,000 farmers in a mutual aid network in case someone goes through moments of particular crisis).
This organism also helps to better enter the market, which is often difficult for small-scale farmers to reach, and to find some sort of economic independence. It provides materials and equipment as well, with a system that rewards those who can bring in a greater volume of raw material.
All this in exchange for a fee of 2,000 Congolese francs, which precisely is used to make cash to cover the critical needs of the members themselves.
This, however, may be only a temporary solution to a problem that seems destined to haunt the Democratic Republic of Congo for a long time to come, leading not only to higher prices but also to the exacerbation of the phenomenon of smuggling coffee out of the nation, which in turn leads to the exploitation of local producers, especially women.
All of these factors are now driving many farmers to leave the fields or move to other crops, such as cocoa.
