Project 5

The Coffee Value Chain Development Project is a €2.5M initiative funded by the European Union and implemented by Istituto per la Cooperazione Universitaria (ICU) in partnership with Kahawatu Foundation, under the oversight of Rwanda’s Ministry of Finance (MINECOFIN) and the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB). The project supports over 12,000 smallholder farmers and 20 Coffee Washing Stations (CWSs) across 12 districts, aiming to improve productivity, processing quality, international market linkages, and farmer incomes through a market-driven, collaborative approach.

Key interventions included:

• Farmer training via the Farmer Field School (FFS) model
• Support for nursery development, seedlings distribution, and formation of Producer Organizations (POs)
• Upgrading CWS infrastructure, providing pulping machines and wastewater systems
• Market access support, including trade fair participation and buyer visits

Promoting Rainforest Alliance certification and linkage with Financial Service Providers

I led the final evaluation of the project, leading data analysis and synthesis across both farm and CWS levels. Key responsibilities included:

• Designing and managing mixed-methods evaluation aligned with OECD/DAC criteria
• Leading data analysis of over 400+ survey responses via Kobo Toolbox and Excel
• Conducting stakeholder interviews and FGDs with NAEB, farmers, exporters, and CWS managers
• Producing actionable insights, visualizations, and evaluation findings

Key Deliverables: Final Evaluation Report, KPI Gap Analysis, Survey Summary Deck, Thematic Outcome Matrix

Approach

• Formative & summative evaluation: Assessed implementation learning and overall project impact
• OECD/DAC criteria framework: Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact, Sustainability
• Triangulation of qualitative (FGDs, KIIs) and quantitative (production, yield, pricing) data
• Georeferenced data collection using GPS-enabled tablets and Kobo Toolbox
• Addressed project-level learning, M&E gaps, and institutional coordination

Techniques Used

• Key Informant Interviews (NAEB, ICU, Kahawatu, CWSs, exporters)
• Focus Group Discussions (lead farmers, inspectors)
• Descriptive statistical analysis (means, distributions, frequency)
• Evaluation matrix tracking for OECD/DAC alignment
• Thematic coding of qualitative responses
• Tools: Excel, Kobo Toolbox, PowerPoint, Word, outcome harvesting matrix

Stakeholder Communication

• Delivered internal evaluation briefings for ICU and partners
• Presented findings at a project learning event, co-hosted with NAEB
• Developed a KPI data gap analysis to inform sustainability and closeout strategies
• Provided recommendations for donor reporting and future value chain programming

Artifacts Produced

• Final Evaluation Report (EU/ICU)
• KPI Data Gap Matrix (linked to Logframe & NAEB data)
• Raw & Cleaned Kobo Dataset
• Focus Group & KII Notes Archive

Based on data collected from 400+ respondents and 18 CWSs across Rwanda

Key Findings

• Land tenure: 98% manage their own land; average farm size: 5.85 acres
• Agroforestry adoption: 88.24% use shade trees; majority prefer multipurpose tree species
• Coffee productivity: Avg. annual cherry production = 641 kg; 32% produce over 1,000 kg/year
• Yield estimation challenges: Green bean yields self-reported at 56.6%, exceeding typical range
• Training uptake: 94.7% attended ICU training; 97.8% applied knowledge in practice
• Income impact: 92 respondents (50.5%) reported significant income increase
• Expansion outlook: 80.8% plan to expand coffee farming in the next five years
• Cooperative membership: Only 46.77% are cooperative members, though 80% cite training/market access benefits
• Challenges: Price volatility (77.35%), production costs (74.59%), climate change (66.85%)
• Loan access: 71.2% have current loans; most used for livestock and farm investment
• Post-harvest dependency: 84.62% rely on third-party processing; 79.66% have no fixed buyer contracts
• Certification bottlenecks: Many CWSs unable to sustain Rainforest Alliance certifications due to funding gaps
• Market linkages: Improved international buyer visits, but many CWSs still depend on local traders

Recommendations

• Expand support for value-added coffee products and branding
• Strengthen data sharing mechanisms across partners, especially with NAEB
• Improve financial access for CWSs to maintain certifications
• Invest in climate-smart agriculture and water/soil conservation training
• Scale farmer-cooperative linkages and promote direct trade models
• Enhance digital monitoring systems to support real-time KPI tracking and adaptive management