DR Congo

Since 2012, Rikolto decided to focus on two promising agricultural value chains: Arabica coffee and rice. As of 2019, we also work in the cocoa sector. In 2021, we launched our Good Food for Cities programme in Bukavu and Goma.

Sustainable Cocoa and Coffee programme highlights for 2025

We kicked off a collaboration with JDE Peet's to revitalise the Robusta coffee sector in North Kivu and Ituri, focusing on strengthening sustainable production, improving market inclusion for women and youth, and enhancing the enabling environment. 108 nursery operators were trained, and produced 661,600 coffee seedlings to start the transition towards climate-smart production practices. We also supported 38 women- and youth-led enterprises with support in business planning, financial management and registration. Also, 593 farmers, 409 of them women, joined savings groups that have mobilised €20,616. Women introduced to cassava processing through diversified agroforestry systems are now earning a monthly net income of €266, well above the rural living income benchmark of €187. In addition, six multi-stakeholder platforms now bring together 172 actors from government, the private sector, financial institutions and NGOs to strengthen governance and coordination across the sector. In addition, we expanded our activities to Kwilu and Kwango through the AVENIR project, funded by IFAD and AFD, promoting diversification via cocoa and coffee value chains for 1,862 households, 466 of which led by women. Key actions included training, nursery development, plantation rehabilitation, quality improvement, and market linkages. Over 457,000 seedlings were produced in 63 nurseries, for co-designed agroforestry systems. Four cooperatives were created, alongside 63 savings groups mobilising close to €13,000, and 30 youth-led enterprises. This is just the starting point to tackle persisting challenges such as weak governance, underfunded savings groups, and gaps in gender and youth inclusion.  

Sustainable Rice programme highlights for 2025

Our priority this year was to keep our staff safe and rely on our local partners to keep things moving. Despite the insecurity, we still managed to provide technical support to over 4,024 farmers by building local structures, such as community-based trainers, through our local partners. The farmers who were trained in the Smart Valley Approach — a cost-effective, participatory and sustainable method of developing lowland areas for rice production — maintained 7 km of the main irrigation canal despite the surrounding instability. 120 of them underwent training in Sustainable Rice Platform farming techniques and adopted them across 15 hectares. When traditional markets in Bukavu closed, we helped establish a new cross-border link between the COOCAPA and COOPRITU cooperatives and Burundian traders, resulting in the sale of around 252 tonnes of rice.  

Good Food for Cities programme highlights for 2025

In Bukavu, 14 youth-led food businesses, sourcing from smallholder cooperatives, are delivering 26.1 tonnes of safe, nutritious food annually to 9 school canteens. Rikolto’s Good Food at School initiative works alongside entrepreneurs to set up and streamline more structured platforms where they can organise themselves better. In Bukavu, the group is called GIE-GAKI (Kivu Agripreneurs Group Economic Interest Group). In Goma, the platform is known as GIE-MAVUNO SAFI and is starting to connect young entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers to schools to improve their access to safe food. In total, the initiative supported by Gillès Foundation reached 21,143 pupils and adolescents, including 9,759 girls, across 16 pilot schools in both cities, through activities for food literacy and behavioural change. Among them, 240 pupil food ambassadors (128 girls and 112 boys) are leading peer-to-peer nutrition education, managing school gardens, giving cooking demonstrations and promoting healthy eating practices.