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 2024

In our coffee programmes in North Kivu, access to finance, seedling nurseries, and diversified agroforestry systems are intertwined. We trained 177 operators (150 men and 27 women) of 132 nurseries, which produce coffee seedlings and agroforestry species. They collectively cultivated 981,171 coffee seedlings. 1,895 members (including 1,219 women and 357 youth) from 4 coffee cooperatives in North Kivu formed 316 VSLA groups, which in total collected savings of $63,831, and provided loans of $42,444 to their members. Intercropping with bananas and beans is being scaled up to boost income and resilience: over 350,000 banana plantlets and 5,000 kg of bean seeds were distributed to be intercropped with coffee. In Idjwi, South Kivu, 5,163 farmers (87% women) started producing bio-fortified beans in the shade of coffee trees, bringing 521 tonnes of beans to the markets of Bukavu and Goma. As such, women play a key role in driving forward diversified agroforestry systems, cultivating beans and bananas in coffee farms, and contributing to healthy local diets.

Sustainable Rice programme highlights for 2024

A total of 15,798 rice farmers adopted at least one innovation promoted through the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) standard during the PICAGL project (2022–2024). These practices led to significant yield increases, from 2,7 t/ha in 2019 to 4.5 tonnes per hectare for South Kivu and from 5.7 tonnes per hectare for Tanganyika in 2024. During the final phase of this ambitious project, which was funded by the DRC government through a World Bank loan, the focus was on developing hydro-agricultural infrastructure using the Smart Valley approach. By the end of 2024, 1,909 hectares had been developed, of which 1,627 were made exploitable. Moreover, the final delivery of agricultural machinery, following long delays and challenges, has generated optimism about the future and the potential for increased supply.

Good Food for Cities programme highlights for 2024

In Bukavu, funding from the Gilles Foundation helped reinforce the GoodFood@School initiative. 75 food ambassadors and 18 teachers were engaged in promoting food safety and hygiene, reaching over 11,200 students with awareness-raising activities and providing 4,917 students with direct access to healthier food. Community support enabled the establishment of two banana farms (9 hectares) and a nursery with 10,000 fruit trees to increase the local supply of food to schools. Five school gardens introduced students to sustainable agricultural practices. In Goma, 5 schools co-invested in on-site healthy food kiosks, helping to formalise the sale of nutritious food. The initiative also supported youth entrepreneurship through 4 local food marketing platforms promoting fresh juices, fruits and snacks, injecting more than €24,8924 into the local economic activity. In both cities, local authorities played an enabling role by providing space for youth-led enterprises and endorsing a local food governance roadmap developed with support from the EU-funded AfriFOODlinks project.