Sustainability certification, climate risk perception and smallholder coffee production in Rwanda

Abstract

Coffee production is an important source of export revenue for producing countries, especially for small, agriculture-dependent economies like Rwanda. Coffee production is a key driver in the development and improvement of rural livelihoods, serving as a source of cash income for the many coffee-producing households. The coffee value chain in Rwanda changed visibly since the early 2000s. Since then, the number of Coffee Washing Stations increased considerably, as did the share of fully washed coffee production. Rwanda’s coffee sector is a now well-established player in the international speciality coffee market. Despite considerable improvements, productivity remains low, as farmers struggle with pests and diseases, poor soil fertility and insufficient access to fertilisers. These challenges faced by coffee producers call for suitable and sustainable solutions. With coffee farmers also facing the repercussions of progressing climate change, the present dissertation aims to identify ways to support smallholder coffee producers in their efforts to respond to the challenges they face. Therefore, the thesis taps into two important fields of research on coffee producers – climate change adaptation and sustainability certification. First, the thesis evaluates the role of certification in improving farmers’ economic and environmental performance. Secondly, it addresses the question of how farmers respond to climate change, and how they can be supported in their efforts. The dissertation consists of two case studies from Rwanda and one chapter reviewing the literature on climate change adaptation. The data for the empirical research was collected from September to December 2019 in three climatic regions in Rwanda.