Stakeholder Perceptions on Geographic Zoning in Rwanda’s Coffee Sector and Opportunities for Policy Adjustment
DOWNLOADAugust 1, 2017 - Andrew Gerard, Daniel C. Clay, Maria Claudia Lopez
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EmailAndrew Gerard, Daniel C. Clay, Maria Claudia Lopez. 2017. Stakeholder Perceptions on Geographic Zoning in Rwanda’s Coffee Sector and Opportunities for Policy Adjustment. Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Brief 42. East Lansing: Michigan State University
KEY FINDINGS
- Nearly ½ of farmers surveyed do not know what the zoning policy is, or whether it applies to them.
- Farmers in our sample feel negatively toward zoning, believing that it does not raise coffee cherry prices, and that it largely benefits coffee washing stations (CWSs) rather than farmers.
- However, farmers believe that zoning reduced the number of traders and increased the volume of cherry going to CWSs—goals of the policy.
- Other stakeholders note that zoning has harmed cooperative and privately-owned CWSs by splitting cooperatives and removing certified farmers from the cooperative/CWS that invested in certification.
- Implementation of zoning by local “coffee task forces” has varied by District, and stakeholders worry that design and implementation of zones has at times been executed unfairly.
- Potential modifications to zoning, based on stakeholder feedback, can be found on pages 8-9.
