Support for 2,600 coffee farmers in Kenya
With 1 € per kilogram of coffee you contribute to support the Thiririka FCS cooperative in Kenya. The project aims to help members improve their coffee quality and the service provided by the cooperative. In addition, the local elementary school in the region will be renovated and equipped with a library.
The Thiririka Farmer Cooperative Society (Thiririka FCS) has great potential for exceptional high quality coffee due to their geographical location and highly motivated farmers. However, they are not yet able to fully realize their potential and therefore generate less revenue for their coffees compared to other cooperatives in Kenya. This project aims to support the farmers to improve the quality of their coffee and thereby increase their income in the long run.
At a glance:
- Project volume: € 75,000
- Implementation period: July 2019 – December 2022
- Region: Kenya, Kiambu County
- Cooperatives: Thiririka FCS: Factory Githembe, Kiganjo, and Ndundu
- Annual production: approximately 3,300 bags of 60 kg each.
- Geo-coordinates: -0.985218, 36.832097
- Beneficiaries: approx. 2,600 coffee farmers
Measures for better coffee quality
This is done by financing infrastructural measures at the washing stations or „factories“ as they are called in Kenya. For example, the washing tanks and channels are equipped with tiles so that the coffee can be fermented more cleanly. In addition, permanent drying beds will be installed to make the drying of the coffee more efficient and reduce the maintenance costs of the drying beds.
The cooperative will also be equipped with a modern IT system to help them document and store data on individual members more transparently. Instead of writing down the delivery of red cherries per farmer in books, this data can now be entered directly into computers and the farmer receives an SMS as confirmation of the quantity delivered.
After harvesting, this system enables a transparent mapping of the profits to the respective farmers and makes evaluations accessible over the entire harvest period!
Each farmer receives a member card that allows them not only to deliver coffee, but also to participate in training. With this system, management can better monitor their inventory and pay their farmers more efficiently. In addition, the cooperative is supported throughout the project by three agronomists who provide regular training to the farmers. These trainings provide farmers with in-depth knowledge on proper coffee cultivation practices, proper crop pruning techniques, innovative fertilization practices, and much more. The aim is for the farmers to increase the productivity of their coffee plants in order to generate higher income.
Renovation of the local elementary school
As another component, the project will improve the circumstances of the ailing local elementary school. The project funds will be used to replace the furniture and the numerous window panes that are broken or missing entirely. In addition, a library can be set up, something the students have been wanting for a long time. The defective rainwater collection and treatment system will also be repaired so that the water can be used as drinking water and for sanitary facilities.
Our Kenyan coffeesd
Why are we implementing this project?
We were able to get a picture of this on site and are therefore convinced that the coffee farmers of Thiririka FCS can produce with particularly high quality through targeted improvements and thus significantly increase their income. The coffee trade thus offers the coffee farmers of Thiririka an opportunity to improve their living conditions. The conditions for high-quality specialty coffees are optimal in this region, as the natural conditions such as cultivation altitude, soil quality and climate favor high coffee quality.
How will this project be implemented?
The project will start in July 2019 and will be completed by the end of June 2021. In the first year, the infrastructure at the factories will be improved and the agronomists will be hired, as this is where the quality leaps can be realized the fastest. In addition, training with farmers and work on the elementary school will also begin in 2019. Thiririka FCS has committed to add its own contribution to the whole project, which we very much appreciate. Our projects are not donated like „charity projects“. We develop our projects together with the local communities in order to create the greatest possible „ownership“ for the measures among the people concerned.
