Swiss Partners
Local Partner
Sight and Life Rwanda
www.sightandlife.org
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Swiss Contribution
Origin for Sustainability is a knowledge and multi-stakeholder platform that aims to develop and share knowledge about cultural and biological diversity, products with specific qualities linked to their geographical origin, and rural communities and their empowerment.
The Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) is one of the world’s leading institutes in this field.
Description
The project follows a circular economy, using organic waste from coffee production to produce a high quality and environmentally friendly fertiliser. The approach brings together multiple resources (compost, poultry manure, biochar) to maximise the quality of the fertiliser and minimise the carbon footprint.
A key element of the project is the transfer of Swiss know-how, including the development of a technical guide and a business plan for replication. The existing local partner network is important for the local implementation of the project results.
If successful, the project will reduce production costs and increase the income of coffee farmers.
Results
A pilot composting facility was established at Nyakarenzo, built with local labor to process about 63 tons of coffee pulp annually into 31–32 tons of compost. During two missions and studies, 20–29 tons of waste were processed, producing 10–15 tons of compost. In parallel, a field laboratory was set up in Rusizi, where staff from Sight and Life (S&L) Rwanda were trained to monitor compost quality, providing the region’s first quality assurance system.