Issues and projects

Les agriculteurs familiaux de café exportent du café arabica biologique de haute qualité.

In Ituri, DR Congo, cocoa farmers are joining forces to enter the specialty cocoa market and secure fairer incomes.

Family coffee farmers export high-quality organic Arabica coffee.

Eight rice cooperatives in the Ruzizi valley join forces and win the hearts of beer and rice fans.

Rikolto boosted rice production in South Kivu and Tanganyika by introducing better seeds, sustainable practices, and a local quality label, Nyange Nyange. The programme strengthened cooperatives, expanded irrigation, and created new market opportunities for local rice.

The Rwanda Food Smart Cities (FSC) Project is a 5-years initiative (2022-2026) implemented in Rubavu District. The project is implemented by Rikolto in partnership with Kilimo Trust and the Rwanda Consumer's Rights Protection Organization (ADECOR). The project seeks to increase vegetables production, postharvest handling and marketing with emphasis on promotion of regenerative agriculture practices and consumption of health, sustainable, and nutritious (HSN) foods.

The programme seeks to contribute to the closing of the living income gap of 3,425 coffee producers—especially women and youth operating in 9 RWACOF coffee washing stations. This is done by providing them with opportunities to diversify their income streams and improve their livelihoods. The project is co-funded by Rikolto and SUCAFINA Rwanda (RWACOF Export Ltd) through its sustainability foundation, called Kahawatu Foundation Rwanda.

Kungahara is a 3-year project (2024 – 2026) funded by the European Union and implemented by Rikolto in partnership with Kilimo Trust Rwanda and Rwanda Consumer's Rights Protection Organization (ADECOR) to boost the production and consumption of healthy, sustainable, and nutritious food to enhance nutrition security and local food system resilience in the region.

Mbale’s food environment has its own challenges. With one of the biggest central markets of the country, it lacks a good governance structure and suffers from infrastructural problems. Food supply in Mbale is known to surpass food demand, but also producing a lot of (biodegradable) waste. The Afrifood project in Mbale aims to tackle those challenges and transform the city’s urban food environment.

Farmers in northern Tanzania are now changing their farming practices to make the community at large more resilient to climate change and covid-19.

As is already the case in other countries in the region, the coffee-cocoa programme is also taking of in Uganda. With activities in Greater Masaka, and in collaboration with Export Trading Group (ETG), Rikolto is promoting sustainable and low carbon coffee production in the region.

Building an inclusive and competitive fruit and vegetable sector in Tanzania that supports farmers and contributes to job creation and food and nutrition security.

A young community of innovators wants to give their peers a sustainable future through inclusive businesses in food systems.

Mbeya, the biggest urban centre in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, faces several challenges in providing safe and nutritious food to its citizens. Discover the bountiful harvest of an innovative and collaborative effort to address those issues.

Despite having an ideal climate and soil for agriculture, farmers in the Meru and Rungwe districts of Tanzania are struggling to realise their potential due to the effects of climate change, water scarcity, and socio-economic factors. Don't miss out on this inspiring project of resilience and innovation.

Funded by the Government of Flander (G-STIC Climate Action programme), the project was co-developed with Ecosystem Equity (formerly Greenfi) and is also implemented in partnership with TARI-Ifakara. It aims at making climate finance more accessible to support the transition of smallholder rice farmers from conventional to sustainable rice production practices.

Supporting youth- and women-led businesses to improve inclusion in the food system.

Building Kampala's future as a sustainable and inclusive food system

Together with the city council, Rikolto will support initiatives to increase food safety in grains and horticulture sectors, leading to better market opportunities for the farmers and healthier food for the people in and around Arusha.

Encouraging sustainable rice production in Eastern and Northern Uganda

Small-scale coffee farmers prepare to export high quality organic Arabica coffee.

Empowering smallholder farmers of rice, cassava and soybean to transform Northern Uganda into a food basket for Uganda and its neighbouring countries.

Rikolto will support traders and exporters to explore new ways of doing business with organisations of smallholder farmers. A better market position of these farmer organisations is the end goal.

Smallholders produce around 80-90% of maize, rice and other staples in East Africa, many are net buyers of staples, with less than a third selling their produce. Through the establishment of Village Stores, organising collective sales and other initiatives, market access of the farmers improved significantly.

High Value Crops: the perfect tool to fight poverty

Changing an unsustainable and exclusive food system into an innovative, sustainable and inclusive one driven by youth to build a strong and resilient Mbale and Gulu.

A unique project in which the Belgian Province of Flemish Brabant, Rikolto, retailer Colruyt Group and the University of Leuven together with young people, experts, farmers, etc. look for ways to feed the growing global population in a sustainable way.

Horticulture is one of the few opportunities for small scale farmers to find a route out of poverty, Rikolto currently is working in Uganda and Tanzania with over 3,000 horticulture farmers to support inclusive business development to unveil their potential to transform the sector towards sustainability.

Significant business opportunities remain for rice farmers. Future investments must enable smallholder farmers and processors to build their businesses in a sustainable way and to acquire new skills.

Climate change is a challenge for farmers around the world. This is no different for rice farmers in Iringa, Tanzania. Climate smart agriculture is the future; it is sustainable and profitable.