Kibingo washing station

The story

The Kibingo washing station is located in the Kayanza commune of northern Burundi and serves over 1,700 smallholder farmers. The station began its operations in 2015 under the management of Greenco. It supports local growers spread across 18 hills, with most families maintaining small plots of approximately 200 to 300 coffee trees.

Challenges

Farmers face the inherent difficulties of small-scale production, with most families managing only a few hundred trees. The region relies on specific high-altitude conditions and volcanic soil, making the crop sensitive to environmental variables.

Innovations

The station utilizes a Beyond Flagship program to provide farmers with microcredit, organic agriculture inputs, and women's business development. They also produce fertilizer from composted coffee pulp and operate community nurseries to provide subsidized seedlings.