Archive for category: Agriculture

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AI in Agriculture: Reducing Undernourishment in India

Undernourishment in IndiaIndia faces one of the world’s most persistent food security challenges. About 9.8% of people in India experienced undernourishment in 2023-2025, while rising food costs continue to push a healthy diet further out of reach for millions of families.

India has fought this crisis since the early 2000s, and the effort shows results: undernourishment fell from 21.1% in 2004-2006 to 9.8% in 2023-2025. Affordability tells a harder story: 520.1 million people, 35.5% of the country, could not afford a healthy diet in 2025, and that diet now costs nearly 48% more than it did in 2017. Better crops, fewer losses and stronger food programs will all be needed to keep that progress going.

Farming and Undernourishment in India

More than half of India’s farmland still depends entirely on rainfall, so a single erratic monsoon, heatwave or drought can devastate a season’s harvest. Decades of policy have rewarded rice and wheat above all else, and that focus has pushed pulses, oilseeds and nutrient-rich millets to the margins while draining groundwater in the northwest. Farmers also lose substantial amounts of food after harvest: a 2022 government-commissioned study estimated losses of 3.89% to 5.92% for cereals, 6.02% to 15.05% for fruits and 4.87% to 11.61% for vegetables. Programs like NFSA, PM-POSHAN, ICDS and Rice Fortification secure calories and micronutrients well, but they still struggle to put protein, dairy and fresh greens on every table.

AI in agriculture is emerging as one answer to these gaps. The World Bank Group’s AgriConnect initiative, which aims to transform farming for 300 million smallholders worldwide, equips farmers with digital tools that work even on basic smartphones and in areas with weak connectivity, and those tools deliver fast, practical advice for managing crops day to day. Farmers who use them can head off pest outbreaks before they spread, time their harvests more precisely and reach government aid programs more easily.

Kerala’s KATHIR Platform

Kerala’s state government built KATHIR together with the World Bank Group, and the platform already holds data on more than 3 million farmers while mapping over 1.1 million hectares of cropland.

The platform packs in a wide range of tools: a 10-day weather forecast, sowing and irrigation advice, fertilizer recommendations, and early alerts for pests, crop stress and extreme weather.

KATHIR operates on two levels at once. Farmers get quick, usable guidance for their own fields, while the state government gains satellite crop tracking, harvest mapping, farmer identification and land enumeration, tools that let officials see exactly where support is needed and act on it.

Maharashtra’s MahaVISTAAR-AI

Maharashtra took a different route with MahaVISTAAR-AI, a generative-AI chatbot that answers farmers through voice or simple text, no typing skills or app literacy required. Farmers have downloaded the tool more than 3 million times, and the Korea World Bank Partnership Facility helped fund its development.

Looking Ahead

The World Bank Group plans to push these platforms well past crop advice. Future versions will help farmers complete official paperwork and connect them directly with banks and other institutions willing to design financial products built around their needs, cutting through bureaucracy that keeps many smallholders locked out of credit.

India’s experiment sits inside a much larger regional push. Google DeepMind built its Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) and Agricultural Monitoring and Event Detection (AMED) models to map field boundaries and track farm activity, and those models played an early role in shaping India’s approach. DeepMind now extends that same support to countries across Asia-Pacific and Africa, work that matters given estimates that global food production must grow by as much as 50% by 2050 to feed 9.7 billion people.

AI in agriculture gives farmers who have long gone without expert support a direct, low-cost line to exactly that. If platforms like KATHIR and MahaVISTAAR-AI keep growing, and if banks and governments build the financial tools the World Bank Group has planned, AI could become an important tool for supporting rural livelihoods and reducing poverty India.

– Juan Guillermo Rueda Castrillón

Juan is based in Barcelona, Spain and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Growing Jamaica’s Agricultural Sector Improves Rural Livelihoods

Jamaica’s Agricultural SectorWith one in three respondents suffering from severe food insecurity in Jamaica in the 2023 Caribbean Food Security & Livelihoods Survey, food poverty and agricultural production are pressing issues in Jamaica. The high cost of agricultural inputs further intensifies financial difficulties for Jamaican farmers in rural areas, where income levels are lower. However, the government and international organizations like the U.N. and the World University Service of Canada have contributed to Jamaica’s growing agricultural sector, improving rural livelihoods.

Government Investment

The agricultural industry employs close to one in five Jamaicans. Demonstrating its commitment to improving the livelihoods of agricultural workers, in April 2025, the Jamaican government invested over $4.5 billion through the Rural Economic Development Initiative II (REDI II) Programme, which focuses on strengthening the agricultural and tourism sectors.

The investment involves an upgrade in agricultural infrastructure, including the installation of greenhouses in 22 sites, cold storage facilities and irrigation facilities, making crops more resistant to decay and variations in temperature and rainfall. REDI II also aims to increase farmers’ access to hotel and export markets. As of December 2025, more than 5,000 beneficiaries have received income-generating small grants, while close to 1,000 have received training and agricultural inputs, facilitating higher crop yields and more stable sources of income for Jamaican farmers.

Combating Praedial Larceny

Praedial larceny, the theft of agricultural produce, farming equipment and livestock, has been extremely damaging to Jamaica’s agricultural sector, resulting in losses of millions of dollars per year and reducing investment. Addressing this problem, the government set up the Agricultural Protection Branch within the Jamaica Constabulary Force in June 2025.

This specialized unit provides training in agricultural laws, educating officers in investigating and prosecuting cases of farm theft. Additionally, through gathering intelligence, increasing patrols, and teaching farmers about preventive measures, the unit heightens security on the farm, deterring potential criminals. In the span of a year, reports of theft in Trelawny farming communities dropped to almost zero. Given that praedial larceny threatens local production and supply, the unit’s work is vital in securing the livelihoods of farmers as well as in stabilizing Jamaica’s food supply and agricultural economy, protecting Jamaica’s growing agricultural sector.

UN Project Increases Resilience in Kitson Town

The efforts of international organizations have also been instrumental in Jamaica’s growing agricultural sector. The Improving Rural Livelihoods through Resilient Agrifood Systems project, carried out by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, concluded this March, laying a solid foundation for the continued development of agricultural businesses in Kitson Town, St. Catherine.

Under the project, more than 200 participants received training in protected agriculture (growing crops in a controlled environment), the management of livestock and business skills, while agricultural programs for high school students paved the way for future prosperity in agricultural communities.

Furthermore, the provision of greenhouses and related production inputs such as fertilizers, organic pesticides and pH meters, fortified crop production and farmers’ income sources against unpredictable climatic patterns, enhancing rural livelihoods. The project was particularly empowering for women, who accounted for over 60% of its participants, increasing their independence and contributions to agricultural production.

Helping Farmers Recover from Hurricanes

The World University Service of Canada is committed to consolidating Jamaica’s growing agricultural sector through both short-term and long-term approaches. Due to frequent hurricanes in Jamaica, the organization strives to improve farmers’ abilities to respond to and recover from natural disasters. More than 1,000 farmers acquired agricultural recovery kits, consisting of essential production inputs, facilitating the resumption of agricultural production in the wake of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.

Regarding long-term measures, the “trade-and-aid” initiative both secures access to export markets and revitalizes potato production in Jamaica through the provision of Canadian agricultural technology, ensuring farmers possess the necessary resources to earn a living. By offering storm-preparedness training and promoting climate-smart agricultural systems, the organization equips vulnerable rural communities with the knowledge and tools to protect their livelihoods against an increasingly volatile climate.

Stronger Agricultural Economy Benefits Jamaican Farmers

These various efforts are continually supporting Jamaica’s growing agricultural sector, enhancing its resilience and improving the lives of Jamaican farmers. The agricultural sector grew by close to 14% in the second quarter of 2025, demonstrating a swift bounce back from Hurricane Beryl, which struck in the summer of 2024. Infrastructure, material aid, education and security measures have made significant progress in increasing production, strengthening income stability and reducing food insecurity.

– Katy Wong

Katy is based in Hong Kong and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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S M Sehgal Foundation: Rural Poverty Reduction in India

S M Sehgal FoundationPoverty narratives in rural India continue to flood Western media and major news outlets. According to the World Bank, 16.1% of India’s population lived below the lower-middle-income poverty line of $4.20 per person per day in 2023-24, down from 57.7% in 2011-12. Yet behind the headlines lies a more complicated reality: rural poverty is rarely rooted in one single challenge. Educational accessibility influences agricultural practices; crop output depends on reliable water supply; household income levels shape health care and resource access; and inadequate educational facilities can disproportionately limit learning opportunities for young women.

S M Sehgal Foundation: An Interconnected Approach

One nonprofit taking an interconnected approach to mitigating these challenges is the S M Sehgal Foundation, a rural development NGO that has reached more than 7 million people since its inception in 1999.

In a recent interview with The Borgen Project, Board of Trustees Chairperson Jay Sehgal explained how an organization that began with agricultural reform has established itself in several areas of community advancement. According to Sehgal, the foundation’s original question was simple: how could it help poor farmers improve their livelihoods through sustainable farming and more reliable crop yields? The idea grew from the professional experiences of Dr. Suri Sehgal, whose career in seed genetics offered a firsthand view of the economic precarity facing small farmers in developing countries.

Soil health and mechanization efforts quickly exposed another constraint. Sehgal explained, “Farmers get poorer because they have to buy the water to be able to do the agriculture.” Farmers rely heavily on groundwater irrigation, with agriculture accounting for almost 90% of India’s groundwater use and extraction depleting aquifer reserves in many regions.

In response, the Sehgal Foundation works with communities on rainwater harvesting, dam installation, restoring village ponds, recharge wells and water filtration. For the foundation, addressing agricultural poverty entails looking beyond crops to the resources that make their growth possible.

Empowering Women and Education

Since the start of its water conservation efforts, the Sehgal Foundation has prioritized including women in its programs. In the process, the team encountered low literacy rates among the girls involved and started examining the barriers behind this discrepancy. Sehgal explained, “If any family had a little bit of money, they will send the boy to the private school where the girls are sent to these government schools… completely run-down schools. There is no toilet for the girls. There’s no water in the school. The roofs are leaking.”

Rather than building entirely new schools, the Sehgal Foundation zeroed in on transforming existing ones and improving conditions and literacy through its Transform Lives One School at a Time initiative. To improve technological literacy, the foundation added computer labs, printers and libraries so students can better keep pace with their urban counterparts.

Building Trust with Communities

Identifying interconnected problems was only part of the solution. Sehgal underscored that winning public trust was no easy task. Recalling considerable skepticism when the organization first approached villagers, he said it took almost nine months of working in the villages and meeting with residents before one community agreed to try a project.

Once that pilot effort was successful, Sehgal recalled, the response looked more like, “Hey, this is fantastic, let us do more.”

– Natasha Agarwal

Natasha is based in Philadelphia, PA, USA and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How Beekeeping in Uganda Is Transforming Rural Communities

Beekeeping in UgandaAgriculture remains an important source of income for Ugandan families, particularly in rural communities. However, farmers often face limited access to financing, reliable markets and opportunities to add value to their products. The World Bank estimated that more than four in 10 Ugandans lived below the international poverty line of $2.15 per person per day in 2024. Beekeeping offers rural families another way to generate income while supporting agriculture and biodiversity.

The Growing Role of Beekeeping

Beekeeping, also known as apiculture, has become an increasingly important agricultural activity in Uganda. The country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries reported that honey production increased from 20,875 metric tons in 2022 to 2023 to 21,505 metric tons in 2023 to 2024, a 3% increase. The ministry identifies apiculture as an opportunity for employment, income generation and profitability, particularly for women and young people.

Beyond honey production, bees support agriculture through pollination. Pollinators help maintain food production and biodiversity, making beekeeping valuable to farmers who grow crops alongside their apiaries. Beekeeping can provide smallholder farmers with an additional source of income while supporting the ecosystems on which agriculture depends.

Beekeeping Creates Opportunities for Women

Women can also use beekeeping to diversify their incomes and gain greater economic independence. The Budongo Women Bee Enterprise in Uganda’s Masindi region provides one example. Eleven women created the cooperative in 2012, and 40 women have since benefited directly from training in beekeeping and candle making. Members sell honey twice a year and produce mosquito-repellent candles from beeswax.

The initiative connects beekeeping with broader community development. The women receive training in marketing, financial management and leadership while the cooperative supports sustainable land-use practices and tree planting. By combining honey production with other products and skills, the project gives women several ways to generate income while encouraging environmental conservation.

Supporting a Growing Industry

Organizations such as the Uganda National Apiculture Development Organization (TUNADO) also support the country’s beekeeping sector by connecting beekeepers, processors, trainers, researchers and other industry participants. TUNADO reports that its activities have reached more than 100,000 beekeepers across Uganda, including 45,000 women involved in different parts of the apiculture value chain. The organization also reports training 1,400 people with disabilities in beekeeping and honey production.

These efforts can help farmers access knowledge and markets while creating opportunities beyond the farm. Beekeeping can support jobs in honey processing, packaging, equipment production and marketing, allowing rural communities to benefit from several stages of the value chain.

A Sustainable Path Forward

Beekeeping does not require farmers to abandon other agricultural activities. Instead, farmers can integrate hives into existing farming systems while benefiting from pollination and additional products such as beeswax and propolis.

However, beekeepers still face challenges, including limited access to modern equipment, financing, training and reliable markets. Expanding technical support and improving access to higher-value markets could help more farmers benefit from the growing honey industry.

– Violette Bardouil

Violette is based in Paris, France and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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eAgrar: The Digital Platform for Small Farms in Serbia

digital platform for small farms in SerbiaAccording to the World Bank, Serbia’s economy grew by only 2% in 2025, a notable decline from 3.9% the year before. Poor weather conditions were a major factor, particularly affecting farm output and dragging down overall growth. The poverty rate held steady at about 7.8% in 2025, and while further decreases are expected, they will likely come slowly. Many of those still living in poverty face long-term unemployment, which makes it difficult for them to share in the benefits of economic recovery. On a more hopeful note, Serbia’s gross domestic product (GDP) per person stood at $15,262 in 2025, and the economy is projected to pick up in 2026 as consumer spending and investment strengthen.

Farming remains vital to rural communities across the country, yet the sector struggles with ongoing challenges that contribute to these poverty trends. Even so, the government continues to invest heavily in agricultural support. A report from the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED) in April 2026 found that Serbia allocates more than 100 billion Serbian dinars (RSD), about $920 million each year to farm subsidies, with roughly 280,000 to 300,000 farmers submitting applications annually. In 2023, to make this system more open and user-friendly, the Ministry of Agriculture introduced a digital platform for small farms in Serbia named eAgrar.

What Is eAgrar?

eAgrar is an online platform designed to modernize how farmers register their agricultural properties and apply for government subsidies. Before this system existed, farmers had to register in person at government offices, filling out paperwork by hand and spending hours waiting in lines. The platform allows farm owners to handle the entire process online from home, on a computer or a device such as a smartphone or tablet. In its first year, more than 330,000 farms were registered through the system, showing how quickly Serbian farmers embraced the change.

eAgrar helps farmers update records faster and with fewer issues, while the system keeps a history of all past changes. Farmers can also view their own registration information and subsidy applications at any time, and the platform’s connection with other government databases simplifies verification without extra documents. Overall, this digital platform for small farms in Serbia is helping small-scale farmers access financial support more easily. One reported estimate suggests that farmers who keep their registration current and use available subsidies earn 15% to 20% more than those who do not, supporting incomes and Serbia’s rural economy.

eAgrar’s Reach

According to an article published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the platform has made a difference for farmers like Milivoje Ćosić, a smallholder from the village of Mionica who took over family land passed down through generations. Before eAgrar, applying for subsidies was a slow process that could stretch over a week. Now, Ćosić uses the platform to request financial support from home using just his smartphone. He says going digital has made farm registration easier and simplified the steps for getting aid, making agriculture more appealing to the younger generation. His daughter Irina shares this outlook, viewing the platform as part of a modern farming landscape that gives people her age the chance to start their own agricultural businesses on family land.

What eAgrar Means for Serbia

eAgrar stands as a pivotal digital platform for small farms in Serbia, changing how farmers access financial support. This easier access to subsidies and registration can help lift farming families out of poverty and support a more resilient agricultural economy. In a country where agriculture plays an important role in economic output, platforms like eAgrar show how modernization can help address rural poverty.

– Melody Ruiz

Melody is based in Bronx, NY, USA and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Agricultural Investment in Vanuatu Supports Rural Communities

Agricultural Investment in VanuatuVanuatu’s rural communities face persistent challenges, with poverty, food insecurity and limited economic opportunities affecting families across the island nation. The World Bank estimated Vanuatu’s poverty rate at 34.9% in 2019, using the lower-middle-income poverty line of $3.65 per person per day.

Agricultural investment in Vanuatu is central to many households’ livelihoods, as about 80% of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for daily needs. Low agricultural productivity and limited market access make it difficult for rural families to escape poverty and build stable incomes.

To address these challenges, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Vanuatu launched the Agricultural Investment for Markets and Nutrition (AIM-N) initiative in September 2025. The $11 million partnership will strengthen local food systems, improve nutrition and expand economic opportunities for small-scale farmers across the country. The initiative will reach 15,350 people in 65 rural communities by supporting community and kitchen gardens, improving market access and helping farmers build the skills needed to increase production and secure better prices for their produce.

Agricultural Challenges Limit Rural Livelihoods

Although agriculture remains a major source of food and income for rural communities, many farmers face barriers that limit their ability to improve their livelihoods. The need for agricultural investment in Vanuatu remains critical: nearly 90% of households grow vegetables, yet productivity remains low. The country also faces significant nutrition challenges, with nearly one-third of children under five experiencing stunting and one in five adults being overweight, partly due to increased reliance on low-cost imported foods.

Natural disasters have further intensified challenges for rural households by disrupting access to markets and reducing economic stability. Following a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in December 2024, the World Bank found that 20% of households in Shefa Province experienced severe damage to their homes, while 55% faced difficulties accessing markets. The share of households experiencing moderate food insecurity also increased from 29% in December 2024 to 48% in January 2025.

Agricultural Investment Expands Economic Opportunities

Through AIM-N, the project is helping rural communities strengthen food systems while creating new economic opportunities for small-scale farmers. The initiative will support community and kitchen gardens and work with six secondary boarding schools to purchase food from local farmers. By connecting producers with reliable markets, the project aims to improve access to nutritious foods and help farmers earn steadier incomes.

AIM-N will also help farmers improve production quality and business skills and strengthen connections between small-scale producers and buyers. These partnerships aim to help farmers meet market demands and secure better prices for their produce.

The broader project approach also supports producer groups and local value chains through partnerships with private businesses. Investments in areas such as storage, transportation and market infrastructure help build more resilient agricultural systems that support rural livelihoods.

Supporting Resilient Rural Communities

Beyond boosting agricultural production, AIM-N aims to help rural communities build sustainable livelihoods. The initiative will provide competitive grants to women’s groups, support nutrition-focused and labor-saving projects and expand opportunities for women and youth in agriculture.

The project also uses a community-driven approach that recognizes the importance of local participation and traditional social practices. By supporting producer groups and community involvement in decision-making, AIM-N aims to reach women, youth and vulnerable households while strengthening local agricultural systems.

Agricultural investment in Vanuatu can do more than boost food production. By improving access to markets, strengthening farmer skills and supporting inclusive economic growth, AIM-N is helping create more resilient livelihoods and reduce poverty for rural families in Vanuatu.

– Lily Hoch

Lily is based in Midway, PA, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Farmers in Nepal Are Improving Livelihoods Through Beekeeping

Farmers in NepalNepal, a landlocked South Asian country in the Himalayas with a population of 29.6 million, has a long history of farming. However, many agricultural families face economic challenges because farm income is often not enough to comfortably provide for themselves and their families. Beekeeping could help address this issue by providing families with an additional source of income. By selling honey, farmers can earn extra money, while bees also benefit agriculture by pollinating plants.

Nepal has a poverty rate of more than 20%. Several factors contribute to these poverty levels, including limited trade opportunities due to the country’s mountainous landscape. Food insecurity is one of the challenges Nepalese citizens face. Traditional farming methods in Nepal may not always provide enough revenue or resources for families throughout the year. Income from honey production may help some households afford food and manage financial challenges better.

The Importance and History of Beekeeping

Farmers in Nepal have traditionally practiced beekeeping as part of their farming culture. Bees are important for agriculture as they help maintain biodiversity, increase crop yields and support food security. Beekeeping in Nepal benefits from the country’s climate, landscape, flowers and native bee species. Farmers face many challenges, including limited knowledge about how to sustain healthy beehives, pests and diseases that can affect their bees and competition from cheaper honey imports such as those from China.

How Modern Training Can Improve Beekeeping Practices

In traditional beekeeping practices, farmers would keep their bee colonies in log wall hives. However, this system is ineffective as beekeepers need to check on the bees to make sure they are all healthy and to collect honey. But with the old traditional hives, this was hard to do without injuring the honeycomb or killing a few bees in the process. This created a need for modern techniques and equipment to make beekeeping more efficient.

One program that is working to help modernize the practice is the Dzi Foundation. The nonprofit works with farming communities in Nepal to build lasting change and give farmers the tools needed to help their farms and communities prosper. The Foundation offers a five-day training program on modern beekeeping practices that participants can implement on their own farms. With more modern hive designs, beekeepers can keep better track of their bees without harming them, manage multiple hives and increase honey production. Most hives usually produce about 8 to 10 kilograms of honey per year, depending on the bee species, and the honey sells for 1,500 Nepali rupees (NPR) per kilogram. The foundation has helped about 61,000 people since its establishment in 1998 through its various programs, including beekeeping.

Programs Supporting Beekeeping Communities

Sharing Seeds, a nonprofit based in Pokhara, Gandaki Province, Nepal, is another organization doing its part. They organize the project “Empower Nepal’s Organic Coffee and Beekeeping.” Beekeeping projects can provide training and opportunities for rural families, women and young people. Many youths leave the country to find work elsewhere, as there are not many opportunities. However, the work they find abroad could be dangerous and low-paying. Every year, around 650,000 Nepali youths travel to foreign countries for work, but this initiative creates opportunities for them to stay in Nepal and provide for their families.

This initiative gives women, young people and small farmers the necessary skills to help them feel confident in their beekeeping and coffee farming abilities to bring back to their farms. Their goal in the next three years is to get 200 farmers involved in coffee farming and improve their beekeeping skills. They have already helped more than 100 farmers through their program in both coffee and beekeeping.

The Nepal Pollination Project (NPP), Upscaling Pollination to Enhance Biodiversity and Human Welfare in Nepal, is a four-year project in collaboration with the United Kingdom (U.K.) government’s Darwin Initiative. Its goal is to improve pollination, sustain biodiversity and protect human well-being. The project aims to strengthen local communities through improved pollination, biodiversity protection and farmer training. Part of the initiative includes a four-day training course to teach the basics of beekeeping. In the training sessions, farmers learn about bee behavior, hive management, swarm control and disease prevention. Since the program launched in 2025, organizers have already completed four training sessions. By the end of 2026, their mission is to train 175 farmers. The project has already served more than 110 farmers.

Beekeeping is an important part of Nepal’s farming communities and history. Through modern training and improved practices, farmers in Nepal can strengthen their beekeeping skills and create new economic opportunities for rural communities. Honey production may help some families manage financial challenges and improve their access to resources in rural communities.

– Sarina Nadelson

Sarina is based in New Haven, CT, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How Coffee Cooperatives Reduce Poverty in Rwanda

Reduce Poverty in RwandaCoffee plays an important role in Rwanda’s economy and the livelihoods of rural families. The World Bank reports that 38.6% of Rwanda’s population lived below the international poverty line for lower-middle-income countries in 2023. Agriculture remains the country’s largest employer, making stable sources of farm income essential for reducing poverty. Coffee cooperatives in Rwanda are helping address this challenge by improving farmers’ incomes through training, stronger market access and higher-quality production.

Coffee is one of Rwanda’s most valuable agricultural exports and a major source of income for rural households. The National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) estimates that approximately 400,000 smallholder farming families depend on coffee for their livelihoods. Beyond generating export revenue, the coffee sector supports thousands of jobs in farming, processing, transportation and trade while strengthening rural economies.

How Cooperatives Support Farmers

Coffee cooperatives help smallholder farmers improve both the quality and value of their harvests. Many cooperatives provide agricultural training, access to improved seedlings and assistance with processing coffee beans to meet international quality standards. They also allow farmers to combine production, giving them greater bargaining power when selling to buyers in specialty coffee markets.

By working together, cooperative members can access opportunities that often remain out of reach for individual farmers. Fulgence Sebazungu, a coffee farmer in Ngororero District and chair of the Rwanda Coffee Cooperatives Federation, saw his own production rise from 4.8 metric tons in 2024 to about six metric tons in 2025, harvested from 1.2 hectares. He attributed the improvement to favorable weather, improved farming practices and better prices, along with recent policy changes that removed zoning restrictions limiting where farmers could sell their coffee. This collaborative approach helps increase household incomes while creating more stable sources of employment throughout rural communities.

Economic Opportunities Reduce Poverty in Rwanda

Rwanda’s investment in its coffee sector has produced measurable results. According to NAEB, Rwanda exported nearly 23,860 metric tons of green coffee in 2025, generating a record $148.6 million in export revenue, a 65% increase over the previous year. Farmers also benefited from higher earnings, receiving an average of RWF 900 per kilogram of coffee cherries, well above the government’s minimum farm-gate price of RWF 600 per kilogram.

Growing export revenues create opportunities that extend beyond coffee farms. Higher incomes allow many families to invest in education, health care and improved housing while supporting local businesses that depend on agricultural activity.

Looking Ahead

Coffee cooperatives continue to demonstrate how agriculture can reduce poverty in Rwanda. By helping farmers improve quality, reach international markets and earn better prices, these organizations strengthen both household incomes and Rwanda’s rural economy. As Rwanda continues investing in sustainable agriculture and cooperative development, its coffee sector provides an example of how smallholder farmers can build more resilient communities while creating lasting economic opportunities.

– Violette Bardouil

Violette is based in Paris, France and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pexels

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How China Helps Alleviate Poverty in the DRC

Poverty in the DRCThe Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the biggest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with access to incredible natural resources, such as minerals like cobalt and copper, and significant arable land. Despite this, most of the country has not benefited from this wealth. It is among the five poorest countries in the world. An estimated 69% of the country is considered under the poverty line, according to a national survey by the National Institute of Statistics, while the country’s inequality index is in line with the sub-Saharan African average at 38.1.

International Solutions to Poverty in the DRC

Developed countries have tried to help those suffering the most. One of them, in recent years, has been China, which has offered several forms of assistance aimed at reducing poverty in the DRC, including through agriculture. On Dec. 19, 2024, China and the DRC launched their first training session on agricultural technical cooperation in the capital city of Kinshasa. The goal of this partnership was to enable the DRC to leverage its agricultural resources, achieve self-sufficiency in food production and, in doing so, reduce poverty overall. The training lasted one month and involved more than 40 Congolese participants.

With similar goals in mind, in 2016, China, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization, signed an agreement with the DRC that lasted two years and was worth $1.5 million, intending to increase nutrition and food security in the nation. The project ran from 2017 to 2019 and contributed to measurable change. Technical experts provided farmers with assistance aimed at growing agricultural production. Over the two years, the productivity and profitability of more than 2,200 households improved. Vegetable and cereal consumption needs were met, unlike before; net income improved, and farmers acquired new agricultural technologies.

To help with crop production, experts demonstrated various techniques to local farmers and showed them how to detect and keep pests away. One outcome of this was that rice yield saw increases of 133% to 466%. Similar results occurred in horticulture, with increases in cabbage, pepper, onion and tomato production. Technicians provided assistance on seedbed construction, seeding techniques, soil loosening and land preparation.

Ebola Outbreak Response

At the beginning of May 2026, an Ebola outbreak affected the DRC. The disease spread fast, and according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been more than 800 related deaths.

Several countries responded with aid. Although the United States (U.S.) sent significant financial aid and medical experts, U.S. officials said the response was smaller in scale than in past outbreaks following cuts to USAID and the country’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization. In June 2026, China sent anti-epidemic medical experts to Kinshasa for a three-month mission in support of the DRC’s response to the outbreak, according to China’s National Health Commission. Two teams have been dispatched so far, including 10 experts specializing in laboratory testing, epidemiology and clinical treatment, working alongside local government.

In July 2026, China contributed a further $2.5 million in emergency funding to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), much of it directed toward the DRC, bringing its total contribution to $4.5 million. The funding is intended to support surveillance, laboratory services, logistics, frontline response operations and community engagement. Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya praised China’s support, according to Chinese state broadcaster CGTN, calling the countries reliable partners.

A More Complicated Picture on Mining

China’s broader economic relationship with the DRC is less straightforward. In March 2026, Kinshasa signed a new agreement with China to deepen cooperation in its mining sector, including provisions for data sharing, investment protection and local processing. Chinese state-owned companies already control a majority of DRC’s largest cobalt mines, and Beijing remains the country’s largest bilateral creditor.

That relationship has drawn scrutiny. The DRC has reviewed earlier Chinese mining agreements amid allegations that promised infrastructure went unbuilt and that some Chinese-run operations underreported the cobalt they extracted; a Congolese court stripped one major Chinese mining company of control over one of the country’s largest cobalt mines following a dispute over royalty payments. The DRC has also signed competing minerals agreements with the United States in recent months, and Congolese officials have said they do not intend to align exclusively with either country.

Conclusion

China has become a significant source of aid and expertise for the DRC, from agricultural training to Ebola response funding, and officials on both sides describe the relationship in positive terms. At the same time, the scale of China’s economic role in the country, particularly in mining, remains a subject of ongoing scrutiny in the DRC. Both dynamics illustrate how a single country’s involvement in addressing poverty can be, at once, a source of tangible support and a matter of continued debate.

– Oisín Downes

Oisín is based in Galway, Ireland and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr