Gahahe is just one of 13 washing stations under the Greenco umbrella. Many of the farmers working with Greenco have trees that are over 50 years old. The age of these trees reduces the amount of coffee cherries they can grow. With small plots to farm, it is difficult to financially justify taking trees entirely out of production for the 3-4 years it will take new plantings to begin to yield. In order to encourage farmers to renovate their plantings, Greenco purchases seeds from the Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU), establishes nurseries and sells the seedlings to farmers at or below cost.
Gahahe washing station will make the first payment to farmers between the 15th and 30th of June each year. The second payment comes later in the summer. If the coffee wins a competition or sells for extremely high specialty prices, Greenco gives another payment approximately a year after the harvest season.
Another socio-economic challenge that Greenco addresses is youth unemployment. The national youth unemployment rate is almost 50%. At Greenco, young graduates receive a decent salary and benefits (house, motorbike, healthcare) as well as real career prospects. Additionally, Greenco is buying 93% of its cherries directly from farmers via collection centers. This way, they can cut out untrustworthy middlemen and improve the farm-gate pricing to coffee producers.
Greenco participates in a number of farmer outreach and support projects including a livestock rearing project and a range of Farmer Hub projects centered on strengthening cooperatives and improving yields. At the washing stations, farmers can also get organic fertilizer derived from composted coffee pulp. Greenco’s agronomists also make visits to farms to help producers understand the importance of using organic fertilizers as well as reducing their waste.
Greenco organizes trainings for farmer groups about various social aspects as well. Coffee families learn about gender equality, financial planning, family planning and more. Environmental stewardship is of paramount importance to Greenco. They have equipped all washing stations with water treatment facilities and solar panels and batteries. The station has ponds to purify the wastewater from processing before flowing back in the river network. The solar panels provide energy for computers, lighting and smartphones.