Rwanda’s tea boom lifts small-scale farmers
Tea remains Rwanda’s second-largest export after coffee and continues to play a major role in supporting rural employment and economic activity across the country.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), agriculture accounts for 27% of Rwanda’s gross domestic product and employs an estimated 64.5% of the population. More than 83% of agricultural production is carried out by smallholder farmers.
The tea-producing region of Nyaruguru in southern Rwanda has become one of the areas benefiting from the country’s tea expansion initiatives.
“I am proud to be a tea farm owner. I used to work for other people, but now I provide work for others,” said 65-year-old tea farmer Bertride Nyiranzigiye.
“Nyaruguru, once it was identified for expansion of tea production, now attracts people from other districts who come to work and earn money from tea harvesting.”
Tea farming improves household incomes
Tea farmers in Rwanda say the crop has helped improve household incomes, nutrition and access to education and healthcare.
“I was living in extreme poverty, and my family was struggling. I saw other tea farmers doing well, so I decided to start tea farming myself. I wanted to improve my livelihood,” said tea farmer Ndagijimana Jean Marie Vianney.
“When I started harvesting tea, it helped me to lift my family from the poverty we were all living in before. Now, I can get clothes and health insurance for my family. I can also afford school fees for my children. We’ve improved our nutrition, too. This is all the result of tea farming.”
Rwanda first introduced tea production in the 1950s, but the sector has grown significantly in recent decades due to favourable rainfall, mineral-rich volcanic soils and high-altitude growing conditions.
FAO has been working with the Rwandan government on a national tea strategy focused on improving tea quality, infrastructure, farmer training and access to international markets.
Quality and value remain central
According to Rwanda’s National Agriculture Export Development Board (NAEB), stronger collaboration between farmers, cooperatives and processing facilities is central to growing the sector sustainably.
“Rwandan tea is high-quality tea, but it requires handpicking and making sure that farmers select good leaves,” said Sandrine Urujeni, chief operations officer at NAEB.
“Tea farmers are happy that tea is now vertically integrated, meaning that our farmers benefit from the tea industry. Our farmers receive 50% of the revenues from tea.”
“So, for instance, if exporters are selling their teas, either through direct sales or through auction, we make sure that the farmers behind that good quality tea are rewarded. In that way, they can reinvest back in tea production.”
Women continue playing a major role across Rwanda’s tea value chain, including farm ownership, harvesting and processing.
According to FAO Rwanda representative Mohamed AwDahir, women remain central to agricultural production in the country.
“In Rwanda, women are the key drivers of agricultural production, with women heavily involved in production, farm management, and processing,” he said.
“Importantly, the government is fully determined to ensure women farmers are empowered, and FAO is part of that process.”