In Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, coffee is an important, if not the most important export product and source of foreign revenues. In the DRC, Robusta coffee was an important export product until the 1980s. Congolese authorities and the World Bank have identified Robusta and Arabica coffee as an important cash crop and a tool for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the DRC.
In several provinces, the Congolese government and international organizations are investing in the rehabilitation of the coffee value chain and plantations. In addition, small farmers and private investors are interested in the relaunch of Robusta cultivation in the Tshopo Province. Coffee cultivation in the DRC is, however, fraught with a complicated history (colonisation, decolonisation, and instability) and with a lack of knowledge transfer between stakeholders. Nevertheless, the revival of the highland Arabica coffee in Eastern DRC in the last decade illustrates that the relaunch of coffee can be successful and a tool for development. In a relatively short period, various traders invested in the region once again. However, a revival is only sustainable if local research infrastructure, capacity, and genetic resources are available. The success of Robusta in Brazil, India, Vietnam, and Uganda was always accompanied by the development of local research capacity, as adaptation to the local situation is essential.
The CoffeeBridge project responds to the lack of research and knowledge transfer, limited collaboration between different actors, and requests from local farmer associations, governmental bodies, and entrepreneurs asking for help to initiate a coffee chain in the Tshopo Province. The project will identify opportunities and pitfalls of the relaunch of the coffee chain in the region, strengthen local capacities, and provide a baseline for the development of coffee research locally.