Women of Burundi are getting involved in the coffee industry

Eager to participate and learn more

Women of Burundi are courageous, persistent and resilient

In Burundi, coffee is the basis of the country’s economy and the main exporting crop, accounting for around 80% of export revenues. Roughly 600,000 householders are coffee farmers which means that 95% of the active populations - among them 60% are women -depend directly on coffee farming for the main source of cash income.

Women are getting involved in the coffee industry, eager to participate and learn more: to pick the right coffee cherry, to practice the best harvesting techniques, to understand the latest pest control and fertilizing methods for their coffee trees. They are learning more about their product, improving the quality, maintaining good practices on their properties so that they will be able to make better sales and show their children that there is indeed a future life in the coffee production.

As a vivid example, allow me to tell you a story; in Burundi we organized the Cup of Excellence 2014 and the closing ceremony was held on August 16th, 2014. Among the 27 winning lots, 2 of the 27 were from coffee cultivated exclusively by women of which one of them won 2nd place. These two winning lots came from the village of Kayanza in Burundi where there are two washing stations: SEGEC and Kayanza. We can say the winner was not ONE woman, but a GROUP of women who won.
 
This goes to show how women have made the decision to get involved in the coffee industry by building and improving their abilities. Women of Burundi are courageous, persistent and resilient when they put their mind on something, such as this “quiet” revolution.

Being among the winning lots of this competition proved to these hard working women as well as to others that they can indeed do what many were saying they couldn’t: these women will never give up!

Roopa, with grace and gratitude

She enjoyed a life of luxury and comfort, living in the big city of Bangalore, a fashionable home-maker, free to pursue her interest in art and creativity. Roopa’s husband was an engineer; though his family owned a 100-acre coffee plantation, he chose a city career and life. But 15 years ago, on an entreaty by her father-in-law, Roopa gave up all the glitter and glamour. In its place, she adopted the hard life of a coffee farmer. Her father-in-law felt she had it in her, and Roopa, encouraged by him, went on to live in Hebbasale in Sakleshpur district, shedding her life of comfort forever.
     
It began with her going to the fields for the first time; only then did she understand the labour that the humble bean required. It rained often, sometimes for the whole day, but Roopa continued to work relentlessly. Tending to the crop, feeling the earth and working alongside the workers gave her a new purpose. Over a period of time, Roopa became one of them. She was confident that nature would guide her. She rarely asked questions. Instead, she chose Nature as her teacher and learnt through observation. Her co-workers drew joy and inspiration from her working with them. Their children’s eyes would light up when they saw her. But that’s about the only “light” that was a constant. Even today, electricity is scarce on Roopa’s farm. Often, when the transformer blows out, there are days when she lives in the dark. She is unable to connect with her son and daughter in Australia, (the mobile cannot be charged for days!). After all, if it does not rain, that’s worse for the crop, she says with equanimity. During such periods, she thinks of the time when the British must have begun coffee cultivation in India; as pioneers, they endured the poor sanitation, mosquitos and weather, and still soldiered on!

Being a woman coffee planter has an advantage. As a woman, she has created a sense of family and belonging among the crew. They know she stays on the farm out of a bond that exists between them and her. She has supported their education and marriages, and driven to the local hospital on countless occasions for care of snakebites, dog bites, broken bones, and ensured that more severe health conditions are treated in city hospitals. The small contribution that she makes for the welfare of her community is her reward.

Roopa braves on through innumerable challenges. Mechanization is not possible on the land; it would endanger the flora and fauna of the rich rainforest. Skilled labour is becoming scarce and new labour is only raw talent. She would very much like the government to contribute – both towards skills development as well as the social and physical security of the workers. She looks forward to branding her coffee and selling it in Australia soon.

From a comfortable city girl, the daughter of a politician, an indulged wife, Roopa’s transition to a hands-on planter is indeed an inspiration to women around the world!

Women in the world of coffee conference - March 2014

Rebeca (left) and her mentor Rosa Maria Valdivia (right)

Rebeca, living a beautiful experience in Trieste

I have something that motivates me, it is as simple as knowing that I have the freedom to dream, to build my dreams with those who love me and expect good things from me.

I am excited to go to sleep thinking about my projects, that I indeed have a future. Treasure those good spirits from those who love you, their good vibes and positive comments.

We have difficult days in our lives, not everything is rosy, but I want to consider those surpassed difficulties as medals won. Perhaps those difficulties will be converted into stories that I can hopefully laugh at in the near future.

Sometimes, if I'm having a hard time, I focus on what I want to achieve; that motivates me to keep going and it's like trying a delicious sweet or savoring that good aftertaste of an exquisite espresso.

I want to give to those who trust in me the best of me, to continue preparing myself, struggling to hopefully give something good to my community.

It motivates me to know that a small contribution made by each of us makes a difference. It motivates me to know how important our actions are and the importance it can have on the lives of others. If this is indeed the case, why not think about acting positively?

It motivates me to see that in the world there are generous, unselfish people wishing the best for us without asking or expecting anything in return; people who - when you least expect it - extend their hand out to you wanting only the best for you. We are definitely not alone in the world.

I am motivated to leave a good legacy and that my good acts can serve as a positive example for others.

To finish off, I want to mention that in early 2014 I had the opportunity to live a beautiful experience. I attended the conference "Women in the world of coffee" organized by the Ernesto Illy Foundation. It was thanks to my mentor, Rosa Maria Valdivia, that I was able to learn the stories of strong women fighters helping their communities grow. They really are female fighters, they must deal with various obstacles such as male chauvinism, the refusal by disinterested organizations, ignorance: knowing these stories encouraged me to move on, nothing is impossible.

Let us follow our dreams and fight for a better future.

We have a profession besides housework and childcare

We are fighting our battles and conquering our place

A future woman in the world of coffee

The biggest changes in recent years have been related to technology and internet. Social networks connect us and make it possible to share an incredible amount of information about almost everything. We can be stronger if we think together in a more egalitarian and sustainable future to coffee in the world. Together we can build relevant and useful knowledge to promote the empowerment of women along the coffee chain. We can interact, create and tell our history together. This power will be even greater if each one stops “playing alone”.

Let me explain why I‘ve been thinking about this lately...

Recently I had a talk with my 8-year-old cousin when she came to my house to play with my oldest daughter, who is 4 years old, while I was taking care of my baby girl, who is 2 months old. When we arrived home, my cousin took her cell phone and my daughter borrowed mine in order to play with something. Then I said “But it’s not fun for you two to play on the cell phone. Why don't you play these "cell phone" games just when you are alone?” So I took a few "real" games for children that were more creative, more interactive and interesting, like the memory game, painting, telling stories... But my cousin argued “Ok, so we are going to play with dolls. I’m Doll X’s mother, and Bia is Doll Y’s mother. But I’m a doctor and she is a coffee farmer, and both of us need the cell phone to work. So, while our babies are sleeping, we can play on the cell phone.” Then, I lost my argument and left them playing with their cell phones!

This talk brought me to reflect about two issues about women in coffee: 1) sexual division of labor; 2) the impact of technology on our lives.

First, the sexual division of labor implies that there are some more “appropriate” jobs (or at least considered as such) for men and women. So, the housework, and mainly taking care of children are for women. However, the speech of my cousin about work got my attention “I’m a doctor and she’s a coffee farmer”: this means we have a profession, another job besides housework. This voice joins with mine and of many women of my generation in Brazil. We study hard, we fight our battles and we are conquering our place in the public sphere. In this sense, a lot of things have changed. We are doctors, farmers, lawyers, professors, bankers, executives, entrepreneurs...and we still have most of our responsibilities regarding housework and childcare. This means that almost nothing has changed! Isn’t it paradoxical?

Regarding technology, the changes that are being caused are not just related to electronics and communication. The most relevant one is in social relations, and this is perhaps the most related to the Quiet Revolution and coffee industry.

To finish this post, the changes happening in the world of coffee demand a review in the sexual division of labor, opening spaces in professions considered “less feminine” for women – in the field, offices, laboratories, industries, including top jobs at organizational hierarchy; and also opening “less masculine” spaces for men which allow them to accept the new roles women assume at home and at work. With the support of technology we can share this knowledge regarding this transformations and create influences that would be more inspiring and impacting in the world of coffee.

So, let’s play together, shall we?