MSU Pearl Program in Burundi
Following the success of the PEARL Project in Rwanda, in 2006 USAID awarded the Burundi Agribusiness Project (BAP) to the Michigan State University Institute for International Agriculture in partnership with Development Alternatives Incorporated. Spearheading the coffee sector activities of this project Dr. Dan Clay, Director of IIA at Michigan State, created a master plan for development of a specialty coffee industry in Burundi as the country emerged from years of war and civil strife. A step-by-step approach was designed to both privatize the government owned coffee washing stations, and develop linkages with the international marketplace that would provide sustainable trading relationships for Burundian coffee growers into the future.
Representing over 80 percent of its export crops, coffee has the greatest impact on Burundi’s economy. Like in Rwanda Burundi possesses all the environmental prerequisites for specialty coffee—abundant rainfall, volcanic soils, high elevations. It is also endowed with other necessary components, including heirloom bourbon coffee trees and a skilled labor force. In his assessment of over 135 washing stations in operation throughout the country, Dr. Clay, together with BAP Project partners, determined the potential for development of large volumes of higher quality fully washed coffee to command dramatically higher prices from the specialty coffee marketplace. Industry coffee buyers played a crucial role in the initial survey of Burundi coffee growing regions, washing station operations and dry mill production. True to the MSU Pearl model representing a market driven approach to the design of development activities, BAP relied on these industry experts to offer vital input in creating the interventions for adding maximum value to the coffee in the marketplace and to supplying the building blocks for sustainable coffee relationships.
BAP has begun the process of creating a more visible specialty coffee industry in Burundi through a strategic pilot program. Focusing on a small number of leader washing stations the MSU Pearl Program is at work-- advancing its “best practices” in the field, implementing targeted marketing to specialty coffee consumers and supporting the creation of effective marketing tools.
This five year project holds enormous promise for implementing the practical approach of the MSU Pearl program to help Burundi become a serious and respected player in the global specialty coffee marketplace.
Please click here for more information on BAP
