Coffee farmers call for adoption of family planning

HUYE/NYAMAGABE - Members of Bufundu and Karaba Coffee farmers’ cooperatives operating in Huye and Nyamagabe districts, have advised coffee farmers to adopt family planning so as to improve their social welfare. “Imagine a family that counts more than 10 children, you cannot be able to get enough money to solve the needs of such a big family even when you earn much money from your coffee,” said Jean Bosco Karangwa of Cyanika sector, Nyamagabe District. He was speaking at a sensitisation meeting organised by SPREAD, a project that supports agribusiness in rural areas, under the National University of Rwanda (NUR). While speaking to The New Times, the farmers noted that there is need to limit the number of children per family if the local community was to develop. Noting that some local residents have been reluctant to embrace family planning, the farmers vowed to intensify their family planning campaign in villages. “We will use every possible method to convince people on the benefits of family planning,” said Fulgence Twizeyimana of Kigoma Sector, Huye District. Theatre is one method of reaching to the local people and successfully conveying the message to the community, according to them. Currently, SPREAD in conjunction with the NUR’s Centre for Arts and Drama (UCAD), are training coffee farmers on the use of community theatre to promote family planning and to fight against HIV/AIDS. According to Faustin Gakenyeye, the Executive Secretary of BUF Coffee, the use of theatre is likely to change people’s attitude towards family planning. “When you approach farmers talking about coffee alone, some think that you are money driven and that you want to exploit them. But when you teach them how to produce coffee and you add messages on improving their health, they come and listen to you attentively,” Gakenyeye said. Ends