Coffee is a top export commodity and an important source of revenue in Eastern and Central African countries. Arabica coffee accounts for two-thirds of the global coffee market. Increasing the area and productivity of coffee in Rwanda thus has considerable potential.Ĭoffee is one of the most important tradable commodities in the world and a major foreign-exchange earner in many developing countries. The weighted overlay analysis and ordinary kriging indicated a large spatial variability of potential productivity indices. Low-yield regions (<1 t ha −1) occur in the eastern semi-dry lowlands, Central Plateau, Eastern Plateau, Buberuka Highlands, and Mayaga zones. Moderate yield potential is found in the Birunga (volcano), Congo-Nile watershed Divide, Impala and Imbo zones. Those areas are found near Lake Kivu where the dominant soil Orders are Inceptisols and Ultisols. Only 9% of the country has a high yield potential of 1.6–2.4 t coffee ha −1. About 21% percent of the country has a moderate yield potential, ranging between 1.0 and 1.6 t coffee ha −1, and 70% has a low yield potential (<1.0 t coffee ha −1). In the highlands, coffee is grown on steep slopes that can exceed 55%. The major zones of production are the Kivu Lake Borders, Central Plateau, Eastern Plateau, and Mayaga agro-ecological zones, where coffee is mainly cultivated on moderate slopes. The production of coffee covers about 32 000 ha, or 2.3% of all cultivated land in the country. Actual coffee yields were measured in the field and were used to assess potential productivity zones and yields using ordinary kriging with ArcGIS software.
We used a geographic information system (GIS) for a weighted overlay analysis to assess the major production zones of Arabica coffee and their qualitative productivity indices. We analyzed the spatial distribution of actual and potential production zones for Arabica coffee, their productivity levels and predicted potential yields.
This study aimed to analyze suitable areas for Arabica coffee production. Information on the suitable areas for sustainably growing Arabica coffee is still scarce. The Government of Rwanda is implementing policies to increase the area of Arabica coffee production.
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