Remote technical assistance reaches six cooperatives in Eastern DRC

Last Month, we launched our Beyco training program for six French-speaking coffee cooperatives from Eastern DRC as part of the Progreso-Beyco remote Technical Assistance program on data management, EUDR compliance, and traceability reporting. ​

This support is made possible through a partnership between Agriterra DRC and Progreso Foundation, where Agriterra is supporting these cooperatives to access and use the Beyco Farmer Platform. Through this collaboration, six coffee cooperatives in Eastern DRC will receive remote technical assistance to strengthen their data management systems, improve traceability, and prepare for compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) for a period of 1 year ending July 2027.

The partnership responds to two key challenges faced by farmer organizations in remote areas: the high cost of on-site technical support and the increasing difficulty of travel due to security and health-related constraints, including the recent Ebola outbreak concerns in Eastern DRC. By providing remote assistance through Beyco, cooperatives in hard-to-reach areas can continue receiving essential support while reducing the overall cost of EUDR compliance.

For Progreso, this partnership represents an important step toward achieving our mission of strengthening the market position of smallholder farmer producer organizations by providing accessible digital solutions for farmer registration, traceability, data management, and compliance reporting. It demonstrates how digital platforms combined with targeted technical assistance can help cooperatives overcome barriers and participate more effectively in sustainable global markets.

For the supported cooperatives, this means gaining access to practical tools and knowledge that enable them to manage farmer data more effectively, strengthen traceability systems, generate compliance reports, and confidently meet the growing requirements of international buyers and regulatory frameworks such as the EUDR.

For Agriterra and other development partners, this partnership demonstrates a cost-effective approach to supporting more farmer organizations to maintain and access international markets. By leveraging digital solutions and remote technical assistance, development partners can extend their impact to more cooperatives, including those in challenging operational environments, while making efficient use of available resources.

Together, Agriterra and Progreso-Beyco are demonstrating how partnerships, technology, and capacity building can support smallholder farmers and their organizations in building resilient, transparent, and sustainable supply chains.

How do you know a development program has truly succeeded?

Written by Ayub Asingataba: Program Manager East Africa

How do you know a development program has truly succeeded: When others come to learn from it. That thought stayed with me as Wageningen University & Research, one of the world’s leading agricultural universities, visited Dukunde Kawa Musasa Coffee Cooperative in Rwanda. The purpose of the visit was not to evaluate another donor-funded project. Instead, Dukunde Kawa is being studied as a Master’s-level case study of how a farmer cooperative can successfully transition from aid to a sustainable, competitive business. To me, that distinction matters.


Too often, development is measured by activities completed, budgets spent, or reports submitted. But the true measure of success is much simpler: Can an institution continue to grow, compete, and create value long after external support has ended? Dukunde Kawa demonstrates that it can.

Over the years, Progreso Foundation has partnered with the cooperative to strengthen governance, financial management, business planning, and investment readiness. Through this partnership, Dukunde Kawa has expanded access to finance, diversified farmer income sources, strengthened its presence in international markets, and contributed to more than a 25% increase in farmer incomes. These are not simply project outputs—they are evidence of a cooperative building long-term resilience and creating lasting value for its members.

As Miel observed during the visit: “Dukunde Kawa shows that when cooperatives receive the right support, they transition from aid to sustainable businesses that compete globally” That observation captures why this visit mattered. Today, Dukunde Kawa is no longer benefiting from development support. It is contributing to global knowledge. The fact that one of the world’s leading agricultural universities has chosen the cooperative as a case study sends a powerful message: strong producer organizations are not only engines of rural development; they are models of innovation, resilience, and sustainable business.

This visit also reinforced another lesson for me. Success is when cooperatives can attract investment, compete in international markets, improve member incomes, adapt to changing market and climate conditions, and inspire others to follow their example. As Progreso Foundation, we were honored to host the Wageningen University delegation and facilitate this exchange of knowledge. We hope the lessons from Dukunde Kawa will inspire similar transformations across coffee-growing communities in Rwanda, Uganda, and beyond.

The greatest legacy of development is not the projects we complete. It is the institutions that continue to thrive, create opportunities for their members, and become examples for the world to learn from.