What does it mean to be a woman coffee farmer today? Coffee Conversations with Rizkani on Farming, Leadership and Community

IN CONVERSATION WITH RIZKANI

In our third conversation, we meet with Rizkani whose coffee journey began in 1993, when she worked with her father in the family grocery business before entering coffee with her brother. In 2011, she joined Permata Gayo Cooperative as a Quality Control Officer and soon saw the need for greater participation of women in coffee.

In 2014, she co-founded Koperasi Kopi Wanita Gayo (KKWG), Asia’s first women’s coffee cooperative, now with 680 members. With nearly 98% of its coffee exported, Rizkani has represented Gayo women’s coffee at major international platforms, including SCA USA, SCA Europe, MICE Australia and Café Show Korea.

Her leadership has also included roles with the Café Femenino USA Program and the Indonesian Fairtrade Coffee Women’s Forum. Her contributions have earned national recognition and led to her appointment to the Fairtrade NAPP Board, reflecting her experience in coffee and her work alongside women farmers in Gayo.

How did you get started in coffee farming?

I was born into a farming family. My father was a farmer, so from the time I was born, I was already familiar with the coffee process. My father also bought coffee, so since childhood, I had seen coffee and understood how it was processed. My mother was a trader and ran a shop, so perhaps my sense for business came from her.

Coffee has always been a fundamental part of our lives. Our extended family, on both sides, is all farmers, including my cousins and my grandfather. Since I was little, my parents often took me to the farm. Every Friday, we would go to the farm because school ended earlier that day. That is where I learned how coffee was processed, and over time, it all became part of everyday life.

Then in 2014, I helped establish Koperasi Kopi Wanita Gayo (KKWG), the first all-women Fairtrade coffee cooperative in Indonesia. Before that, I had also observed the process at Permata Gayo Cooperative, established in 2009. From there, we saw that meetings were often held, but women’s roles were frequently overlooked. In fact, women play a very large role in agriculture; nearly 70 percent of those involved are women. Because of that, a few of us came together, discussed it, and began thinking about creating a space specifically for women. That is how Kokawagayo was formed.

As 2026 marks the International Year of the Women Farmer, what does being a woman in agriculture mean today?

For me, taking care of coffee feels like caring for my own children. I learned that from my parents. They always said that coffee must be cared for properly so it can produce good results and help send the children to school. So, caring for coffee is like caring for a child. If the plants are well cared for, the results will be good as well.

That is what I have always held onto while farming. When the harvest is good, there is a happiness of its own. Being a farmer is fulfilling, because we can manage ourselves. If we want good results, then we have to work hard. That is the essence of it.

What are the biggest challenges in coffee farming?

In coffee farming, many tasks require physical strength, such as clearing fields or processing coffee through grinding and drying. For women, those tasks are heavy. Sometimes, if we do not have the time or strength, we pay others to help. During harvest, it is the same; we invite neighbours to help us harvest the farm.

The challenge is not only about the physical work in the fields. Being a woman farmer and a mother means the ability to manage energy, time, and thought to children and to household responsibilities.

In addition, women involved in the coffee trade often have difficulty gaining trust in the coffee business because most actors in the supply chain are men. People are often hesitant to do business with women. 

How do women farmers support each other?

One of the strengths of Kokawagayo is that our focus goes beyond business—we also prioritize the well-being of women farmers, especially their health. For instance, we have partnered with BPJS to provide cervical cancer screenings, an issue that is still often considered taboo. To make this accessible, we invited healthcare workers directly to the village so screenings could be carried out locally.

We also pay close attention to the needs of children. When mothers are working on the farm, arrangements are made so their children are cared for in a safe environment, giving the women peace of mind. These kinds of considerations are often overlooked in men’s cooperatives, but for us, they are essential.

During meetings, members also often share their personal struggles. Sometimes, during health screenings, someone is found to have a serious illness but does not receive support from her family. In those moments, they open up, sometimes through tears. Experiences like these have shown me how important psychological support truly is.

This is why we hope, one day, to provide dedicated psychological support, even though such a program has not yet been implemented. In every household, everyone has their own problems. When these problems are kept inside, the burden becomes heavier. But if someone can meet the right person to talk to, even if a solution does not come right away, sharing can help lighten the weight.

What improvements would help women farmers thrive further?

In coffee farming, there are two things that matter most: compost and pruning. If we take good care of these, God willing, the harvest will turn out well.

So what is most needed is a strong knowledge about cultivation: how to make and use compost, how to care for the plants, how to get good yields, and how to keep the soil healthy and fertile. As knowledge grows, there are always new ways and techniques we can try to improve our work and our harvest.

What do you value most about being part of the Fairtrade system?

For me, the most valuable part of being in a women’s cooperative within the Fairtrade system is the sense of community. The women who join us also become part of the community. Through this community, they can access opportunities they might not find elsewhere. We have held trainings, like free sewing classes, as well as sessions on how to keep financial records and track harvest results. These skills help them not only in farming, but also in managing their households and planning for the future.

Just as important, they feel they are not alone. There is always someone to share with, to learn from, and to support one another. So the benefits go beyond income or skills—they also build a sense of belonging and strengthen self-confidence as part of a community.