Responsible water stewardship in the Upper Ruvuma River Basin

Aviv Tanzania Limited, a subsidiary of Olam International, has operated a 1,012-hectare plantation of irrigated Arabica coffee in the Upper Ruvuma River basin in Songea since July 2011. This is part of a 2,000-hectare title deed: in line with Olam’s commitment to living landscapes, more than 50% of the remaining 988 hectares are set aside for conservation purposes. Geographically situated in a typical Miombo landscape converted extensively over the past centuries by local communities for subsistence agriculture, Aviv Tanzania’s business relies heavily on water for agricultural irrigation and processing. To ensure sufficient water supply for Aviv’s processing mill and irrigated plantations without jeopardizing this shared resource for other users, and to mitigate the risks of climate change variability and inconsistent rainfall, Olam initiated a water stewardship program.