Harvard’s Findings on the Cargo Bike’s Impact

In early January, four students from the Harvard IXP program visited Rwanda after choosing to study the economic impact of the Project Rwanda Cargo Bike. They visited two coffee cooperatives, Bukonya in the Northern Province and Maraba in the Southern Province. They spent two days meeting with farmers who currently own Project Rwanda bikes. They questioned the farmers about their daily activities and how those activities changed when they received a Project Rwanda bike. In the course of their work and evaluation they determined that there was in fact an increase in income for these farmers and a decrease in the amount of time they spent hauling coffee cherries to the washing stations. They also determined that farmers used their bikes to transport family and friends to medical appointments and the hospital when necessary. The farmers valued their bikes and were very strict with who they allowed to ride their bikes. The Project Rwanda Cargo Bike was a source of pride and prestige for the farmer and his family. The number one desire they had was to own more than one bike.