Country Profile Uganda

"As a producer of top quality Robusta (and some Arabica) Uganda is a country where the DE Foundation is keen to support development of producer organisations."

Coffee in Uganda

Coffee is an important export product for Uganda, representing approximately eleven percent of the total value of products exported from the country. However, Ugandan coffee farmers and their families often lack basic essentials such as food, drinking water and adequate housing. To ensure that they receive a better income, the productivity of their coffee fields and the quality of their produce should be improved.

Challenges   

In the early 90’s, the Ugandan coffee industry was hit hard by the appearance of the coffee wilt disease, which killed forty percent of the country’s coffee trees. Due to the lack of research, extension and availability of resistant plant material, this disease has remained prevalent, reducing the productivity of coffee farms to one half or even a third of what it could be. Therefore, institutions and organisations looking to improve the productivity of the Ugandan coffee sector should receive support, and farmers should be provided with better access to extension services, wilt-resistant plant material, fertilizers and credits.

Role of the DE Foundation

2000-2004

Between 2000 and 2004, the DE Foundation cooperated with PLAN for general development in a coffee growing area. This meant that water wells, energy efficient stoves and training on agriculture and nutrition were provided to farmers with the aim to improve their lives. At this stage, the focus was not yet on coffee production.

2004-2011

Between 2004 and 2011, the DE-Foundation cooperated with the exporter Ibero (part of Neumann Kaffe Grupe) to provide extension and training to coffee farmers, so as to improve the production and quality of their crop. Farmers received certification according to the Utz Certified programme, and gained market access. The project was further developed through cooperation with other donor organisations such as the Gates Foundation, Danida and USAid.

In this project, farmers were organised in depot committees, which – by encouraging farmers to bring their coffee to a central location for pick-up – improved the logistical process. Later, the depot committees also performed quality control and were given the possibility of providing advance payments to farmers that brought their coffee. Due to the improved logistics and quality, farmers were able to receive a 20 to 30 percent higher price for their coffee. Some of the better organised depot committees also worked together to sell maize to Kampala, and eventually began to hire trucks to bring their coffee independently to the coffee exporter Ibero.  To facilitate access to public extension services, most committees have become formal organisations. However, this access still remains difficult.

In the current phase of our collaboration with Ibero and others, existing Depot Committees are joining forces in the Uganda Coffee Farmers Alliance. A farmer-owned and ultimately farmer-managed company that operates independently as a buyer and eventually exporter of Ugandan coffee.

Ambitions

Since 2011, the DE Foundation has been cooperating on a national sector level with the UNDP, Café Africa and the National Coffee Platform, among others. Together they are developing a strategic plan for the coffee sector, with a focus on institutions and export logistics. Business development to help coffee farmers is the main objective, with the intent of joining existing initiatives in order to reach more farmers. Ultimately, the DE Foundation and its partners in Uganda aim to make the country’s coffee sector more efficient, using a strategy that sustainably improves coffee production and productivity throughout Uganda.