Coffee:
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Background
Uganda is the eighth largest producer of coffee
in the world, with export volumes for the past
three years averaging between 2.5 to 3.0 million
bags. Despite the fact that export levels have
remained stagnant during this time, coffee still
remains Uganda's most important cash crop.
Approximately 97% of Ugandan coffee is produced
by over 500,000 smallholders who operate on farms
averaging about one hectare in size. Ugandan
coffee farmers benefit from two rainy seasons
which allow for an extended coffee harvest throughout
the year. Most farmers intercrop their Robusta
and Arabica coffee plants with matooke bananas
and beans. Robusta production alone accounts
for 90% of the Ugandan export volume, which places
Uganda third to Vietnam and the Ivory Coast in
world Robusta exports.
In addition to on-farm jobs created by coffee
production, additional employment is generated
through the multiple sub sectors linked to the
coffee industry in processing, input supply, trading
and transport. Studies have also shown that
coffee growing zones enjoy more consistent food
security.
The stagnant level of coffee exports over the
past three years is linked to declining yields
at the smallholder level. The decline in
productivity, as well as low international coffee
prices has significantly reduced the amount of
income for many smallholders. Several of
the factors contributing to this decline include:
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Diseases and pests, notably coffee wilt disease
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Old coffee trees
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Poor crop management practices
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Poor soil fertility management
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Poor post-harvest handling practices
APEP Interventions
In
order to reverse the decline in coffee productivity,
APEP interventions target coffee production at
the farm level. The approach uses the following
techniques:
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Establishment of coffee demonstration plots
to facilitate appropriate technology transfer
between collaborating farmers
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Appropriate on-farm modern production and
processing technology training
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Biological and socio-economic farm level research
which addresses farm level production constraints
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Coffee production technology transfer from
research to farm level production
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Exporter and farmer linkages in conjunction
with sustainable coffee production techniques
Related Coffee Resources
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