Uganda, Bigasa
Doubling yields in smallholder robusta coffee production
Quickfacts
| Project Name | Sustainable production and processing coupled with income diversification in Bigasa Sub-County, Masaka District |
|---|---|
| Project Description | Improvement of the living conditions of organised small-scale coffee farmers and their families |
| Beneficiaries | 2500 |
| Key Results | |
| - Competitiveness | The project assists in increasing the household income of smallholder farmers by increasing crop productivity and facilitating marketing |
| - Living Conditions | The complementary measures support the improvement of basic social services to enhance the living and working conditions of the smallholders and contribute to the development of the community |
| - Environmental Conditions | The environmentally friendly production and processing of coffee protects natural resources (especially soil and water) and contributes to the sustainable preservation of life |
| Project Duration | January 2005 - December 2008 |
| International Partners | International Coffee Partners (ICP), German Development Agency (GTZ), Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Program - APEP (USAID) |
| Local Partners | Ibero (NKG export company), Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) |
Results
When the trainer at the Farmer Field School in Bigasa first told 68 year old Lubega Sulaiman he was going to be a successful coffee farmer, he laughed at him. But four years after first attending the training his farm is one of the largest coffee plots in the region.
The local people have even named him "Muggaga", meaning "rich man", and many farmers come to him for advice. His coffee garden now consists of 570 highly productive trees.
His increased income was invested in a goat and duck rearing unit, which is in turn generating even more income and a much higher quality of life for Lubega and his family. He was recently able to build a new house, help his daughter start her own business and send his grandchildren back to school.
Challenge
Back in 2003 Lubega Sulaiman was very unhappy as a coffee farmer. Most of his 50 coffee trees had been choked by weeds, or had died due to Coffee Wilt Disease (CWD). He had virtually no income to provide for his wife, daughter and grandchildren who had dropped out of school. Even worse, due to the poor hygiene conditions in his home Lubega's health was suffering.
In Uganda over 2.5 million people directly depend on growing and trading coffee for their livelihood. Average incomes are very low, with GNP under an annual US$ 200 per capita. In Bigasa Sub country coffee production is the main source of income for smallholders. While coffee production practices are moderately implemented, post harvest processing practices generally lead to a deterioration in the quality of the coffee.
The basic social infrastructure is severely lacking: the community is not yet connected to the electricity grid and the rural clinic provides only very basic medical care. In addition, disease and malnutrition are common and inhabitants do not have access to fresh drinking water.
Actions Taken
A Farmer Field School was established in 2003, with around 3000 farmers participating. Lubega was one of them. At first he was sceptical: how was he supposed to become a successful coffee farmer at his age, when he hadn’t managed to do so when he was young? Nevertheless, he followed the training guidelines, rehabilitated his farm by planting new seedlings, collecting manure from neighbours, adding it to the soil and planting shade trees.
When asked about these years of intense training, Lubega comments, “The agronomist was so persistent that I felt uncomfortable whenever he came by and found I had not implemented his advice.”
During the first year of training Lubega’s farm already started to look much better which encouraged him to buy even more seedlings. Since the beginning of the training there has been a significant improvement in coffee quality in the Bigasa project, and farmers have doubled their yields.
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