There are currently more than 1.7 million family-run coffee plantations in Uganda, which provide jobs for more than 6.8 million Ugandans.
The 4th Slow Food Uganda Coffee Festival’s main theme is breaking down community barriers for an open source, profitable agroforestry coffee value chain.
In order to achieve sustainability in the coffee industry and guarantee sustainable livelihoods for small-scale farming communities, according to Slow Food Uganda, agroforestry in coffee production is essential.
There are currently more than 1.7 million family-run coffee plantations in Uganda, which provide jobs for more than 6.8 million Ugandans. Due to the collapse of large-scale estates, smallholder farmers now produce the majority of the nation’s coffee, which is the main source of income for Uganda’s rural population.
Slow Food Uganda, in partnership with the Slow Food Coffee Coalition and regional allies, acknowledges the economic and intrinsic value of coffee as well as the contribution made by smallholder coffee farmers to the country’s coffee industry.
The event, which includes international representatives from Malawi, civil society organisations, roasters, producers, and traders, aims to increase awareness about the issue.
The event’s schedule includes conferences on the future of the coffee agroforestry industry in Uganda and Malawi, educational workshops, a coffee house, a B2B lounge, and activities for kids and families to learn about the fascinating world of coffee.
In Uganda, coffee agroforestry plays a significant role in both the economy and culture of the nation. To protect and promote Ugandan coffee that is produced sustainably, Slow Food has established a participatory global platform through the Coffee Coalition programme with local coffee farming communities and various partners along the coffee value chain.
Edie Mukiibi, president of Slow Food stated that, “Integrating native trees and food crops on coffee farms is important because it provides another income source for many rural families and significantly contributes to food security and preserving the natural environment for future generations of farmers and wildlife alike.”
The Coffee Festival is a component of our effort to spread awareness of the benefits of conserving the country’s coffee biodiversity and to promote the production, trade, and consumption of Ugandan coffee that has been produced sustainably.
The Slow Food Coffee Coalition has been working since 2021 to raise the standard of living for smallholder coffee farmers and establish a good, clean and fair coffee value chain by enhancing coffee production standards and promoting regional coffee varieties.
According to Emanuele Dughera, coordinator of the Slow Food Coffee Coalition, “with this event we would like to establish a sustainable network of coffee communities countrywide, one that is committed to the agroforestry system of coffee production, through the establishment of a Participatory Guarantee System model based on the native coffee varieties of Uganda and Malawi.”