Mary Butsina was featured in National Geographic in 2023. As a female farmer, she is looking after her family by concentrating on coffee farming. In a good season, Mary says she can make 6,000,000 Ugandan shillings (around £1,300) — a decent income for this area. During the rest of the year, she works as a tailor. She is taking care of her 10 children by farming coffee. Similar to Mary, thousands of farmers are deeply engaged in the coffee farming industry. However, the country still isn’t getting sufficient traction toward balanced coffee production.

The rolling hills and grassy valleys, the busy markets of Kampala, the aroma generated from the freshly roasted coffee beans- here in Uganda lies a tale of potential and paradox. A land blessed with the perfect coffee-growing conditions, and rightfully so, stands as Africa’s leading exporter in this field. Yet, amidst this success, a deeper story unfolds—one of exploitation, where the full richness of Uganda’s coffee legacy remains unexplored. Let’s discuss the possibilities, as well as factors that are creating hindrances to the major cash crop of the Pearl of Africa.

Climate change is playing a big role as coffee production demands favorable conditions.

Socio-economic issues are creating massive hindrances as big organizations are going bankrupt and not being able to invest, and the intermediaries are making things worse.

Pests and diseases are one of the biggest setbacks.

Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) stated that coffee exports reduced by 17.6% in the financial year 2022/23 compared to FY 2021/22. The country specifically exported 5.85 million 60kg bags of coffee as opposed to the previous quantity of 7.10 million bags registered last fiscal year, a drop of over one million bags. Consequently, this decrease led to declining revenues from $876 million to about $750 million for exportation purposes during this time frame.

Uganda’s unique geographical location, dividing the equator with rich volcanic soils and varied altitudes, makes it an ideal home for two elegant kinds of coffee, Robusta and Arabica. Suitable altitudes for Robusta and Arabica are 1200 and 1500 meters above sea level, respectively, giving the mountains of Elgon, Rwenzori, Mahavura, and the eastern, central parts of the country ample number of possibilities for growing these kinds of coffees. Uganda’s 85% economy relies on agriculture, where coffee is the major cash crop. But the coffee scenario in Uganda is still pretty much underexploited.

Several factors are causing a severe setback in the production of coffee. Analyzing these factors will make people aware who are engaged as well as enthusiasts about the whole coffee scenario in Uganda, in a broader aspect, the investors. 

The main factor that affects coffee production in Uganda is rainfall and droughts, which vary from year to year. In general, there is an increase in rainfall from April through June, which results in increased yields for most varieties of coffee beans. However, if the rains fail or are too light, then farmers will have less yield than expected. And now as global warming and climate change continue to accelerate every year, the previously roughly predictable weather patterns that farmers rely heavily on are now becoming more and more unpredictable and the chance of both flooding rains and draughts are far more likely, making it increasingly difficult to keep the coffee bean yield up to scratch.

In a 2019 publication by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Feed the Future initiative, it was asserted that though the majority of different climate models projected an increase in rainfall for the coming decades, the East African region experienced droughts. They coined the term East African Paradox.

Coffee production in Uganda is pretty much fragmented. The household is generally extremely poor, and organizational levels and input use are minimal. Institutional capacity to respond to challenges is low, and regulations are often not enforced despite the vast political and economic importance of coffee. Changes in land use and tenure pose a danger to output stability. Around eighty percent of agricultural land is under undocumented customary tenure. 

Given this potentially unsafe circumstance, producers frequently lack incentives to manage their land sustainably. The situation is made worse by the population’s rapid growth, as the land is divided into ever-smaller parcels according to customary succession laws. 

The increase in land-grabbing has been made easier by weak land tenure and property rights. Growing towns, the production of gold and oil, and the spread of estate crops can transform the way land is used, putting smallholder coffee farmers at risk of being forced off their land without a way to legally reclaim it or a way to profit from rising land values.

Many corporations were extinct because of market liberalization. Corruption and uncertainty, and delayed payments to farmers are regular scenarios. Here comes the numerous intermediaries using farmers as a means for collective input purchases, processing, and marketing. Ugandan growers of coffee have a difficult decision. They might make fast money by selling their coffee cherries to nearby middlemen in advance. 

This is particularly alluring when finances are tight. These middlemen, meanwhile, frequently don’t provide the best deals. Farmers can, however, associate with organizations that bargain for better terms, provide incentives, and even assist in the processing and delivery of the beans. In the long run, this may result in increased revenue. However, the drawback? These groups may take longer to pay.

This puts Ugandan coffee growers in a difficult position. They must figure out how to strike a balance between their current requirements and the possibility of future earnings increases. Furthermore, Uganda is a landlocked country, thus, coffee must be exported to Mombasa, Kenya, along a 1200-mile route. Uganda’s potential is limited by the expense and duration of this.  instant or roasted coffee, or coffee of a quality not suitable for export.

Two main pests and diseases affect Robusta production in Uganda: Coffee Wilt Disease (CWD, Fusarium xylarioides) and Black Coffee Twig Borer (BCTB, Xylosandrus compactus). For Arabica, the African Coffee White Stem Borer (CWSB, Monochamus leuconotus), Coffee Berry Disease (CBD, Colletotrichum kahawae), Coffee leaf rust (CLR, Hemileia vastatrix), and the Coffee Berry Borer (CBB, Hypothenemus hampei) are of increasing concern. 

The incidence of the white coffee stem borer (WCSB) decreased significantly with increasing altitude, implying that under future climate change scenarios, the impact of this insect pest on Arabica coffee will increase with increasing temperature. It indicates a problem as far as climate change is concerned. CWD was first detected in Uganda in 1993; by the end of 2000, it had spread to all Robusta zones of the country. 

Ugandan Robusta production reached a peak in 1996 and then fell steadily until 2005, when it attained only 42% of peak production. Most or all of the fall in Robusta was likely due to CWD. 

BCTB, a beetle causing significant damage to coffee production, has been a concern since a 2007 outbreak. Current control methods, including phytosanitary and chemical methods, are ineffective. Global warming and precipitation variability may also impact the situation.

WCSB beetle infests coffee farms, causing crop damage and affecting vascular transport, affecting up to 80% of farms in eastern and southern Africa.

CBD, a fungal disease, infects Arabica flowers, fruits, leaves, and bark, causing economic impact and yield losses of up to 80%.

CLR has severely impacted the Arabica coffee sector in the Americas, particularly in Uganda, where land was replaced with Robusta. The coffee berry borer (CBB) also poses a concern, with higher temperatures and higher altitudes causing increased infestations.

Women don’t have enough access to the land, nor do they inherit much. These differences between men and women farmers in Uganda can lead to problems in household farming. Men and women might see risks differently and have different ways of dealing with them.

In Uganda, especially when it comes to adopting new, more sustainable farming practices, several things are important for both men and women: who gets to make decisions, who has the knowledge and skills to do the work, and who has access to things like information, money, and tools.

Women in Uganda are more likely to be illiterate than men, leave school earlier, receive a lower share of the coffee income, and have less decision-making power, while often carrying an equal or larger share of the labor and management burden.

Uganda has all the necessary natural resources possible for producing high-quality coffee. By overcoming these factors, they can overcome the economic as well as social problems that they are dealing with in the current time. After all, a thriving coffee industry relies on a foundation of empowered and fairly compensated producers.