Summary of the coffee-banana project

The partners includes researchers from premier universities in Uganda and stakeholders from all levels in the coffee-banana value chain. It aims to address the low technical and economic efficiency in crop production and to foster resilience to climate change.

The project developed platforms in two districts in the Mt Elgon region of Uganda where players from all levels in the coffee-banana value chain were brought together and offered equal opportunity in experience and knowledge sharing, and dissemination. The Theory of Change and other human centered approaches were used to facilitate the process. A representation of extension and model farmers in the area were given further training using information communication and education materials customised in local languages. These trained community members then took up the skills and knowledge transfer in a snowball technique to cover selected villages in all sub counties in the two districts. Farm field days are therefore being implemented on a regular schedule. Since its inception September 2022, the project has a network of 544 stakeholders and counting, comprising of farmers, extension, community officers, financial institutions personnel, coffee traders, representatives from media houses, input dealers, researchers in the line ministries, local government unit heads, and local politicians. 

We are positive that this will culminate in farming communities that are all-inclusive, empowered, working proactively with extension, research, private sector and government organs to embrace production and marketing systems that harness agroecology and optimum levels of external inputs to improve coffee-banana productivity for better incomes, food security, resilience to climate variability and environmental health. It would be great to extend the innovation to more districts in the region.

Credits to the research team: Jeninah Karungi, Judith Nagasha, Mike Butseya Maliro, Geoffrey Arinaitwe, Anthony R. Ijala, Michael Kazooba, Nestor B. Mugabe, Sonia Mbabazi, Johnny Mugisha and Madelene Ostwald.