Coffee is one of Uganda’s most significant agricultural exports, but the increase in droughts, pests and disease due to climate change has greatly reduced its yield and value. This blog explores the tools and strategies that Ugandan coffee farmers are adopting to support their climate resilience.
Coffee is pivotal to Uganda’s economy. Arabica and robusta coffee have an estimated export value of USD 859 million and support the livelihoods of millions of people. To accelerate the crop’s increased contribution to the national economy, the country targets to increase annual coffee production to 20 million 60-kilogram bags by 2030, from 8.1 million bags in 2023.
However, Uganda’s agricultural sector, including its coffee sector, faces severe threats from climate change, manifesting in unpredictable weather patterns, increasing temperatures, and rising pest pressures.
Uganda has experienced a temperature rise of approximately 1.3°C over the past century, and coffee plants, particularly Arabica varieties, are sensitive to temperature changes. The country now suffers more frequent droughts and irregular rainfall. Annual rainfall in Uganda has decreased by about 5% in the past 30 years, immensely impacting coffee yield and quality. Drought has led to the reduction in quality of the three main grades of quality for Ugandan coffee—Screen 18 (biggest bean size); Screen 15 (medium bean size) and Screen 12 (smallest bean size), which has greatly reduced the value of foreign exchange from coffee exports.
Warmer temperatures and higher humidity levels have exacerbated pest and disease pressures in coffee fields. Coffee leaf rust and the coffee borer beetle are two major threats, with coffee leaf rust alone reducing yields by up to 30% in some areas.
It is estimated that climate change will reduce the area suitable for growing arabica coffee by 20% and robusta coffee by 9% by the year 2050. There may also be a shift in areas suitable for growing arabica coffee to the highlands, which will lead to potential encroachment on protected areas for nature. In addition, climate change has derailed government efforts to increase areas for coffee because the droughts cause low germination rates of coffee plant seedlings.
Such climate-related risks pose a significant concern for the future supply of Uganda’s strategic crop coffee, which is vested in the hands of farmers. This implies that Uganda’s coffee farmers are at the forefront of adapting to these challenges.
How have Ugandan coffee farmers adapted to climate change?
Farmers are losing sleep to climate change’s effects on their cash-earning crop. They have adopted several strategies to adapt.
- Diversified agroforestry in coffee growing: Many Ugandan farmers are integrating coffee with other trees and crops to enhance resilience. For example, the use of shade trees, such as Grevillea robusta and indigenous species, helps to moderate temperatures and improve soil fertility. A study from the World Agroforestry Centre shows that farmers who adopted agroforestry practices reported up to a 25% increase in coffee yields.
- Climate-resistant varieties: Farmers are increasingly adopting robusta coffee varieties that are more resilient to temperature fluctuations and diseases. Researchers at the National Coffee Research Institute in Uganda have developed new drought resistant coffee varieties which have been adopted by farmers through a government seedling distribution program to counter drought shocks. However, adoption rates are still low at only 9%. Adoption of such varieties is not only restricted to cash crops like coffee. Farmers are adopting climate resistant varieties of a range of crops, including maize, beans, cassava and millet, to mitigate the effects of climate change on food security.
- Water management practices in coffee plantations have been adopted by farmers in the face of irregular rainfall. Techniques, such as rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation, are gaining traction. Farmers have adopted drip irrigation for better coffee yields even during dry spells. However, the use of irrigation in the agricultural sector in general is still limited – less than 1% of farmers practice irrigation in Uganda. Soil conservation practices, such as cover cropping, composting, and terracing, are being implemented to combat soil degradation. In regions like Kabale and Kisoro, soil conservation techniques have led to a 15% increase in coffee yields and improved soil health.
- Diversified sourcing for coffee exports: To mitigate the risks of reduced production and to meet global demand, the government has extended coffee production to the non-traditional coffee growing region of the Northern Uganda. This approach has helped to spread the risk associated with localized climate impacts. Coffee production is being promoted in northern Uganda to complement traditional growing regions in the southwest. Smallholders in such regions are receiving targeted support in terms of seedlings, technical advice and information, which has allowed them to contribute to national coffee statistics.
As we can see, Uganda’s coffee sector, a crucial economic pillar with an export value of US$859 million, faces major threats of drought, pests and diseases which have significantly reduced coffee yield and quality, and inhibited input seedling distribution programs. In response, Ugandan farmers are implementing diverse strategies, such as agroforestry, climate-resistant crop varieties, water management practices, and soil conservation techniques, to mitigate the risks associated with climate change to coffee.
However, while these strategies mark significant progress, questions remain about their sufficiency to fully protect Uganda’s coffee sector from the intensifying impacts of climate change, given the low adoption rates among farmers. Comprehensive, large-scale efforts are necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of this vital sector.
