Tag: Coffee

The National Gathering for Women in the Agrifood System, a significant event held on 12^th April 2024 at Hotel Africana, was a collective effort by Food Rights Alliance (FRA), Action Against Hunger, SNV, World Vision Uganda, LANDnet Uganda, Katosi Women Development Trust, Caritas Uganda, Uganda Community Based Association for Women and Children’s Welfare (UCOBAC), and SEATINI Uganda. This gathering, held under the theme of ‘Women and Girls Leading against Hunger and Malnutrition,‘ served as a beacon for amplifying women’s voices and experiences. It advocated for policies and interventions that promote gender equity and women’s economic empowerment across sectors in Uganda, reinforcing the importance of inclusivity within Uganda’s agrifood system.

Participation in the event was enthusiastic, bringing together 300 women from eastern, Kigezi, central, and west Nile representing diverse sectors, including coffee production, dairy farming, academia, policy-making, and exports. This convergence provided a fertile ground for women’s voices to shape the discourse surrounding agrifood systems, addressing challenges and exploring avenues for progress and advancement.

At the gathering, one of the focal points of discussion was the discussion on opportunities and challenges women face in coffee value addition enterprises. While coffee is Uganda’s second major cash crop, contributing significantly to foreign exchange and livelihoods, women encounter formidable challenges such as restricted market access, high certification Costs, financial constraints, and technological barriers. One participant from the Elgon mothers group shared an experience where women are often sidelined in the coffee value chain. They are left to carry sacks of coffee on their backs to the markets while the men reap and manage the financial benefits.

Below is a quote from one of the women from the Elgon region.

“We resorted to stealing a few kilograms of coffee from each harvest as our husbands controlled all harvest proceeds without involving us in deciding how to use finances from the coffee sales.”  

They also noted that through their journey with Non-Government Organizations, they are starting to engage in educational efforts on gender-based violence, joint decision-making with their husbands, and began planning collectively for their families’ well-being and development.

In response, stakeholders like Ms. Ejalu, Deputy Executive Director of the Uganda Bureau of Standards, acknowledged efforts to streamline the certification process and encouraged women to join groups to disseminate certification messages quickly in coffee value addition. This recognition of the women’s efforts and the call to action for the stakeholders to do more underscores the crucial role that each stakeholder plays in promoting women’s economic empowerment in the coffee sector.

Insights from other notable speakers, Hon. Linda Auma, the vice chairperson of Uganda Women’s Council, Mr Benard Mujuni, the commissioner of Equity and rights at Ministry of Gender Labour & Social Development – MoGLSD, and Her Excellency Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, the former Commissioner of Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union underscored the pivotal role played by women in Uganda’s agricultural landscape, highlighting their composition of 53% of Uganda’s agricultural labour force and their multifaceted contributions as cultivators, processors, marketers, and caregivers despite their efforts being undervalued and overlooked.

The representative of the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local Government, Mr Kapwepwe, elaborated on several opportunities in government programs such as the Parish Development Model Program (PDM) for women in the coffee value chain, commending women for actively exploiting the opportunity to participate in groups and assume leadership roles within the PDM framework. Furthermore, he singled out coffee as an enterprise being promoted by the PDM program and encouraged women to join groups to benefit from the PDM opportunities.

In conclusion, the National Gathering of Women in the Agrifood System was a pivotal platform for amplifying women’s voices, addressing challenges, and charting a course toward empowerment within Uganda’s agrifood system.

The women in coffee production put across a strong call to action with recommendations for the promotion of inclusive policies and engagement in technology advancement for value addition, increasing marketability, and protection from exploitation by middlemen, rehabilitation of existing road infrastructure to connect grass root women to markets, support women’s cooperatives and networks on coffee, promote digital inclusion: Grassroots women require access to digital technology to participate in markets beyond their localities, enabling networking, electronic extension services, and access to finance, support formalization of women-led agribusiness.

By embracing the recommendations and leveraging opportunities such as the PDM program, Uganda can foster an inclusive and thriving agrifood ecosystem driven by the empowerment of its women.

By Julian Amanya

Programme Assistant Women in Agri FOOD Systems

Food Rights Alliance

In the heart of Namanyonyi and Bunabudde sub-counties, a transformative narrative unfolds as the Food Rights Alliance (FRA), in collaboration with the Commonwealth Foundation, orchestrates a captivating chapter of the ReCoP Project (Building Resilience of Women in the Coffee Value Chain Project) organised a capacity-building session on Movement building, advocacy, and negotiation from the 11th to the 12th of December, 2023.

This initiative stands as a beacon, illuminating the path towards inclusivity and resilience of the food system that fosters the participation of all actors in decision-making. The training sessions saw an enthusiastic participation of 115 individuals, with a notable majority of 110 females and 5 males. Among the participants were representatives from various groups and coffee cooperatives, including the Bunabudde Coffee Cooperative, Women Wonder Cooperative Enterprise, Namanyonyi Youth Shalom Association, Bakusekamaja Women Group, and Kamukamu Women Saving who excitedly share a common goal gathering under the open sky, ready to learn together and share experiences in the coffee value chain to collectively advocate, negotiate, and influence more equitable business and policy decisions within the coffee value chain. 

The optimism in the air during the training session on the slopes of Mt. Elgon in Bunabude is palpable. Women, fueled by passion, see this capacity-building opportunity not merely as an event but as a portal to introspection. Together, they delve into the intricacies of the challenges that beset them, exploring the roots and weaving solutions with threads of hope. The Chairperson of Bunabudde Coffee Cooperative Sarah Sambazi Jennifer Expressed gratitude for the initiative, recognising the lack of knowledge and skills among women in advocating for fair prices for their coffee. ‘The gender disparity in labour during fieldwork and post-harvest handling, with women undertaking the majority of the work, women provide 58% of the labour during fieldwork and 72% of the labour during post-harvest handling but still don’t enjoy the products, they face exploitative pricing from the middlemen’. The quality of coffee beans produced by women was acknowledged emphasising the need for training sessions to empower them to advocate for their fair treatment and recognition of their contribution. She added that ‘those determining coffee prices often lack awareness of the various activities involved, such as nursery work, transplanting, weeding, and harvesting and therefore small-scale female farmers deserve higher prices for their coffee, reflecting the value of the activities they undertake to enhance their livelihoods.

Gladys Nawire raised concerns about pests affecting pests “Women plantations are affected with wild rats due to weeds which women don’t remove. Women lack knowledge on coffee handling due to neglect from the agriculture extension workers” She highly recommended training women on sustainable farming. Kainza Esther voiced out the deep concern of women’s participation and contribution towards significant choices at home yet they provide the most labor on the plantation. limited influence in decision-making processes. She highlighted that women provide free labour at home but yet still marginalised. Women have no say in the money given out in government programs like PDM, husbands spend the money on mobile smartphones. Instead, of spending it on farming inputs like pulping machines, shade nets and protecting gears for their health. Women collectively voiced a shared concern about the substandard quality of their seedlings and cherries, a factor that significantly impacts the market value of their coffee which is sometimes distributed by the local government thus hindering their competition on the market. 

The mission extends beyond training, moving into a broader landscape of community mobilization, empowerment, and the construction of a formidable movement. Cooperatives like have facilitated networking and collaborations, enabling women to sell their coffee collectively at higher prices. Nakayenji Patience, a member of Bunabudde Coffee Society shared her experience before and after joining a cooperative, “Bunabudde society has collaborated with other coffee producers and buyers in other regions and we have been able to sell our coffee as a group not as an individual at a much higher price compared to selling as an individual’. She added that cooperatives have enabled them to engage with various Partners, and civil societies like the Food Rights Alliance offer training to the Women coffee farming groups. Members emphasized that Cooperatives have provided security to women in the coffee value chain by safeguarding them from exploitation by middlemen. Through collective strength, cooperatives have empowered women to negotiate fair prices for their coffee produce, ensuring they receive just compensation for their efforts. she further highlighted that although women tend to have less land and few coffee plantations, since joining cooperatives women have tended to increase their coffee from the application of what is can learn from training by several partners. 

Agnes Nafuna stated “Cooperative has offered the advantage of receiving second payments as a group, this collective benefit has enhanced the financial well-being of the members, providing additional income that can be reinvested into coffee or used for various family and community needs.’

While training lays the foundation, challenges persist. Inconsistent follow-ups by the partners hinder the application of knowledge, and limited engagement of men in women’s programs affects decision-making since women have to seek permission from men to apply the knowledge learnt from the training.

Nonetheless, every shared insight, collaborative solution, and empowered women propels the journey forward.
In this symphony of voices, FRA acts as the maestro, skillfully documenting the narratives and aspirations of these women. Their stories, captured in voices and documentaries, become a powerful instrument for advocacy. FRA envisions these tales resonating through the corridors of change, amplifying the collective strength of women in the coffee sector.

By Amanya Julian 

Program Assistant, Women in Agri FOOD Systems