How Ugandan Coffee Farmers Are Adjusting To Climate Change – CoffeeTalk

Climate change is expected to reduce worldwide yields on average and decrease coffee-suitable land by 2050, posing a threat to Uganda’s ecosystems, people’s livelihoods, and national economic development efforts. Coffee farmers in Bushenyi District have been aware of the potential impact of climate change on their earnings from the world’s second most consumed beverage. In October 2024, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority reported an increase in coffee exports and prices, with 496,820 60-kilo bags valued at US$139.05 million exported at an average price of US$4.66 per kilo.

The high prices have caused excitement among farmers in different parts of Uganda, leading some tea farmers in Bushenyi district to uproot their tea crops to plant coffee. However, the future of the coffee crop is in jeopardy due to the growing impacts of climate change. Volatile weather patterns, intensifying temperatures, and increased pressure from pests and diseases are all affecting coffee yields, quality, and income.

The prolonged dry season is a challenge for coffee farmers, as they depend on the rain for their livelihood. Small-scale farmers like Apollo Lee Kakonge and Phionah Kyokusiima struggle to install irrigation equipment on their farms, leading to small yields and decreased income per plant. Farmers in the Ankore sub-region experience two rainy seasons, with the first running from January to June and the second from August to December. Apprehension about climate change is evident at different levels, with smallholders bearing the burden of dwindling soil productivity and yields.

Emmanuel Kweyunga, a coffee farmer in Nyakabirizi Division in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, is also grappling with the small amount of rainfall. He laments that the crop that should be flowering is not doing so, and even when the rains come, they come with an intensity that is not good, flooding and submerging gardens.

Nicholas Kagurutsya, Bushenyi district’s agriculture officer, points out that unpredictable weather patterns have also caused moisture limitations in the soil, forcing coffee farmers to switch to other varieties to control pests and diseases. Disease-resistant coffee seeds are sensitive to the moisture content of the soil, and during the dry spell, over 50% of the crop dried up due to limited water in the soil.

Climate change is posing significant challenges to coffee production, leading farmers to adopt innovative mitigation strategies. These include water conservation, crop rotation, and irrigation. Farmers are creating catchment areas by digging trenches in their gardens to hold water, controlling runoff in case of rain. They are also embracing intercropping and agroforestry to attract pollinators and improve the ecosystem.

Virtuous Tumanye, another coffee farmer in Kyabugimbi sub-county, practices agroforestry, arguing that the integration of trees in her plantation plays a role in carbon sequestration and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. She has registered herself into conservation groups and plans to cash in on both the coffee and the trees in terms of carbon credits and their fruits in the coming years.

The government is supporting farmers to purchase and use individual solar-powered irrigation equipment through the Micro-scale Irrigation Program under the Department of Agricultural Infrastructure Mechanisation and Water for Agricultural Production of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF). The farmers co-fund 25% of the cost while the government pays the rest. However, the irrigation program is still too expensive for all farmers to adapt due to the high installation costs.

In the Rwenzori sub-region, the Bukonzo Organic Farmers Cooperative Union is using credit and training to help farmers become more resilient to climate impacts. The cooperative has planted 96,000 shade trees so far, helping the soil retain more water and providing shade for coffee crops in the face of rising temperatures. In central Uganda, the Buganda Kingdom, in collaboration with Akko International and Grundfos, launched solar-powered irrigation systems to ensure the sustainable growing of coffee and other crops.

Globally, coffee production is now concentrated in a handful of developing countries such as Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Uganda, Honduras, Peru, and Guatemala. Reports indicate that due to climate change, significant shifts in land allocated for coffee production within the next three decades may result in land conflicts between coffee production and the conservation of wetlands and forests.

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