Much as coffee production in Uganda has no recourse to agrochemicals and thus naturally organic by default, Uganda Coffee Development Authority — a body charged with the regulatory and development issues of the coffee industry — is taking cautious steps to have the supply of organic coffee on a more acceptable and sustainable basis. A number of farm households, totalling over 20,000 have in the past 3 to 4 years been certified organic coffee farms in both the Arabica and Robusta areas, and 15,000 more farmers are in the conversion stage. Yield from these farms is still small and has averaged 1,200 tonnes per year but there is a high potential for growth as more farmers continue to adopt the sustainable agricultural practices.

Some of the coffee from these initiatives has found its way in other specialty markets under appellation, Fair Trade Labelling, etc. Over the past three years Uganda’s organic coffee has attracted a premium ranging between $ 200 and $ 300 per tonne over the conventional market. This has, needless to say, prompted many farmers to register as organic coffee farmers in an attempt to alleviate household poverty. The positive market signals and a conducive policy framework will continue to support the organic market segment in Uganda. The government of Uganda gives full support to all initiatives that have a positive impact on the environment and wildlife.

A study sponsored by the Department for International Development — DFID in 2002/03 to establish which of the certification options would give farmers a lever-age in alleviation of house-hold poverty, recommended organic coffee farming. Subsequently, DFID has embarked on a series of sensitisation workshops in the major coffee growing districts that have brought a number of farmers on board.

Organic coffee shambas are located in the districts of Luweero and Bushenyi for the Robustas; and in Kapchorwa and Nebbi districts in the case of Arabica. The Kapchorwa organic farm holdings are on the steep slopes of Mt. Elgon around Sipi Falls. The high altitude of above 1700 m, a good climate, the volcanic soils and the holistic farming systems where shade trees and other foodstuffs are grown along with coffee, have given Uganda organic coffee unique quality characteristics.

To ease the certification process of organic agricultural products in Uganda, the National Organic Agricultural Movement (NOGAMU) in collaboration with stakeholders in the organic sector, set up a certification body — UgoCert, which is accredited to IMO. It is hoped that with this national body in place the cost of certification that has always been borne by the farmers will come down, thus contributing to poverty reduction.

In recognition of Uganda’s position as a major origin for organic coffee in Africa, the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movement (IFOAM) and the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) endorsed Uganda to host the 3rd. International IFOAM Organic Coffee Conference (IOCC), which was held between October 06 - 08, 2004 at the Imperial Resort Beach, Entebbe. This came 10 years after one in Mexico in 1994 but the first of such a conference was held in Switzerland in 1991. The Conference attracted a multitude of participants ranging from growers, buyers, roasters, consumers, policy makers and the academia. These included the Centrals, Latinos, North Americans, Europeans and Africans. The conference whose theme was ‘Quality Coffee: Fair Trade’, was officially opened by the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Jovano Akaki who stood in for His Excellency, the Vice President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya. The Minister assured the consumers of a steady supply of organic coffee from Uganda so long as the price is good. The Secretary General for InterAfrican Coffee Organisation — IACO, Madam Josefa SACKO, in her contribution to the conference, said that the whole of Africa should be certified organic since the majority of farms in Africa produce original agricultural foods. The President of IFOAM, Dr. Gunnar Rundgren, in his remarks thanked all participants in the conference for the excellent deliberations made and later announced that the next – 4th. International IFOAM Organic Coffee Conference will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2014 and appealed to all those around to work towards making that major event a success too.