Uganda

The context

Deforestation

Forests and woodlands cover approximately 24% of the total land area in Uganda. Since 2000, Uganda has registered a 14% decrease in tree cover due to agricultural production, timber and solid biomass for fuel, population growth, and rural poverty that restricts ability to invest in sustainable land use practices.

Local context

The coffee sector in Uganda is characterised by smallholder farmers who sell their coffee to local traders, leading to a complex supply chain with numerous intermediaries. SAFE Uganda has particular focus on the coffee-producing districts of Central and Northern Uganda i.e. Luwero, Nakaseke, Kassanda, Mubende, Bukomansimbi, Kyotera, Omoro, and Nwoya.

Biodiversity

Uganda ranks among the top ten most biodiverse countries, with 18,783 species of fauna and flora. It is home to 53.9% of the world’s mountain gorillas, 11% of recorded bird species, and 7.8% of global mammal diversity. Uganda is also home to seven of Africa’s eighteen plant kingdoms and has been party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) since 1993.

Agriculture

Agriculture is Uganda’s main economic activity, covering 71.8% of the land area and employing 70% of the population. The sector is dominated by smallholder subsistence farmers who are highly dependent on the natural environment. Despite its importance, the sector operates at less than 40% of its achievable potential for key staple crops. Coffee, Uganda’s second largest foreign exchange earner employs over 1,800,000 farming households, however, the value chain faces numerous constraints.

Decoupling Agriculture from Deforestation

Uganda’s forests play a critical role in driving sustainable and inclusive national development by supporting the production of key crops like coffee. Sustainable practices such as agroforestry, land use management, and collaborative forest management are promoted by both government and partners in the coffee value chain.

Approach

SAFE Uganda aims to support Ugandan coffee producers in meeting the requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The project focuses on awareness raising, promoting sustainable agricultural practices for coffee productivity and forest conservation, strengthening capacities for scaling up traceability systems, business development services, facilitating business linkages and financing. Furthermore, it supports multistakeholder partnerships and platforms to develop sustainable policies and knowledge exchange. The project collaborates with other GIZ projects for synergies, works with smallholder coffee farmers, cooperatives, MSMEs, exporters, and the Ugandan government ministries, departments, and agencies.

Commodities SAFE is working on in Uganda

Approach

Commodities SAFE is working on in Uganda

Activities

Capacity Development on Sustainable Production and
Land Use Management

SAFE Uganda promotes sustainable coffee production by enabling smallholder farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural and land use practices. The project strengthens the capacity of various stakeholders to improve policy processes and foster multi-stakeholder cooperation. It also supports forest conservation by incentivizing both individual and institutional forest owners to manage and conserve forest resources. Furthermore, SAFE Uganda focuses on enhancing the technical skills of local government staff in using GIS and remote sensing to improve forest monitoring within their districts. The project also promotes gender and social inclusion, specifically by tracking the impact of the coffee value chain on the socio-economic well-being of women.

Business Development Services and Private Sector Engagement

SAFE Uganda promotes inclusive business development and strengthens the role of the private sector in supporting sustainable coffee production. It facilitates partnerships between producer organizations and supply chain actors, fostering inclusive and mutually beneficial business models. SAFE Uganda also works to improve access to finance for cooperatives and MSMEs, enabling them to invest in activities necessary for EUDR compliance. In addition, it supports the development of business linkages and services that enhance the performance and resilience of smallholder farmer institutions.

Awareness Raising
on EUDR Requirements

SAFE Uganda promotes national awareness and understanding of the EUDR requirements among key actors in the coffee value chain, including smallholder farmers, traders, processors, government agencies, and civil society. This also includes establishing and facilitating multi-stakeholder platforms at local and regional levels to share information, best practices, and lessons learned regarding EUDR implementation.

Traceability of Coffee among Value Chain Actors

A key focus of SAFE Uganda is the development of a traceability system to ensure that coffee produced in Uganda can be tracked along the value chain in compliance with the EUDR. SAFE Uganda supports coffee cooperatives and traders in adopting traceability mechanisms to enable transparency and accountability. It works with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) to establish and operate a central data warehouse, which will store and manage information relevant to coffee production and traceability.