Smallholder Coffee Development Programme in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands – CODE-P

Coffee is one of Tanzania’s leading export crops. The coffee sector supports about 2.4 million people, including farmers, labourers, and those involved in processing, marketing, and trade. The majority of Tanzania’s coffee is produced by smallholder farmers on plots averaging 1-2 hectares. For Vi Agroforestry, who fights rural poverty and climate change through sustainable farming methods, it makes sense to engage with these smallholder coffee farmers.

Conditions in the Southern Highlands

The Southern Highlands of Tanzania have a favourable climate and ideal conditions for coffee growing. However, the productivity of current coffee trees in the area is very low. In comparison to Western Tanzania, the Southern Highlands are producing only a quarter as much coffee per tree. Coffee farmers are struggling to produce quality coffee from old trees that were planted over 25 years ago.

Farmers cannot afford to replace their trees because they cannot access loans or other banking services. Many farmers also lack access to sufficient amounts of fertilizers and other inputs. They still produce coffee, but far from all of them have access to markets where they can sell their coffee for a good price. Hence the return from their work and their sales is not enough to make the improvements they would need to be better off.

The future of the Southern Highlands coffee production is furthermore threatened as young people feel reluctant to take up coffee farming under the current conditions.

Sustainable land management and cooperative empowerment

The over 90 Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS) who have thus far participated in the programme organise over 24,000 smallholder coffee farmers. They have been trained on sustainable coffee farming techniques and agroforestry practices as part of the Smallholder Coffee Development Programme in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands, CODE-P. This improves climate resilience and boost yields. Women and youth in particular are encouraged and empowered to engage in the coffee sector – promoting a generational shift that helps the sector thrive while helping youth find gainful rural employment.

Through the programme, the cooperatives have also strengthened their connections to buyers and markets, ensuring more fair prices. Modern coffee processing facilities have been set up to further improve the coffee quality and make the coffee more competitive on the market.

Results from Phase I

Phase I of CODE-P ran from mid-2020 to mid-2024 thanks to generous funding from the European Union. It was implemented together with our partners BRAC International, the Agricultural Non State Actors Forum (ANSAF),  the Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI), and Café Africa Tanzania.

Key results include:

• A total of 24,753 farmers reached, surpassing the initial target of 24,000. Of the farmers reached, 7,391 were women. 12,980 of the total were aged between 18 and 35 years old.
• 92 Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS) engaged, exceeding the original target of 60 AMCOS. More than a third of them managed to access loans to boost their businesses.
• 60 coffee multiplication nurseries established to produce climate-resilient coffee seedlings, with an impressive coffee seedling survival rate of 93%. The nurseries also served as knowledge hubs for trainings.
• Over 283 000 agroforestry trees distributed and planted by coffee farmers, improving soil quality, erosion control, pest control, shading for coffee trees, and climate resilience. The trees also gave firewood, fruits, and improved food security.
• Average rise in clean coffee productivity from 0.4 kg per tree to 0.55 kg per tree (20%).
• Coffee value rise from $2.76 per kg in the 2020/21 season to $3.08 per kg in the 2023/24 season. Increase by a third in coffee exports from the programme regions.
• Over half of the farmers in the project integrated nutritional food crops such as legumes, bananas, vegetables and fruits into their gardens, improving the families’ nutrition.
• Per capita income increase by 65% in Mbeya, Ruvuma, and Songwe. This success is partly attributed to increased production and productivity of quality coffee, improved post-harvest processing capacities, and strengthened market and financial linkages.
• Several commitments from policymakers aimed at improving the coffee sector. This came after interventions at both local and national levels, informed by policy and budget analyses.
• Acknowledgement of the programme in various meetings at national level thanks to efforts in communication, visibility and branding.

Learn more about Phase I in this text by ANSAF or download our CODE-P factsheet .

Join us for Phase II

Our collaborative efforts in sustainable coffee production in Tanzania and East Africa through the integration of agroforestry continue. We are presently planning for a Phase II, looking for suitable partners and donors. Would you like to be among them? Contact us at tanzania@viagroforestry.org.

Video about the project