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.
Smallholder Coffee Development Programme in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands – CODE-P
Vi Agroforestry sees potential for the Southern Highlands to become a competitive coffee producer in the global trade of coffee. We work with local partners to empower coffee farmers to produce better quality and quantity of coffee that will be more competitive in the market and return higher incomes, boosting the local economy. We are encouraging women and youth in particular to engage in this sector, educating and empowering a new generation of coffee growers. All coffee growers are trained in sustainable and climate-resilient production of this very in-demand bean.
Phase I of CODE-P ran from 2020 to 2024 thanks to generous funding from the European Union and reached 24,000 smallholder farmers in Southern Tanzania. 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. Learn more in this text by ANSAF or download our factsheet about CODE-P_
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.
