Each year, International Coffee Day is observed to raise awareness of the millions of people whose livelihoods rely on the coffee crop while celebrating this globally enjoyed drink. In East Africa, over five million people work in the coffee sector, making it a key cash and export crop. For this reason, between 2016 and 2020, the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) invested US$8.5 million in 47 coffee cooperatives across East Africa. Continuing the work done in this sector, USADF is introducing the USADF Coffee Program supported by coffee sector supply chain experts Ethos Agriculture and coordinated by USADF Local Partner Association pour le Développement des Communautés (DTC) in Burundi.
Designed to complement USADF’s signature approach of direct capital investment combined with local technical assistance, this program aims to fast-track coffee agribusiness development across East Africa. This is anticipated by optimizing supply chain partnerships and providing smallholder farmers and coffee cooperatives with ongoing practical support services. By coordinating coffee-specific value chain services, USADF has the ambition to leverage the impact of its current investments by establishing relationships with strategic African and global private, research and development partners. This program will be managed as an annual Coffee Campaign inviting East African coffee cooperatives to participate in the “Agribusiness Accelerator”: a structured training methodology providing access to a global network of coffee organizations, cooperative centric technologies and tools, and latest insights in coffee sustainability. To support the USADF local implementing partners in this new approach, USADF and Ethos Agriculture will design an online learning portal to connect participants to training curriculum and materials, research, and partnership opportunities.
This coffee program will be implemented in six countries:
- Burundi, with support from Local Partner Association pour le Développement Transformationnel des Communautés (DTC)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, with support from Local Partner Action Sociale et d’Organisation Paysanne (ASOP)
- Malawi, with support from Local Partner UMODZI Consulting Limited
- Rwanda, with support from Local Partner Africa Development Consultants SARL (ADC)
- Tanzania, with support from Local Partner Africa Development Consultants SARL (ADC)
- Uganda, with support from Local Partner Uganda Development Trust (UDET)
This collaborative training approach will address the most pressing issues faced by coffee cooperatives in East Africa, including access to markets and financing, financial and information management, and project implementation. Through this initiative, USADF hopes to harness the transformational power of value chains to increase the impact of future coffee investments in rural communities across the region. Furthermore, by supporting a network of local partners, USADF is committed to building the required local infrastructure to contribute to sustainable economic growth in rural Africa.
In anticipation of the USADF Coffee Program and celebration of International Coffee Day, USADF is preparing to join the Sustainable Coffee Challenge by making an official commitment to transparency and sustainability in the coffee sector. Through the Challenge, USADF commits to promoting sustainable farming practices, investing in female-led coffee cooperatives, and facilitating job creation. By joining the Sustainable Coffee Challenge and aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, and 8, the Foundation is poised to kick off the USADF Coffee Initiative and continue promoting pathways to prosperity in Africa’s coffee sector.