Kenya Boosting productivity and climate resilience in Kenya’s coffee cooperatives

As a result of climate change, Kenyan coffee farmers have been harvesting fewer and fewer beans of increasingly poor quality for many years. In fact, some of their farming practices have actually contributed to climate change, soil degradation and an increase in pests and plant diseases. Kenyan coffee farmers are organised in around 450 cooperatives, some of which have up to 12,000 members. However, the cooperatives are often managed inefficiently, and their management boards lack the required management skills and knowledge. In order to be able to compete in the coffee sector in the long term, CMS needs larger quantities of high-quality coffee beans that meet international standards and fetch better prices. In turn, this will boost the incomes of farmers and make them more resilient.

The project of CMS and DEG provided funding of more than EUR 550,000 for three Kenyan coffee cooperatives with over 14,000 members. Various measures were implemented to make coffee-growing more profitable and more resilient to climate change.

• New water-saving methods of coffee washing the harvested crop were introduced in the three cooperatives to separate the outer skin and pulp from the coffee beans.
• Growers were trained to use this more sustainable coffee washing technique.
• They also received training in efficient and climate-friendly farming practices.
• Management training was provided for the board members of participating cooperatives to help them develop leadership, administration and financial management skills.

CMS also offers the cooperatives various services in areas such as marketing, certification, warehousing and financing.

At the end of the project, the farmers in each cooperative could point to increased productivity and improved quality, resulting in more premium grades.

• An eco-friendly coffee washing method was introduced at eight washing stations and reduced processing costs by 43 per cent.
• 64 coffee washing stuff were trained to use the new washing method.
• Nearly 8,000 coffee farmers were coached how to apply efficient and climate-friendly agricultural practices through a course developed at the start of the project.

The pilot project has raised awareness of the environmentally friendly washing method in Kenya, and other cooperatives are looking to use this approach in the future. Actually, the national government of Kenya has started a programme to equip several other co-operatives with the same coffee washing machines.