Welcome to Uganda
Winston Churchill affectionately referred to this nation as “the pearl of Africa” back in 1908. A passionate painter amongst notable other interests, Churchill penned in his book, My African Journey; for magnificence, for variety of form and colour, for profusion of brilliant life. Geographically, Uganda is diverse, with volcanic hills, and lakes, including the world’s second largest freshwater lake, Lake Victoria. The Rwenzori Mountains kiss the skies, while the rhythmic beats and colourful attire of its people paint the cultural canvas of the nation. Africa’s smallest nation is landlocked, by an array of diverse nations including Kenya, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania. The country has significant natural resources and favourable soil conditions. They have enjoyed agricultural success in many areas including Coffee, where they are the world’s 10th largest producer.
Nice segway…
An unfiltered history of plantations
Uganda’s main food crops have been plantains, bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, millet, sorghum, corn, beans, and groundnuts. Major cash crops have been coffee, cotton, tea, cocoa, vanilla and tobacco, although in the 1980s many farmers sold food crops to meet short-term expenses. The production of cotton, tea, and tobacco virtually collapsed during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Coffee has been Uganda’s most important crop since the 1980s.
In Uganda, smallholders intercrop their coffee trees with traditional food crops, usually utilizing the shade of banana trees and other shade trees. In these self sustaining conditions, coffee is left to grow naturally, flowering on average twice a year.
Mount Elgon lies in the eastern reaches of the country, straddling the Uganda – Kenya border. Judging by its enormous base it is thought that Mount Elgon was once the tallest mountain in Africa. The coffee shambas extend up and down the cliff faces, making use of natural water gullies and forest cover to extract moisture from the soil. The Sipi Falls are one of the great natural features of the Elgon region where this coffee originates, with small holder farms based between 1,600 and 1,900 metres. It is a steep and difficult terrain to traverse in the rainy seasons – often there are no roads, only dirt tracks that get washed away by the rains. Our very first Ugandan coffee comes from this region.
The Bagisu people who live on the mountain have become expert coffee farmers and have developed their own transportation methods – donkeys!
This cup is so different from other East African coffees with: a full and heavy body, lower acidity than neighboring coffee origins, and rustic aspects. It is more reminiscent of the Indonesian cup character than the citric and acidic coffees from Kenya.
Uganda's Coffee
Uganda is one of the world’s major Robusta producers. Some Arabica is also grown in different highland areas of the country, most notably on the slopes of Mount Elgon on the border with Kenya and on the slopes of the Mount Rwenzori, popularly known as the ‘mountains of the moon’ on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some Arabica coffee is also grown in the West Nile region in north western part of the country.
Uganda's 3 Arabica Growing Regions
Uganda has always been famous for its Robusta coffee, an indigenous species that still grows wild in the country’s rainforests. Yet you’ll also find Arabica growing in three regions: Mount Elgon in the east, the Rwenzori Mountains in the southwest, and West Nile in the northwest. Each origin is unique, with different coffee profiles and production methods.
The Rwenzori Mountains, also known as the Mountains of the Moon, sprawl across the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Elevations span 1,500 to 2,300masl, with nitrogen-rich soil perfect for cultivating Arabica coffee.
On Mount Elgon, East Africa’s oldest volcano, coffee farms dot the slopes from 1,600 to 2,100masl, shaded by forests on the steep terrain. Donkeys are often employed to carry cherries from farm to mill.
In the West Nile region, ranging from 1,300 to 1,600masl, indigenous banyan trees provide shade to the coffee farms. Coffee is typically wash-processed here and has a citrusy character.
A coffee industry fully liberalised
Majority of Ugandan people rely on farming as their source of income in some cities women own farms in order to provide for their families. A lot of farmers in Uganda face challenges like being able to access the market. The cost of transport is high which makes it difficult for farmers especially during wet weather conditions.
Whilst the economy as a whole has expanded and improved in recent years, coffee remains of vital importance, earning on average just short of 60% of annual export revenues. It is estimated that as much as 20% of the entire population earn all or a large part of their cash income from coffee.
Following decades of total state control of the sector, the coffee industry was fully liberalised between 1991 and 1992 and is currently entirely in private hands. However, export quality control remains the responsibility of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) that grades, liquors and classifies all export shipments. Their vision is to have sustainable coffee production and trade in Uganda and its mission is to engage and work with all stakeholders to promote sustainable coffee production and trade to achieve its goal of sustaining and increasing volumes and quality of traded coffee.
The country has ambitious goals to quadruple coffee production in the coming years.
Historically, Ugandan coffee has been used for blending and not identified, but the country wants to change that by improving quality. Within coffee, Uganda’s current exports are around $627 million annually, with the goal in five years being $1.5 billion — a 28 percent increase. Rwabwogo said that further goals include growing annual coffee production from approximately seven million bags to 20 million bags by 2030.
Uganda continues to astound everyone with improvements in cup quality. Improvements in farming and processing are helping the region surge past socio-economic hurdles that have historically held this coffee origin back. Upgrades in quality and new washing stations are also substantially impacting the lives of the smallholder farmers who produce the coffee.
More recently there has been a focus on upskilling women.
While women have long been heavily involved in the labour aspect of coffee production (picking and sorting for example) they have not had the opportunities for training and education or been involved with business transactions because of conflicting familial activities.
