Coffee agroecology

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Initiated and managed by Maina Wambugu (TOP Coffee co-founder)

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Overall objective (impact):
Improved livelihood among smallholder farmers and youth in coffee-producing areas.

Objectives
1. Improved Coffee sector management -The smallholder farmers achieve higher income -from coffee as they attain a higher yield of good quality organic coffee, which they market through improved cooperative social structures.
2. Improved Organic/agroecological farm management-1000 smallholder farmers have the knowledge and skills to adopt diversified agroecological agriculture with higher production levels of nutrient-rich native crops, environmental conservation through the use of improved cooking stoves, tree planting thus improving their health and – resilience to climate change.
3. Enhanced Enterprise diversification and youth employment- Revenue streams are multiplied by increasing diversification of farming enterprises among smallholder coffee farmers and improved skills among the youth in entrepreneurship hence enabling them to become economically active through the establishment of a variety of cottage industries

Past situation
On average the production per coffee Bush was 2-5 kgs.
The main challenge then was the unhealthy soils that had over several years been subjected to Agrochemicals and inorganic fertilizers.
Other challenges were volatile markets and loans borrowed by the coffee societies on behalf of the farmers.

Process
The first step was now feeding the soils so that the soils would feed the coffee plants. Compost and other manures were applied.
Pruning and disease control and management.

Results
After the first 2 years, production had risen to 8-10 kgs per Bush.
Within the fourth and 5th years, production had increased from 15 kgs to 20 kgs.
The production per coffee Bush increases with better land, water, and good ago ecological practices.
YARD trained the farmers on various coffee ecosystems and value chains

Initial budget
The initial budget was 6 million Ksh.
4 trained staff supported the farmers.
Funds came from Basic Bio which is a chain of supermarkets in Germany whose sales of coffee supported the farmers

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