Uganda’s Coffee Bill and the Development of the Coffee Sector

The Ugandan government introduced the National Coffee Bill in 2018 in an effort to revamp, regulate, and strengthen the coffee sector in Uganda. The objective of the Bill is to provide the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) with mechanisms to regulate, promote, and oversee the coffee subsector, as well as regulate on-farm and off-farm activities across the entire coffee value chain.

Concerns About the Coffee Bill

While the Bill is intended to regulate and strengthen Uganda’s coffee sector, Slow Food believes that several loopholes need to be addressed before it is passed into law. At Slow Food Uganda, we recognise the importance of a coffee law that can regulate the sector, enhance its competitiveness, and reduce the exploitation of small-scale coffee farmers.

The proposed legislation is therefore considered timely and important. However, there are several issues that require clarification from the committee responsible for proposing the Bill. It is also important to incorporate the views and ideas of coffee farmers and determine which recommendations should be presented to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture.

Protecting Traditional Coffee Farmers and Practices

Some clauses and provisions of the Bill could, in the future, work against the interests and sovereignty of traditional coffee farmers in Uganda’s traditional coffee-growing areas.

For example, farmers should have the ability to prepare farm nurseries and grow coffee varieties that meet their needs and reflect the wide range of uses of coffee within their communities. The Bill, however, places significant emphasis on the commercial sale of coffee as the primary objective of coffee production.

It also recognises coffee brewing and instant coffee as the main forms of coffee consumption, while potentially overlooking other uses of coffee that are embedded in the cultures and traditions of Ugandans living in coffee-growing regions.

These concerns have been raised by the Slow Food Network of coffee communities in Uganda. They have created questions around some aspects of the Coffee Bill, despite the fact that the Bill also contains important and positive provisions aimed at supporting small-scale farmers, improving the quality and value of Ugandan coffee, and making the country's coffee sector more competitive both locally and internationally.

The Slow Food Coffee Festival

The Slow Food Coffee Festival is an important event that brings together key stakeholders in Uganda’s coffee sector to discuss ways of improving the industry and raising awareness about the country's rich coffee culture and biodiversity.

The festival brings together coffee producers from different ecological zones, coffee entrepreneurs, and individuals and organisations working to promote sustainable local coffee production and consumption. It also provides an important platform for discussing the social, economic, and political issues affecting coffee as a major agricultural crop in Uganda.

For example, the year's Coffee Festival, hosted on the grounds of the Mukono District Local Government, provided a key platform for farmers and other stakeholders to discuss and propose improvements to the 2018 Coffee Bill, which was before the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture.

The event also served as an advocacy platform, enabling participants to call on the government to listen to citizens' views and incorporate them into the proposed legislation. Such inclusion is important to ensure that coffee-growing communities can benefit from opportunities within the coffee subsector, including income generation, protection of Uganda’s coffee biodiversity and heritage, and improved livelihoods for vulnerable communities.

Conclusion

The Coffee Bill presents an important opportunity to strengthen Uganda’s coffee sector and improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers. However, meaningful participation by farmers and coffee-growing communities is essential to ensure that the legislation reflects their realities, protects traditional practices, and promotes sustainable and inclusive development across the coffee value chain.