BONN, Germany – A new partnership between the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) and Partnerships for Forests (P4F) commits to improving farmer income and the production of sustainable coffee across East Africa. The cooperation agreement between GCP and P4F, a UK Aid programme, was signed at the end of June 2022 and sets out steps to strengthen the enabling environment to produce sustainable coffee.
GCP and P4F promote sustainable coffee in East Africa
Through embedding regenerative practices and sustainable landscape governance into the coffee value chain in the region, the partnership aims to increase farmer incomes and enhance relevant governance structures at both national and regional level by leveraging the GCP Network of Country Platforms in East Africa.
“We are excited to join GCP’s network of partners as we look to mobilise investments, at scale, that embed regenerative practices and sustainable landscape governance within the East Africa coffee sector,” said P4F Regional Director for East Africa, Ben Aschenaki.
“East Africa is home to some of the best coffees globally, and this partnership has the potential to significantly improve the livelihoods of millions of farmers while restoring and preserving the natural ecosystem of the coffee growing landscapes.”
The partnership’s first phase will run initially until July 2023 and will leverage the strengths of both GCP and P4F by engaging with local stakeholders and mainstreaming the learnings to the sector. Among the activities supported, the partnership will contribute to the National Sustainability Curricula in the region and help embolden the new GCP Collective Action Initiative – ‘Youth for Coffee in Uganda’. The learnings from this initiative will be shared in particular across Kenya and Tanzania.
The partnership
According to Annette Pensel, GCP Executive Director, coffee farmers have “for too long been challenged by low profitability, changing climate and fluctuating coffee prices, impacting their incomes and well-being”.
“By exploring with Partnerships for Forests, the nexus between farmer income and agroforestry practices, we can look forward to viable learnings and results both on farmer prosperity while at the same time ensuring sustainable practices for coffee production in line with regenerative agriculture,” said Pensel.
“We are excited about this new partnership and the potential for long lasting and positive impacts across the region.”
Throughout all its activities, the partnership will explore regenerative practices (such as agroforestry) as a pathway to closing the living income gap and increasing farmer prosperity. There will also be a focus on sharing the lessons gathered with Country Platforms in other continents and the GCP Membership at large.
The partnership kicked off end of June and will be formally launched in September online and in Kampala as part of the GCP East Africa Field Days.
About GCP
The Global Coffee Platform (GCP) is a unique multi-stakeholder membership association of coffee producers, traders, roasters and retailers, civil society, associations, governments and donors, united under a common vision to work collectively towards a thriving, sustainable coffee sector for generations to come.
GCP Members believe that sustainability is a shared responsibility to enhance farmers’ economic prosperity, improve well-being, and conservation of nature.
With its diverse and committed membership and its network of 10 country platforms across the globe, GCP aims to achieve transformational change for more than one million coffee farmers by 2030. For more informations click here.
About P4F
Partnerships For Forests (P4F) is an eight-year programme funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The programme catalyses investments in which the private sector, public sector and communities can achieve shared value from sustainable forests and sustainable land use. For more informations click here.
