Meet Steven Kamya, a young farmer who produces Robusta coffee on a small plot of land in Uganda’s Greater Masaka region. The crop is deeply embedded in the daily life of families and communities in this region, thanks to the region’s rich volcanic soils and favourable climate. However, climate change is threatening his income– and that of up to 1.7 million families that produce coffee in Uganda. More extreme rainfall combined with prolonged droughts may render once-productive land unsuitable for coffee farming, jeopardising the livelihoods of farmers, disrupting supply chains, and likely making your cup of coffee more expensive.
Steven, however, is not waiting around. He runs a demo plot with climate-smart practices on his coffee farm, trains other farmers to adopt these practices, and launched an enterprise offering farm services in surrounding communities, with 64 other youth. This was supported through Change brewing, a project that takes a holistic approach on sustainability by promoting low-carbon coffee production while ensuring responsible sourcing. Between June 2023 and December 2024, Change brewing provided about 2,000 farmers like Steven and their communities with the knowledge and skills needed to adopt sustainable and low-carbon farming practices. At the same time, the project empowered women, promoted financial inclusion, and enhanced soil health and carbon sequestration.
“Change brewing brought together 3 actors: agro-commodities trader ETG, the biochar specialists Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), and Rikolto, with funding from the AGRI3 Fund technical assistance facility managed by IDH,” explains Vincent Amodoi, Rikolto’s Programme Advisor for Cocoa and Coffee in Uganda. The partners each brought in complimentary expertise. ETG, the lead, distributed biodigesters, set up coffee and tree nurseries, and onboarded, registered and mapped farmer groups so they could become part of their coffee supply chain. NGI ran soil and carbon experiments to find the optimal combination of biochar, bio-slurry, and traditional fertiliser for improving soil health. At Rikolto, we supported the implementation of low-carbon farming practices, as well as the set-up of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) with a specific gender focus.
“The project is unique because it brings together these different approaches”, Vincent continues. Transitioning to a sustainable, low-carbon coffee farming model doesn’t happen overnight. It takes looking at it from different angles, such as economic inclusion, climate adaptation and sustainability. It takes powerful partnerships that bring different experiences, and it takes a lot of testing, to see what works and what doesn’t.
Climate-smart coffee farming is indeed not just about adapting to climate change: it can create a system that interlinks sustainable production practices, carbon reduction, and even economic opportunities. By combining practices such as shade management and intercropping with the use of biodigesters, bio-slurry, and biochar, farmers enhance soil fertility, reduce emissions, and maintain coffee yield and quality. Diversified farming systems, in which coffee is intercropped, also reduce farmers’ vulnerability to climate-related risks as they improve food security and provide additional income streams.
"Sometimes I’m talking with other farmers, and I ask them: why are you struggling to secure food for your family and your income? There are so many natural and good solutions to it when you engage in agroforestry!"
Over the total span of the project, 1,971 farmers, 68% of whom are women, were trained in climate-smart coffee production practices. For this, we adopted a training-of-trainers (ToT) model: a small group of 30 trainers, of which 10 are women, was equipped with knowledge and skills, that they then passed on to a larger number of farmers. Many of these trainers are young people – they are proactive and passionate for change. Steven is one of them. The ToT model plays a key role in driving these practices forward, ensuring local ownership and a wider reach.
So, what were these trainings about? “We started by going over key terms such as climate change and greenhouse gasses, looking at the causes of climate change as well as the effects in Uganda related to coffee farming. From there, we dived deeper, looking at why climate-smart coffee farming is crucial, as well as what practical solutions exist, such as agroforestry, intercropping, making and using organic manure, transforming coffee husks into biochar, beekeeping for natural pollination, mulching, irrigation, etc”, explains Vincent.
17 demonstration plots were established, on existing farms, to showcase how these climate-smart practices look. These plots consist of coffee plants, intercropped with bananas, shade trees, avocado and jackfruit trees. They also have the necessary trenches for water conservation and soil erosion control. Biochar and bio-slurry is used. All of this enhances soil health, increases soil health, and contributes to reducing the carbon footprint. One of the demo plots is hosted by Steven, on his farm. Because of this, he is extremely invested in the success of the practices being demonstrated. These demo plots bring the training concepts to life: they allow farmers to witness firsthand the practical benefits of sustainable practices and build confidence in applying these techniques on their own farms.
To further boost the adoption of climate-smart practices, 30,242 shade tree seedlings and cuttings were also distributed. At this stage, seeing a tangible and immediate benefit, a larger group of farmers started to gain interest in the project, and started adopting these low-carbon practices. The project duration, of not even two years, is too short to quantify the impact of using biochar or agroforestry on coffee farms and farmer income; this can only be done in five to ten years.
“This project is laying the foundation for more resilient coffee farming in the years to come, and I see practices being adopted. More farmers are integrating irrigation, agroforestry and biochar into their farms, while also diversifying their crops with beans and soya to maximise land use and food security, for instance.”
Vincent Amodoi
Programme Advisor for Cocoa and Coffee in Uganda | Rikolto
The vision for change is clear: coffee communities buzzing with activity. Imagine: groups of young people providing farming services to coffee farmers, others starting up beekeeping. Members of the community creating and selling organic manure or transforming coffee husks (once a waste product) into biochar. Women being valued for the invisible work they are doing in the coffee sector, transforming and selling by-products from diversified coffee farms. But one of the biggest barriers for change is … access to finance. For all, but particularly for women and youth.
To address this, we supported the creation of 14 new VSLAs and strengthened 10 existing ones. We set up trainings for the 603 members of these VSLAs. This firstly focused on the VSLA methodology itself: how does a VSLA operate, how should it be managed and governed? All trained groups received a VSLA training kit, and attention was also paid to the key principles of transparency and accountability, bookkeeping and record keeping in VSLAs. Furthermore, the trainings dealt with topics such as conflict resolution, action audits and sharing out – all things crucial to have a well-functioning VSLA.
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“It is inspiring to see opportunities arise for women and youth”, says our colleague Vincent. “There is the story of Ms. Zawedde Lamuratu who was able to level up her own passion fruit juice business. With the loan from the VSLA she participates in, she bought a refrigerator. Her passion fruit juice is excellent, and demand is far higher than what she can produce. When I pass by the community, her juice is often sold out.” And she is not alone. There is also the group of 47 women and 21 men that bought catering items such as saucepans and buffet materials with the VSLA loan and are now offering catering services in the communities. And Bitone Ismeal Kayemba, a young man who transformed his farm: he was able to acquire a cow, goats and poultry, and is now making his own organic manure. Also, there are the 10 youth groups made up of 261 youth that started up businesses, 6 of them in honey production and 4 of them offering paid farm labour services, one of which is led by Steven.
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These economic opportunities for women and youth should go hand in hand with social change. To support this, we organised trainings using the Gender Action Learning System (GALS) methodology, reaching 502 persons from 20 VSLAs: 267 women and 235 men. These trainings aimed to strengthen VSLAs not just as financial tools, but also as spaces for gender justice and economic empowerment, particularly for women. The training had three key phases:
To ensure that everyone understands the benefits of gender equality within households and communities, men and women alike were involved during these trainings. eases soil health, and contributes to reducing the carbon footprint. This way, changes are more likely to take root, fostering more cohesive and resilient communities.
“You see that mindsets are changing at the family level, mostly when it comes to how resources are spent. Everyone puts money on the table, and how money is spent is now also discussed as a family.”
Vincent Amodoi
Rikolto’s Programme Advisor for Cocoa and Coffee in Uganda
VSLAs have proven to be a useful tool for mobilisation, beyond financial inclusion. "Sitting days", when all members gather, provided a natural platform for training and discussions. They bring people together not just to save and invest, but to build shared visions for more equitable and sustainable communities.
Change brewing laid the groundwork for a more resilient and sustainable coffee sector in Uganda. By integrating low-carbon farming practices and strengthening financial inclusion, farmers are now better equipped to adapt to climate challenges while securing their livelihoods. For systemic change to happen, we need to move beyond this pilot project, promoting responsible coffee sourcing and ensuring that practices and resources are sustained in the long run.
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