Regional Markets

Regional Markets for Local Development
received from the coffee harvest was handled by men, but this is not the case today.
Through group loans, women have gained some control over the proceeds from coffee
and other socio-economic activities, such as dairy goat keeping and small businesses.
Food security
Compared to the income from food crops (e.g. maize), the revenues from coffee are
more substantial and provide the main livelihood sources for many families. The
income obtained from coffee selling is used for education, housing, clothing, and medical
expenses. It is also the main source of financial means for purchasing food stuffs,
such as meat, fish, cooking oil and sugar. According to a TechnoServe report (2006),
participating coffee farmers have higher incomes compared to other farmers in the
same regions. Farmers also cultivate a number of food crops for household consumption
(e.g., bananas, yams, vegetables, maize and beans). Livestock rearing (e.g., cattle,
goats, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs) is another source of income and proteins. The
farmers also learned how to do intercropping, the joint planting of cash crops and food
crops, which helps improve their food security and household income.
Coffee quality
As this case is not about a food commodity but deals with an export-oriented product
instead, this section will share a few words on the quality improvement measures. In
order to improve coffee quality, TechnoServe 16 established communal coffee processing
centres and organised trainings for farmers on how to improve processing, and thereby
obtain a better price for a superior product. Through demonstration plots, farmers
became acquainted with new agronomic practices, which provided higher yields and
better quality coffee. Thanks to these activities, most coffee is currently meeting a good
quality standard and fewer bags are being rejected by buyers. The extra funds smallholders
receive for this quality coffee should contribute to increased household incomes
and better nourishment.
Infrastructure and governance
In 2001, TechnoServe helped generate momentum for the founding of the Association
of Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffee Growers (KILICAFE). The establishment and support
of associations of coffee growers is central to the empowerment of smallholders.
Associations also disseminate price information, search for the best marketing opportunities,
and link farmers to the main stakeholder in the coffee value chain. KILICAFE
was founded by 11 farmer organisations, called Investment Groups, which were already
helping individual smallholders to organise. By 2006, KILICAFE had already grown to
include 93 groups, with individual memberships surpassing 9,000 smallholder farmers.
16 Higher Coffee Incomes Transform Lives in Tanzania: Techno Serve works with coffee farmers to produce
higher-quality beans for the premium coffee market: http://www.technoserve.org/work-impact/success-stories
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